Spokane, WA Locals Working!

[pbrown]

Called and ordered the Spokane Locals this morning, everything looks good. Picture quality is excellent, the guide is all loaded up with the correct programming. Now, off to call AT&T Broadband/Comcast and tell them I don't need them anymore. Now we just need KAYU (Fox) to get on board, we'll be perfect... I have a waiver for Fox-Denver, so I still get a Fox station.

[Darkman]

hehe, Cool ;)

[KenIdaho]

KAYU is now listed on Dishnetworks web site. I have not checked this morning to see if it works.

Ken

[firephoto]

Checked my 301 about an hour ago, KAYU wasn't on there, just checked my 508 and it is on. It's nice to have all the channels on the dish, PQ is great (compared to ota), and I can use the PVR more now.

Tom

[Jaspear]

KAYU only offers mono audio OTA. Is it in stereo on Dish?

[firephoto]

I just captured a little bit of audio and it looks like both audio channels are the same. Could just be the program that is on though.
Tom

*2nd test*
Tried some commercials, still mono. Captured some from KSPS, it is stereo, I guess KAYU is mono only.
Using Canopus ADVC100, ScenalyzerLive, TMPGEnc, and looking at the WAV file with Cool Edit for these tests. I get the feeling I am doing this the hard way. :)

[pbrown]

KAYU is mono only, but good to see they got their act together and they are on. Tom, you are too dedicated to the testing! FYI, I am 99% sure that all the signals except KREM and KKSN are OTA. If you didn't know, DISH's recieve site is at KREM's studios, and then fibered to Cheyenne. I know for a fact that KHQ is OTA, and I'd be surprised if any other stations spent a lot of money to get their signal there. NOW, that all being said, I really wish we could get KGPX, I'm going to miss seeing the Gonzaga games on PAX 34.

[Jaspear]

firephoto wrote:
looking at the WAV file with Cool Edit for these tests. I get the feeling I am doing this the hard way.

No kidding! I would have just used my ears, but thanks for your effort!

Patrick: KAYU is, I am told, in stereo on the satellite distribution to canadian DBS Star Choice and Alberta cable systems. I wonder why DISH went to trouble and expense of the fiber link when the Spokane stations - KSKN excepted - are available on Anik F1?

No PAX 34, but how long do you think it will be before that new UPN station in Pullman requests carriage?

[firephoto]

Seems odd that they are getting the channels that way when all the Spokane channels are already up on a satellite. The translator site in the Methow valley on McLure Mtn. has been receiving the Spokane channels off of a satellite since May of 1999. This is the only site I helped with the install but I know there are others set up this way now.

I did send an email to KAYU the other night about not being on dish at that time, maybe I better let them know that stereo would be nice too. I always thought it was the local translator here that was the reason behind it being mono. Maybe they'll switch to black and white too, go full retro. :D

It was a talkshow on and it didn't sound like anything was stereo but I just wanted to make sure. It's not really that big of a process, just a few steps and about a minute of time.

Tom

[TNGTony]

I am posting this here to make sure that the (kind of) retraction gets as much readership as possible.

On Monday I made a comment on the "crawl" on the Dish Channel chart (http://www.dishchannelchart.com) saying that the fact that the NBC and Fox affiliates were not going to be on at the same time as the other locals proved how little they cared about their viewers. I received a polite e-mail telling me that the comment was uncalled for. In response I removed the comment from the crawl (as I should have done on Wednesday night/Thursday morning for NBC and Friday morning for Fox. I also posted this in the "changes" area of the page:

I wish to apologize to the Spokane NBC and Fox affiliate personnel. The statement I made in the crawl when the stations had yet to reach an agreement proving how little they care for their viewers was not aimed at the rank and file. It was aimed at those that would charge for redistribution of a signal to their own area's viewers. My view of a TV station doing
anything other than saying "take my signal and pass it on to my viewers, please!" is well known. ANY station that wishes to charge a nickel to have their signal distributed to their viewers should have their license revoked for refusing to serve their area. Unfortunately, that is not the way the broadcasters view it. The fact that the redistributors charges for the signal is irrelevant. Unless the station in question wishes to pay the full amount of backhaul, uplink and lost opportunity costs to the disturber. This is a personal opinion. Again I apologize if anyone other than the folks directly responsible for the negotiations took offense at my commentary.

What I said about station (owners and managers) not caring about their viewers still goes for all the station (owners and managers) still refusing to grant permission for retransmission due to monetary compensation to retransmit the signal to THEIR OWN marketing area! If the hold-up is because the station wishes to blackmail the distributor into carrying another cable channel, that is even worse! (FOX O&O, Hearst, etc)

See ya
Tony

[pbrown]

RE: Spokane on Anik E1: It is an interesting point you make about Spokane on the Canadian bird. Basically, my understanding of it is that it would be illegal for Dish to turn around the stations off Anik due to Canadian vs. American copyright laws. The issue is that Canadian companies (ie: Shaw Cable) provide the equipment to get the signal to the satellite, then to Canada. If Dish paid Shaw for the signal, they would be buying an American product from Canada, which is where the law gets fuzzy. As far as translators using the Canadian signal in America, I know that all of the Spokane stations use it, but I've been told its a little gray on the law there. I would bet that translator associations may start switching to Dish for their feeds.

As to TNG Tony, I never saw your crawl, but as an employee of one station in Spokane, I was certainly bugging the people above me to get a deal done. My perosonal opinion is that the more places people can see us, the more likely they are to actually watch us. Thanks for your comments.

Oh yeah, the whole UPN/Pullman thing. Another interesting issue. On Tony's chart, you'll notice that KWSU from Pullman is listed in our DMA, but on 148. I spoke with an engineer from there earlier today, he told me they are having trouble getting a signal all the way to KREM, and proving they are part of the Spokane DMA. My guess is the Pullman UPN will wait to see if KWSU can pass the test before they try to. We should all be rooting for KWSU... if they can get on DISH, DISH will have to give us all free dishs pointing at 148!

[firephoto]

I would agree if the translators switch to dish they will save some money IF they can sell the recievers they forked out a lot of $$ for. Seems like the recievers with access were over a $1000 and maybe closer to $2000 each, I just don't remember for sure.

Now you're going to make me get out my compass Patrick and check 148. KWSU...... all I can say is MORE POWER ;), or focused power perhaps. Multi antenna arrays are common on the mountain tops for recieving the signal and relaying it somewhere else.

Tom

[MarkA]

Question: the reason for only the 6 out-of-market locals is spot beam limitations, right? Well, even though I'm out of the official map, I get a nice strong signall on 110 spot 6 (it has to be Spokane based on the map that's hitting me). Some Spokane locals are broadcast OTA and are on cable... Here's my question then, is it possible to convince E* to let me have the Spokane locals I qualify for as out-of-market locals?

[ElJefe]

The only way to get Spokane locals from E* would be to "move" to somewhere in the Spokane DMA. I believe there is one county (Lincoln) in Montana which falls in the Spokane DMA. Consider "moving" there, that way your receiver would still show the correct time zone.

[MarkA]

That doesn't seem too honest...

I know why, but I don't understand why the law allows cable to carry Spokane locals to me but not satellite? Why is there the difference?