Can I get Distant Nets?

[Vicky]

I am in the New York City DMA, in the town of Jackson NJ.

I am 80 miles from New York City and cannot get any signal at all from New York over the air.

Here's my problem:

I am only 25 miles from Philadelphia. Over the air with rabbit ears I get CBS 3, ABC 6, NBC 10, PBS 12, NJN 23, WB 17, and FOX 29 crystal clear, with no problems at all.

So do I qualify for distants from LA? I cannot get my IN-DMA channels at all with an antenna, but will the OUT-OF-DMA channels stop me?

Also, does anyone know why I am in the New York City DMA, just 25 miles from Philadelphia?!

[TimL]

Hi Vicky..welcome to DBSTalk!
It seems to me you should get the NY stations since you are in the DMA..as far as why you are in the NY DMA..Nielsen and/or the FCC makes that determination. There is not a rhyme or reason for much of it. Direct TV only offers distants from NY and LA anyway..
The Directv website has a page to tell you what you are eligible for based on zip code. Hope this helps a little..

Tim Lones

[TimL]

Just did a check on your zip code..(08527) and you would be eligible for all NY channels. If you want to keep the antenna up for your Philly Channels, not a bad setup..

Tim Lones

[Vicky]

Thanx for the help so far, but do you think I would qualify for LA too? Or would the NYC or Phila. channels block me?

[TimL]

being in NY DMA plus being close to Philly would likely block you..calling Direct TV would probably give you a better answer.. or even others on here might give you better answers as well,,

Tim Lones

[Brett]

I am in the New York City DMA, in the town of Jackson NJ.

I am 80 miles from New York City and cannot get any signal at all from New York over the air.

Here's my problem:

I am only 25 miles from Philadelphia. Over the air with rabbit ears I get CBS 3, ABC 6, NBC 10, PBS 12, NJN 23, WB 17, and FOX 29 crystal clear, with no problems at all.

So do I qualify for distants from LA? I cannot get my IN-DMA channels at all with an antenna, but will the OUT-OF-DMA channels stop me?

Also, does anyone know why I am in the New York City DMA, just 25 miles from Philadelphia?!

I think there is a mistake.

Do you live in Jackson, NJ (really Atco, NJ 08004 in Camden County) or Jackson Twp, NJ (Ocean County)? Looking at the distances, you seem to be in Atco area.

Jackson NJ (Ocean County) is not 80 miles from Manhattan (ESB where the NYC broadcaster transmit from). Its 46 miles. Jackson NJ is 45 miles from Philadelphia. The Philly stations are coming clearer in some areas over NYC, because the NYC stations audio and video isnt up to par after 9-11. The ESB is really a temporary location. For those out of state, Jackson NJ (Ocean County) is where Six Flags Great Adventure is located. Central NJ, so access to both markets.

Jackson Messup:
http://www.myplanet.net/mrchurch/tours/routes/johnson_de.htm

[Greg Bimson]

Vicky,

You are in the NYC DMA because, generally, a whole county is assigned to a single DMA. Therefore, since most of Ocean County watches the NYC stations, Nielsen assigns the county to the NYC DMA. However, Ocean County is shaped weird, and the southern part of the county, which is Philly in spirit, is stuck with the NYC stations.

[Vicky]

Ah, my distance calculator gave me results for the Jackson in Camden County, not my Jackson.

I'm in Ocean County.

[Brett]

Mapquest and yahoo maps are also giving incorrect location for Jackson, NJ.

Six Flags may have lost some business with the maps giving wrong information.

The main reason Ocean County is part with NY DMA is because more people live in the North East part of the county in between Brick down to Toms River (the county seat) and those people are more NY centric. They commute more to NY, follow the NY and NJ teams, and are Central NJ residents.

The Philadelphia stations do not cover that area, maybe only a slight mention of Lakehurst on the weathermap.

The bars in Brick and Toms River, have fans cheering for NJ Nets, and Devils.

In Southern Ocean County, its more like South Jersey where fans are for Philadelphia teams. People in the south and western parts of the county are more Philly centric, and tend to think they are South Jerseyites like the rest of South Jersey, but they compromise less population. Nielsen refuses to divide the county, although they have done so to other counties in the country: See Riverside County, where the East side of the county (with a minor and even less population) has a separation from the Central part of the county.

People in Mercer County want the NYC stations first then the Philly stations secondary if possible, and people in Ocean County mostly want it the other way around.

In Southern Ocean County, Comcast is required by mustcarry to carry the Philadelphia network stations. The NYC stations are mustcarry in the northern part of the county, however. Cable regulations make more sense, as the regulations require the cable system to carry the most closest network affiliate (and that can take priority over the DMA system).

[Karl Foster]

You can call Directv and ask them to apply for waivers for you to receive the LA stations. You may or may not receive them - it is up to the local NY stations to grant these waivers. It doesn't hurt to ask or cost anything. I applied for waivers and was granted waivers by Fox so I have Fox East/West. My local NBC, ABC, and CBS affilitates would not grant waivers at all. I couldn't claim that I couldn't receive signal, as I live in a good-size metropolitan area.