Richmond, VA - uplinked (kinda)

[Darkman]

hmm - strange (cuz Q3 one) - but looks like Richmond, VA is in Testing now (or uplinked or something like that)
Not available to "mere mortals" yet

6 Channels for now reported... (in kinda strange spot on the EPG):

ch 9941 - WRIC - 148, tp 14
ch 9942 - WTVR - 148, tp 14
ch 9943 - WRLH - 148, tp 14
ch 9944 - WWBT - 148, tp 14
ch 9945 - WCVE - 148, tp 14
ch 9946 - WUPV - 148, tp 14

Not sure when will be available to Subscribers (cuz as stated above Q3 planned Local Market...But one never knows)
But in any case - something "being uplinked" generally is a positive sign in itself :)

[JohnH]

Of course, everyone in Richmond, VA can see 148, NOT. Maybe if they put a dish in the middle of Broad Street. :)
Probably a 105 precursor.

[Darkman]

John - huh? - hehe..
What is 105 recursor?

and Do you think those will become available to Subscribers some day?
or Q3 Richmonds you think will be somewhere else on the EPG?

[ats7627]

Maybe, if the dish was on top of a 20 story building on Broad St

[JohnH]

Originally posted by Darkman
John - huh? - hehe..
What is 105 recursor?

and Do you think those will become available to Subscribers some day?
or Q3 Richmonds you think will be somewhere else on the EPG?

They could use them for SuperDISH testing on 105, just to have something more interesting than color bars. :)

Could be up there for any number of reasons, none of which may have anything to do with Richmond in particular.

I doubt they would be offered to subscribers on channels in the 99XX range.

[edeclark]

There are a couple of Grand Rapids, MI locals on 148 too. Been there for awhile. I think a PAX and a UPN.

[Darkman]

ya.. 9995 and 9997 i think...
but i thought 9941-9946's Richmonds are somewhat different from 9995 and 9997...LOL - But now i am not sure any longer...
Maybe Dish is just "testing" something - and then turn around and offer Richmond's somewhere else in the EPG (etc)....As John mentioned above...

[edeclark]

Grand Rapids already has a locals package too but I still always thought it was a little strange for them to test the channels on a satellite that most people in Grand Rapids wouldn't have a dish pointed at. Maybe that is why. They figured nobody would notice and then not be surprised when they didn't add them to the locals package.

[Darkman]

hehe - then maybe i should not open my "big mouth" here :)
(re: They figured nobody would notice)

This way they might test more "interesting, weird things" in strange places of the EPG :)

[Darkman]

If Dish doesn't want anyone to notice those - maybe Moderators should Erase this thread (or move it somewhere else, etc) :)

Moderators - if you feel like it's best to do so - Go ahead :)

[edeclark]

Yes, but we can always access the same information on a few Dish channel lists out there. One in particular which is very up-to-date & very good and might I say does a very good job. You know who you are. :-)

Testing is something that Dish is going to have to do. Sometimes it comes back and bites them in the ass. The Milwaukee fiasco of a couple years back where they all but announced the locals and then decided it wasn't worth the retransmission problems they were having so they added Grand Rapids instead. Same could be said with Shreveport which has hit the local papers as being available....but nowhere to be seen yet. Anchorage is also being a thorn in Dish's side and everybody knows about it and Charlie seems to be honest enough to admit that in a Chat even though I don't know if anybody has ever specifically asked him that question. Sh*t happens I guess and that's why they are probably more conservative about channel announcements than they used to be.

The way I see it that Anchorage spotbeam is currently a huge waste of bandwidth and Dish must be really ticked off about it. They could have used that beam for another part of the country had they known Anchorage broadcasters were going to be such a bunch of A-holes about it.

I still think they realize that things change.......but they were 'brave' enough to announce the Q2, Q3 & Q4 announcements during an available-to-the-public Charlie Chat this month so I guess they must think its worth the risk. Quite possibly Anchorage is one of those locals that is 'subject to change' unless there are some quick turnaround in attitudes at the stations and maybe Richmond is the Q3 backup which will be launched in Q2 instead but they are just being cautious about it just in case by some miracle Anchorage locals give in. I think they would add Anchorage even if they could only get 2 of the 4 'big 4' affiliates to sign on the dotted line but the last time I read not ONE of them were budging.

I'm nowhere near Anchorage but I think the local folks in that area should raise a huge stink about it with the affiliates. Such a large rural market outside of the city and without cable I would guess???? They are being stupid not to allow retransmission in my opinion. And that whole spotbeam up there just for Anchorage?? WEll possibly Fairbanks & Juneau too but still, its a shame that the affiliates aren't taking advantage of it.

[Darkman]

Well - at least Anchorage is a Q2 planned (regardless if it will happen or not)

Ya - I know some good Channel list sites as well - hint, hint :)
However - the less the info posted (AKA "spread") - the less Public it becomes
:)

[Darkman]

Well - it's rumored now that unlike ch 9995 and ch 9997 on 148 - where it's rumored that dish has just EPG channel name for the EPG Info as well, Richmond's 9941-9946 locals have a normal EPG info now (as any other normal local channel...with TV listing, etc)

So looks like Dish might have some future plans for those...
Didn't dish go to court about some 148's tps (or something like that), and got the Positive ruling on that?...
So maybe they just decided to test some extra Tps at 148 for a while.. (before moving the channels to different satellite and maybe even to different location on the EPG)...

I guess it will all play out eventually somehow ...

Any thoughts or comments on this?

[mancow]

Any idea as to which sat E will use for the Richmond locals?, like to know so as to which trees to start cutting.

[Darkman]

No one knows i guess yet - but Dish...

And from what was being discussed in this thread - the fact that those "testing" ones above are at 148, is not nessesarily an indication of where they d end when come to Live for Subscribers..

[Darkman]

from the rumors i hear now - i can conclude that those 6 channels 9941-9946 (on 148) - are definatly some type of a "test" for now anyhow (and can't be treated as normal local market)...

Reported now - that out of 6 channels - the simular ABC programming is on 3 of them, and the Fox channel is Black (nothing is on it)...
And these kind of unusual behaviour on them with changes - goes on regularly.. (reported)