Superstation TBS going away?

[Mark Holtz]

Hmmmmm... I wonder if Superstation TBS is being phased out by AOL-Time Warner. I know that people have commented that the stuff that shows up on TNT will show up on Superstation TBS a few weeks later. In addition, with the latest NBA contract, TBS gets ZERO games now. Hmmmm....

Now, the latest is that people living in the Atlanta DMA won't get Superstation TBS, but have to settle to settle for the localized version of the station. Does anyone think that AOL is going to phase out this channel in favor of another specialized channel?

[Brett]

TBS is a cable network.

as part of the conversion of TBS into a basic cable network

Check Link (http://www.cablecenter.org/history/timeline/decade.cfm?start=1995)

TBS is a successful cable network in the most number of homes (after the broadcast networks). I think Lifetime though still beats them in primetime viewership on some records, but viewership is different. FOX News beats CNN in ratings, even though CNN is carried on more systems.

Check Link (http://www.ncta.com/industry_overview/top20networks.cfm?indOverviewID=59)


My opinion:
Time Warner doesnt want to make TBS too expensive of a channel. Many cable systems still carry TBS in the lifeline services and maybe Time Warner wants this. They probably moved the more expensive content (NBA sports rights) to TNT for this reason. However, when Comcast acquired Garden State Cable, the first thing they did was put TBS in the expanded service after TBS became a cable channel. So cable systems are free to do this. TBS is not a local channel here in NJ and is defined a cable network too. Comcast however does include CN8 in basic service, so is free to add TBS but wont.

As for Atlanta, WTBS is an established broadcaster in Atlanta. After AOL stock plummeted, there was pressure for Time Warner to improve their bottom line. Advertisers in Atlanta that were paying for spots on WTBS 17 wanted all Atlanta customers watching TBS see those ads, including DBS customers. Otherwise, WTBS would have to sell that air time for much less. My guess is when DirecTV and Dish needed to renegotiate TNT carriage, Time Warner asked for WTBS carriage. Otherwise, Time Warner would have to wait next cycle for WTBS to be carried. If it was mustcarry already, DirecTV and Dish would have needed to carry over a year ago unless there was a ruling requiring DirecTV or Dish to carry it immediately.

DirecTV is making Atlanta customers watch WTBS over TBS, but Dish is allowing Atlanta customers have access to both. Why the difference?

[Steve Mehs]

I used to watch TBS often. Every day (mon-fri) for years at 6AM I would watch The Jetsons, boy was I pissed when they took them off the 6AM timeslot. 6PM Saturday night was WCW something or another and the occasional NASCAR race. What really used to get to me was how TBS used to start everything at five and thirty five past the hour. Kind of pointless, but it was their signature, so to speak. Most of my TBS watching now consists of Home Improvement re-runs.

[Chris Freeland]

Here in Chattanooga both TBS and the National WGN feed are included in Comcast's Limeted-Basic tier. I have herd that the TBS feed we get here on Comcast is the local WTBS feed even though Atlanta is about 100 miles away, however I do not have cable and can not verify this. I am curius, anyone know?

[Geronimo]

If you see lots of local atlanta ads you are getting the local feed. They are a rarity on cabel/DBS

[gcutler]

But in order to get E* Local TBS in Atlanta (CH-17) it is on 61.5. Even for free it is not worth the effort just to get that and the Atlanta PBS (the Statewide PBS is on 119 or 110) I wonder if TBS might make a big deal about it.

I get some UHF channels (TBS/PAX/various Religious channels) OTA as good if not better than Dish would re-transmit them so if I did have the need to watch them, I could with minimal effort.

[Pete K.]

I wondered about this in an earlier thread.
I see no point in getting a second dish just
to watch the local feed of WTBS while I can
still receive the "Superstation TBS." I
also have no desire to put up a second dish
to watch WPBA, The Atlanta Board of Education's PBS station when I can see
Georgia PTV with the dish I already own.
If I really wish to see WTBS (local) and
WPBA, I can get them OTA.

[TBarclay]

I'm glad a couple of Atlanta channels were put at 61.5 because that meant I was able to get the free second dish so I could receive HDTV! I also like being able to get WPBA because the quality is generally better than the picture from WGTV.

[Geronimo]

Gett eh second dish for the access to HD. It may not be free later.

[TerryC]

I left E* over a month ago. At DirecTV we have national TBS blacked out here in the Atlanta area. Is this not true for E* also? If not, isn't there a plan to do the same? I heard somewhere that Dish had to follow suit for the same reason DirecTV had to. Because TBS wanted to force people in Atlanta to watch local commercials.

[TNGTony]

I can't speak for the future, but right now TBS is available in atlanta. WTBS is also available with a free second dish when you subscribe to Atlanta locals.

See ya
Tony

[Nick]

So, with a second dish E* subs get the same TBS programming, but a choice of commercials? :D