Discontinuous DMAs (Denver; Portland; TriCities, TN-VA)

[olemiss78]

Why are these markets discontinuous? Is cable or satellite a bigger factor?

[Cyclone]

Is Discontinuous really a word?

Oh, E* is likely conserving bandwidth and eliminated extra distant locals.

[olemiss78]

Is Discontinuous really a word?

Oh, E* is likey conserving bandwidth and eliminated extra distant locals.

Yes, "discontinuous" is a word. I should explain what it means. In the Denver market, Prowers County, CO is an example of this. It is not connected to the main market counties. Prowers County would be more suited for the Colorado Springs DMA, but it is in the Denver DMA.

[James_F]

Most likely it has to do with the rules that make up a DMA.

[lee635]

We live in rural eastern Oregon and am closer to Boise and much closer to TriCitites than Portland, yet we get Porltand locals. If you drive directly west toward Portland, you go through an Oregon county that is in the Tricities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick, WA) area. the county on the other side of us gets the Spokane locals (if memory serves, or maybe Boise). Anyway, we're sandwiched in between these two counties, but get the Portland locals. I don't mind getting the Portland locals. What's funny is we can pick up a couple of Boise and Tricities stations here along with the Portland locals from the local translators.

[Mike123abc]

DMA is done on a county by county basis. The DMA the county belongs in is determined by which stations are most watched in that county. The disconnected counties for example in the Denver DMA are counties that the Denver channels enjoy higher viewership.. more than the channels from other nearby DMAs.

Most likely OTA is not available in those counties, so the local cable companies show the Denver channels, giving them the highest ratings.

[SamC]

As to Tri-Cities, here is the deal.

Welcome to Appalachia. Very mountainous. NO OTA signals available. Getting good television has been a goal of local people since day one. DBS was a godsend to these people, then the dumb SHVA and the NAB monopolists took it away.

Nielsen's dumb rules for defining a DMA have to do with what group of stations are MOST watched in a county. So in one of these Kentucky counties, for whatever reasons, Knoxville might be most watched, in another, the Tri-Cities. In reality, without cable, pre-sat, you got zero point zero TV, and cable offered an mix of stations. In fact, in the area I grew up in, before there were BUD delivered alternates, we got TV from 4 DMAs (Bluefield, WV; Tri-Cites, VA-TN; Huntington-Charleston, WV; and Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA).

The fairer way to have written the SHVIA would have been to simply say "DBS can offer and channel that claims Grade B contour rights over a zip code, or any channel that any cable system within 15 miles of that zip code offers.

[George_T]

SamC, you hit the nail on the head as far as the Tri-Cities. Your point about the SHVA not allowing DBS to offer locals to markets which offer other DMA's stations on cable systems is correct.

I live in Greeneville, Tennessee. My home is literally 10 miles from Hamblen County, Tennessee, which is in Knoxville's DMA. Our local cable system (Adelphia) is allowed to offer Knoxville's ABC and NBC affiliates, but D* is not allowed to offer me Knoxville's locals. What a contradiction in the laws! Despite my letter writing to my local representatives in Washington, no help was received. I'm not even allowed to get out-of-market feeds (Except for ABC, which I qualified for through the signal strength test). Although Tri-Cities' CBS affilliate is fuzzier than a snowstorm even with a large roof-top antenna, my signal is "too strong" to qualify for the CBS out-of-market feed. Just because your signal strength is too strong to qualify for out-of-market DMA feeds does not mean that you can receive an acceptable picture; take it from me!

I like your idea of allowing DBS systems the opportunity of offering adjacent DMA signals to customers who have them offered by cable. Unfortunately, there is little sympathy in Washington for small DMA's customer's problems in receiving locals. And, as I have found out, it's not just large market's representatives lobbying against this issue, its also the political representatives representing small markets not stepping up to the table as well.

[Brett]

Actually Hearst Argyle wants its New Hampshire ABC affiliate to have satellite carriage throughout New Hampshire, even though it'll break the DMA boundary lines. So one major company does want the DMA boundary lines broken. Hearst Argyle represents the largest station group (that is involved with network stations) now part of the NAB.

Disney, NBC, Viacom and Fox all ditched the NAB. Most of the stupid SHVIA law came from writing legislation over SHVA, and an agreement between DirecTV and the NAB.

[KML0224]

Why are these markets discontinuous? Is cable or satellite a bigger factor?

Does this have to do with counties split into two different TV markets? :confused:

[Brett]

The DMA the county belongs in is determined by which stations are most watched in that county. .

That's what Nielsen intended; But they can draw the lines whichever way they please.

Nielsen redraws the lines yearly in their own interest (so stations and advertisers, cable and DBS companies will have to continue funneling money to Nielsen).

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030901/COLUMNIST34/108300141

It makes zero sense how an NBC affiliate in Lima can claim more viewers in that county than a CBS, ABC, and NBC affiliate from Toledo combined!

Thank the NAB (national association of *******s) for solely deciding to use Nielsen DMAs for local channel qualification (in application of SHVIA).

Cable systems have the edge over satellite companies. Central NJ cable systems are allowed to offer both New York and Philadelphia networks (even though they are only required to carry 1 market). But they carry 2, offer the news and sports from both markets.

Satellite companies were DENIED access to do such. A viewer in Southern Ocean County cannot order Philadelphia station as SHVIA makes them "distant" stations. :rolleyes:

The small market customers will get screwed. They will not be able to get a full network package. SHVIA totally ignores the reality.

[Grammar Cop]

You mean non-contiguous not discontinuous. Discontinuous implies events not in sequence, while non-contigious means not touching or not adjacent.