Connecticut's ABC affiliate Channel 8 WTNH not in HD!!!!!

[Rockywwf]

Ok, I'll start off and say I'm not a huge ABC fan but My wife watches a lot of shows on ABC. When our local HD's were first introduced about 1 1/2 years ago ABC (WTNH) was the only one not offered out of the big 4. So I called D*V and asked for the New York ABC HD affiliate to be turned on. They went through the submission process with the local affiliate and it got rejected. They suggested an OTA antenna. So I buy an indoor one. Well because of the distance from the station and the fact that I live in a hilly town with a lot of trees surrounding me I cannot get a signal. So I brought the antenna back. I figured some time will pass and they will add the HD signal No luck.

So I call D*V again and tell them my situation. They then submit this info along with my story of getting the OTA and still not being able to pull a signal down. I just got the rejection notice again from them.

My question is to fellow CT people...what is up with WTNH??? Anyone else go through this and get the affiliate switched on??? Anyone have any info on when and if they will do something with D*V carrying their HD channel????

Also any suggestions on getting ABC in HD besides an OTA antenna? Because frankly, WTNH is a horrible station for news and for just the primetime HD shows it's not worth the time, effort or money to get an antenna installed on my roof for one channel.


Thanks in advance!! :mad:

[Earl Bonovich]

Do you know who is the owner of the affiliate?

[dbmaven]

Do you know who is the owner of the affiliate?

LIN TV, according to Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIN_TV

The last line of the narrative might be important:
"On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale of the company."

[Rockywwf]

Do you know who is the owner of the affiliate?


LIN TV whoever they are.

[Rockywwf]

LIN TV, according to Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIN_TV

The last line of the narrative might be important:
"On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale of the company."

Well on their site it says something about Worldnow. Not sure if they are partners or what the story is.

[hilmar2k]

Isn't LIN pretty notorious for this?

[Chuck W]

Isn't LIN pretty notorious for this?

A BIG yes. As far as I know, none of the LIN owned channels, from around the country, are in HD on Directv. From looking into it, it seem LIN values themselves higher than other affiliates and wants to be paid as such and always wants more than the other affiliates, thus why many providers balk.

This isn't specific to Directv either. I know Charter, my local cable company, doesn't have WTNH(or channel 59) in HD either.

BTW Hartford local channel 59 is also owned by LIN.

Honestly LIN needs to get off their highhorse and get their stations on in HD. They are only hurting themselves, by losing viewers.

[Rockywwf]

Ok I just looked up the main number and called it. I told the person that answered my situation. She said there is no one to talk to about this but there is a recorded message about the WTNH HD and D*V situation.

The message basically said that WTNH and D*V are trying to reach an agreement which will bring their HD signal to D*V customers very soon although no date has been set. And it goes on to say per their agreement so far they are to deny any waivers that come to them which would allow a feed from another affiliate.

So I guess I answered my original question. No hopefully this info will halp other people who live in CT.


Thanks for the feedback to my original post!

[PaulieORF]

Ok I just looked up the main number and called it. I told the person that answered my situation. She said there is no one to talk to about this but there is a recorded message about the WTNH HD and D*V situation.

The message basically said that WTNH and D*V are trying to reach an agreement which will bring their HD signal to D*V customers very soon although no date has been set. And it goes on to say per their agreement so far they are to deny any waivers that come to them which would allow a feed from another affiliate.

So I guess I answered my original question. No hopefully this info will halp other people who live in CT.


Thanks for the feedback to my original post!

Sorry to tell you this, but I emailed them about this last year in June, when DirecTV first launched CT HD locals. They replied back to my email with virtually the identical response, saying they were working with DirecTV for an agreement very soon, but to try and get their OTA channel instead. That was July 2006, and it is now November 2007, that's a long time. But hopefully they are working to get this done, but I'm just not buying it. LIN is a bunch of greedy *******s who think a channel that should be offered for FREE should cost more than any other local channel. I mean for God's sake, ABC doesn't even carry Monday Night Football anymore, so the channel in my vew has actually dropped in value since last year.

[Rockywwf]

Sorry to tell you this, but I emailed them about this last year in June, when DirecTV first launched CT HD locals. They replied back to my email with virtually the identical response, saying they were working with DirecTV for an agreement very soon, but to try and get their OTA channel instead. That was July 2006, and it is now November 2007, that's a long time. But hopefully they are working to get this done, but I'm just not buying it. LIN is a bunch of greedy *******s who think a channel that should be offered for FREE should cost more than any other local channel. I mean for God's sake, ABC doesn't even carry Monday Night Football anymore, so the channel in my vew has actually dropped in value since last year.

