These TV Stations Sold Out Antenna Viewers in $20 Billion FCC Repack

Antenna Man · Feb 1, 2023

Time for another AWESOME video from Tyler the Antenna Man!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_IXDMfel80

Direct YouTube Link - These TV Stations Sold Out Antenna Viewers in $20 Billion FCC Repack
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Trip · Feb 2, 2023

This video, unfortunately, has a number of pretty significant factual errors in it. I've flagged them to Tyler; hopefully he'll revise or issue a correction.

- Trip

SamCdbs · Feb 2, 2023

Name one. "Expresses an opinion different from my own" and "pretty significant factual errors" are two different concepts.

Fact is the video correctly describes how the government arranged, as predicted back when the NTSC/ATSC switch was first proposed, to enrich Big Media. Since these stations were GIVEN the use of their channels which belong to the public at no cost, it is outrageous that they were paid to give them up. If the FCC believes that a particular market could be better served by moving a channel to another channel, or by multi-plexing two or more major networks on one channel, then INFORM the station owners to comply.

The main beneficiaries of this duplicity were, indeed, Dell, Big Media, the various state PBS taxwastes, and religious broadcasters whose programing, like the PBS taxwastes, is mostly begging for money to stay on the air. AKA lying.

Trip · Feb 2, 2023

I can name several.

"Nexstar sold KRON." Incorrect. Nexstar did not own KRON at the time of the auction, Media-General did. In fact, Nexstar did not sell any stations in the auction, making his later statement in the video about Nexstar being one of the biggest sellers incorrect as well; Media-General sold multiple stations in the auction to channel share or move to VHF, and those stations were subsequently purchased by Nexstar.

"Tri-State Christian sold KDOC." Incorrect. TCT did not own KDOC at the time of the auction, Bert Ellis did. TCT bought the station less than a year ago.

"WGBH programming was lost." Incorrect. WGBH's programming is available (in SD) on WGBX's signal. It's a downgrade, yes, but WGBX's signal still on UHF, and is more powerful today than WGBH's was before the repack.

"The FCC had no consumer education campaign for the repack." Incorrect. The FCC spent $50 million on consumer education, as directed by Congress, including providing a fully-staffed call center in English and Spanish, and multiple forms of advertising. See footnote 11 in this document: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-22A1.pdf

- Trip

Foxbat · Feb 4, 2023

…and it’s down. Maybe Tyler decided he had too many errors?

FTA4PA · Feb 4, 2023

Foxbat said:
…and it’s down. Maybe Tyler decided he had too many errors?

It's back up now with some changes. :rolleyes