Can Rupert make DirecTV more competitive?

[Guesst925XTU]

I have some relatives in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey. I have just about sold them in DirecTV except for one thing.

They are all die-hard Eagles fans, and with Comcast they can watch all the Eagles games on the local Philadelphia broadcast channels, but DirecTV doesn't offer these.

They won't switch if they have to give up watching the Eagles games.

Might Rupert's takeover make DirecTV more competitive and give them these channels?

I'm in Burlington County, less than 20 minutes away from them and I get all the Philadelphia locals from DirecTV.

I mentioned just using a set-top antenna (Both families are only about 35-40 miles from Philadelphia) and they didn't like the idea at all.

[bonscott87]

If they aren't in the Philly DMA then there isn't anything Rupert or DirecTV (or DISH for that matter) can do. It's against the law for them to get Philly locals via satellite if they are not in the Philly DMA. End of story unfortunately unless the law gets changed.

If they don't want to use an OTA antenna or get basic cable for those channels then I guess DirecTV or Dish just isn't for them.

[rcbridge]

If comcast gives them the local fox then direct tv should be the same!!
If not what is the local DMA?

[bonscott87]

Cable and Satellite are under different rules/laws. Congress does not allow satellite to have out of market locals (other then if you are in a "white" area that is not served by locals, then you can get national feeds). It's different laws. Complain to the FCC and your congressman for allowing it.

Your DMA is determined by over the air reception as defined by Nielsen. Cable has nothing to do with it. All you have to do is go to www.directv.com and put in the zip code and it will tell you what locals are available (if any). I seem to remember reading elsewhere a while back that those two counties in NJ (or parts of them) are actually in the New York market. If so, then they get New York locals becuase that is what is defined by law. On their local cable they may indeed get both New York and Philly locals, but again that is a *different* law that allows cable to import distant signals if they are "significantly viewed".

Pretty much nobody likes it, but that's the way it is.

[Chuck W]

I think Monmouth cty is the cutoff for NY, so Monmouth is in the NY DMA and Ocean cty is in the Philly DMA(My father lives in Freehold, and get NY locals).

So, no matter what, the person in Monmouth cty is most likely SOL.

[junyoure]

unless, of course, they "move" into the Philly DMA.

[Guesst925XTU]

Here's thier zips.

08533 (Ocean)

08501 (Monmouth)

Comcast.com shows them both able to get Philadelphia locals.

DirecTV.com shows that they cannot.

Bonscott, where can I find out more about this rule?

BTW - Would DirecTV really care if I registered both thier accounts (in addition to mine) with my address? I know they must be in the spot beam, they're less than 40 miles from Philadelphia.

[jwwahly]

Call d* and ask if they are in the philly market area. Iknow you looked it up already,but allentown is considered in philly,s dma and they get their locals from philly.

[Brett]

On their local cable they may indeed get both New York and Philly locals, but again that is a *different* law that allows cable to import distant signals if they are "significantly viewed".

Pretty much nobody likes it, but that's the way it is.

For cable, it doesnt directly deal with "significantly viewed". SV just implies that the cable system can carry the local channel without implementing blackouts on the programs that would otherwise be subject to blackout asked by a closer station.

There is a distance factor. The FCC rules requires the cable system to carry the closest network affiliate of a given network under ideal cases. In parts of Monmouth and Ocean County, Philadelphia stations are closer by distance than New York stations. Thus, Philadelphia stations can keep their carriage by FCC rules that protect their mustcarry status.

http://www.minnesotabroadcasters.com/members/news_and_events/must_carry_consent.htm
(Cable operators may choose which of the duplicating channels to carry, except that if two or more affiliates of the same network qualify as must-carry stations, the system is required to carry only the one whose city of license is closest to the cable system's principal headend.)

This assuming the closer station(s) had delivered the quality signal.

Unfortunately, areas in Maryland like Montgomery County, MD that are 10 miles from D.C. and 40 miles from Baltimore dont receive Baltimore TV on cable anymore.

The D.C. Fox doesnt run the same NFL as the Baltimore Fox always. The DC ABC doesnt carry "Jimmy Kimmel". There is considerable pre-emption going on in both markets, cheap or flashy style of news and graphics or "small market look and feel" on some of the network affiliates over there, that both sets of locals are really needed.

Despite over the air viewers watching both markets, using the distance determination by the FCC, Baltimore stations didnt keep carriage being "duplicative", despite having viewership there. Instead the cable monopoly, DC stations that didnt want to compete with more stations, and local franchise, agree for more public access/government channels where the Baltimore stations were carried.

I think Monmouth cty is the cutoff for NY, so Monmouth is in the NY DMA and Ocean cty is in the Philly DMA(My father lives in Freehold, and get NY locals).


Ocean City, NJ is in Cape May County, Philadelphia DMA.
Ocean County is in New York DMA, and same with Monmouth.

Even though few parts of Monmouth and Ocean County remain closer to Philadelphia than New York, the population of the county lies in the upper north east of the county between Brick and Toms River the (732) phone exchange part of the county that tends to be more NY centric, with closer proximity to NYC stations. The viewership is higher for NY and thus the area is NY DMA. The FM radio stations of Monmouth Ocean are also part of greater NY media area. B98.5 a South Jersey station in Ocean Acres is part of that cluster and often advertises for NYC such as "Fox 5" over Fox 29. Whats crazy is part of South Jersey is New York area, but then Mercer County which isnt South Jersey, tries to be South Jersey, and is Philadelphia area.