Superstation package - will it go HD in June?

[theedge103]

Curious if they SD feeds will stay on the Dish SS package once everyone goes digital... and why is WGN the only 'superstation' that is in HD?

 

[Sparkman]

Lots of previous threads on this. Do a search and you will get lots of feedback on this subject. And, WGN is NOT a superstation, WGN America is a cable/satellite network.

 

[mistercoke]

Curious if they SD feeds will stay on the Dish SS package once everyone goes digital... and why is WGN the only 'superstation' that is in HD?

So that we can watch the Superstars in HD.

 

[Peter Parker]

There are many threads on this subject. Some will tell you that DISH cannot carry digital versions of the superstations. Other swill tell you that they are using the digital feeds already.


Her is one recent thread http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/147138-superstations-pkg-hd.html

 

[dennispap]

Curious if they SD feeds will stay on the Dish SS package once everyone goes digital... and why is WGN the only 'superstation' that is in HD?

Please know that digital doesnt mean HD.

 

[TNGTony]

I want to post here my prognostication that Superstations will NEVER EVER EVER EVER be available in HD nationally (some already are in HD locally like WPIX, KTLA). I further predict that when the law that allows for super stations to exist (by nullifying copyright laws that would otherwise have prevented Superstations since the beginning of time) will be allowed to expire at the end of the year.

 

[mistercoke]

Need SmackDown in HD!

 

[GaryPen]

Would be nice to have NY Mets in HD for $1.50/mo.

 

[dennispap]

I want to post here my prognostication that Superstations will NEVER EVER EVER EVER be available in HD nationally (some already are in HD locally like WPIX, KTLA). I further predict that when the law that allows for super stations to exist (by nullifying copyright laws that would otherwise have prevented Superstations since the beginning of time) will be allowed to expire at the end of the year.

I agree with you. Now days there are too many channels available that people can no longer say "i dont get enough channels". I think when the law expires, that will be it.

 

[TheKrell]

I further predict that when the law that allows for super stations to exist (by nullifying copyright laws that would otherwise have prevented Superstations since the beginning of time) will be allowed to expire...

You lost me with that parenthetical remark. I presume that Superstations have always paid copyright holders to air their programs, according to the size of the superstations' audience. If my presumption is correct, then how is copyright law being nullified?

 

[mike123abc]

You lost me with that parenthetical remark. I presume that Superstations have always paid copyright holders to air their programs, according to the size of the superstations' audience. If my presumption is correct, then how is copyright law being nullified?

The superstations are local channels. They have licensed the content they show for their local markets. But, do to a long history of serving the US via satellite they have an exemption in the copyright law that allows their content to be shown nationwide without having to negotiate nationwide contracts with their programming providers. Local stations showing the same show can demand blackouts of the content that they show (some markets they do this).

What I see probably happening is that the CW does press for the superstation laws to be renewed since there is a large number of markets without a CW.

 

[TNGTony]

Superstations pay for programs to their local markets and ONLY their local markets.

This is an outgrowth from early cable days when cable companies would do all sorts of things like set up an antenna array on a nearby mountain to get the neighboring city's local channels. First done in Scranton, PA in 1947. This is why cable TV's abreviation is CATV (Community Antenna TV). Some would set up microwave relays to have an antenna set up in a "far away" city and relay a particular station to the cable system's head end. WTTV Indianapolis was like this for some Ohio cable systems until the mid 90s!

Ted Turner was the first to use satellite as the station's way to redistribute the signal to cable systems as opposed to terrestrial microwave links. in the mid 70s. This was unprecedented and it started a revolution! This is also when the copyright holders started to scream bloody murder because of the distribution issue.

The Syndicators were selling programs to stations around the country as market exclusives. The "super stations" were buying these exclusives for their local markets and then they were being distributed nationally by third parties.

This went through the courts for some time before Congress stepped in at the cable systems' urging and gave the "established" super stations a pass. Starting I think in 1984 was when cable systems had to pay into a fund per subscriber to carry out of market stations for copyright fees, but this did not appease the local channels that were being cheated out of their exclusivity. The copyright fee has been slowly going up, and the law allowing for superstations to exist steadily narrowing to the point that we went from dozens of regional and national superstations to just 5 remaining super stations.

The local stations that were distributed as super stations only paid for local broadcast rights and this continues to this day.

Originally super stations were picked because of the baseball teams they broadcast! KTLA for Dodgers, WGN for Cubs, WWOR for Mets. WPIX for Yankees and WSBK for Red Sox. The NLB had kittens when Congress allowed the super station exemption!

See ya
Tony

 

[Peter Parker]

FWIW here isa link to the recent US Copyright Office report on this. note their recommendation at the end.




http://www.copyright.gov/reports/section109-executive-summary.pdf

 

[david_jr]

FWIW here isa link to the recent US Copyright Office report on this. note their recommendation at the end.




http://www.copyright.gov/reports/section109-executive-summary.pdf

Any idea why they recommend 1 superstation be allowed transmission? We are getting 5 now.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I love my Superstations!

Still paying $8.99 for Supers and my local channels through Dish also

 

[TNGTony]

FWIW here isa link to the recent US Copyright Office report on this. note their recommendation at the end.

http://www.copyright.gov/reports/section109-executive-summary.pdf

Good find! I knew that they were leaning toward losing all super stations. However I am confused at their rationale for allowing for 1 distant of each network and 1 superstation. If the person is having trouble with the transition and would need the distant stations, wouldn't that person be subscribing to cable/satellite thereby eliminating the need for the distant channel?

But what the heck.

See ya
Tony

 

[satjay]

This may not be an easy answer as everyone has different tastes, but do the superstations show programming that differs from local feeds? I have a local feed for my network and cw for example?

 

[TNGTony]

No. Local news is pretty much it. Of course there are places in the country that do not get some of the programs on the super stations.

See ya
Tony

 

[david_jr]

This may not be an easy answer as everyone has different tastes, but do the superstations show programming that differs from local feeds? I have a local feed for my network and cw for example?

There is a lot of sports on the supers.

 

[nrholland]

There was a lot more sports on the superstations years ago...but now most of it has been moved to other channels. All we have is Clippers games on KTLA, weekend Mets games on WPIX, and some Yankee games on WWOR. I believe that's it.