I totally agree. Like I said in my original post I'm not a fan but my wife watches a few shows on ABC.

[ansky]

I totally agree. Like I said in my original post I'm not a fan but my wife watches a few shows on ABC.

Are you far enough north in CT to pick up WGGB-40 from Springfield, MA with an antenna? I assume they broadcast in HD. The NY locals don't go much farther north than Danbury unless you have a roof antenna.

[raoul5788]

Are you far enough north in CT to pick up WGGB-40 from Springfield, MA with an antenna? I assume they broadcast in HD. The NY locals don't go much farther north than Danbury unless you have a roof antenna.

Not likely from where he is.

[raoul5788]

Ok, I'll start off and say I'm not a huge ABC fan but My wife watches a lot of shows on ABC. When our local HD's were first introduced about 1 1/2 years ago ABC (WTNH) was the only one not offered out of the big 4. So I called D*V and asked for the New York ABC HD affiliate to be turned on. They went through the submission process with the local affiliate and it got rejected. They suggested an OTA antenna. So I buy an indoor one. Well because of the distance from the station and the fact that I live in a hilly town with a lot of trees surrounding me I cannot get a signal. So I brought the antenna back. I figured some time will pass and they will add the HD signal No luck.

So I call D*V again and tell them my situation. They then submit this info along with my story of getting the OTA and still not being able to pull a signal down. I just got the rejection notice again from them.

My question is to fellow CT people...what is up with WTNH??? Anyone else go through this and get the affiliate switched on??? Anyone have any info on when and if they will do something with D*V carrying their HD channel????

Also any suggestions on getting ABC in HD besides an OTA antenna? Because frankly, WTNH is a horrible station for news and for just the primetime HD shows it's not worth the time, effort or money to get an antenna installed on my roof for one channel.


Thanks in advance!! :mad:

A good outside antenna like the Channel Master 4228 (I know, it's a UHF type) will likely do the trick. It picks up the high VHF channels very well. Have you checked this website? www.antennaweb.org. They will give you the headings to point the antenna correctly.

[rsteinfe]

We have the same situation in the Buffalo DMA. The CBS station is owned by LIN, and we get no HD feed via D*. More than 50% of the shows I watch on a regular basis are on CBS, including the Bills games, so I would not be a happy camper without the OTA capability of the HR20-100 and my old VHF/UHF antenna that's been in my attic for 30 years! I'm more than 35 miles from Buffalo, but I get all the OTA feeds from every station (including PBS). Until D* reaches an agreement with LIN, and PBS, they'll have to pry my OTA-capable DVR from my cold dead hands--as Charleton Heston once said, but I don't think he was talking about his DVR!

[PeterB]

Those of us who are north enough usually tune channel 40 out of springfield out of spite and the fact that WTNH's signal output is about as strong as a toaster oven.

But in Oakville, you should be able to pull in the channel with a small antenna according to antennaweb. Was the antenna you tried an indoor antenna? Id be willing to guess you should be able to pull in WTNH with a reasonably small outdoor antenna.

[Rockywwf]

Those of us who are north enough usually tune channel 40 out of springfield out of spite and the fact that WTNH's signal output is about as strong as a toaster oven.

But in Oakville, you should be able to pull in the channel with a small antenna according to antennaweb. Was the antenna you tried an indoor antenna? Id be willing to guess you should be able to pull in WTNH with a reasonably small outdoor antenna.

I pulled it in on my upstairs bedroom TV at times but the main set in the living room gets nothing. And to be honest reading the responses to my post about LIN broadcasting they could take WTNH and stick it up their #$%!!! They don't want to give it to us then so be it!

[Azdeadwood]

I can assure you there must be millions of LIN haters in the US. They (and their stations) don't even respond to emails about HD. My second home is in New Mexico. Lin owns the Albuquerque CBS station which in reality is the statewide CBS station. The a**h***s at LIN refuse to give wavers and tell you to get an antenna even though the signal only reaches a small portion of the TV market.

I don't watch any of the crap that they broadcast except for sports but I hate watching SD sporting events since I discovered HD!