Questions in Sig. Viewed...

[hancox]

1) When is the magic 60 day from bill signing day?

2) Will the FCC publish it to us mere mortals? :)

[jstrick]

This is great news with sig. viewed channels. I wonder if you will have to subscribe to your locals to get the sig. viewed channels? also i wonder if you get a couple of sig. viewed channels on you cable company all of the dma market channels will be offered by dbs in that market?

[Link]

I don't know how they'll do it. Cable companies for some reason don't carry all channels from neighboring DMAs. I don't understand sometimes how they decide what ones to have.

Like on our local cable, we get ABC, CBS, WB, and UPN from a neighboring market. However, they don't carry the NBC and Fox stations from that area and I don't know why. But the cable company in the county next to us could carry stations from the neighboring DMA but chooses not to.

[spanishannouncetable]

Local channels often work out deals with cable companies that guarantee no other affiliate for their network gets carried on the cable system. Years ago our local cableco used to carry all the network affiliates from the Greensboro/Winston-Salem market (CBS-2, ABC-8, NBC-12, FOX-45) and the Charlotte market (CBS-3, ABC-9, NBC-36, FOX-18). About the same time SYNDEX became an issue I read a story that the cableco had signed an exclusivity deal with all the channels in GBO/WS and kicked off the CHA locals. Seems kinda stupid to me as many local residents (myself included) could still get the CHA locals with a little work and a good rooftop antenna if they chose to.

Maybe Directv's significantly viewed rules will allow them to carry Charlotte even though the cableco decides not to. I'd pony up the extra $3-$4 dollars :)

[hancox]

Anyone care to actually read the question? :)

[TNGTony]

Everyone needs to remember that Syndicated Exclusivity still applies to Significantly Viewed.

See ya
Tony

[wkomorow]

1) When is the magic 60 day from bill signing day?

End of February - but it is uncertain that it will only be 60 days. The FCC needs to create rules for implementation. They have an additional 6 months to do that.


2) Will the FCC publish it to us mere mortals? :)


Yes they are required to post it on the web.

[Link]

Doesn't syndex only apply if the local stations enforce it? For example here, both CBS stations on cable show Dr. Phil. One has it at 3pm, one has it at 5pm. Because the CBS station at 5pm is the one in the DMA they filed for "exclusive rights" so Dr. Phil is blacked out at 3pm on the other station which seems ridiculous.

The county north of us has both CBS stations and they do not enforce this in that county on the same cable system.

Now the UPN station is showing Dr. Phil at 9pm each weeknight. Who knows if they'll black that out or not.

[TNGTony]

You are correct, Syndex is enforced at the copyright owner's discression.

See ya
Tony

[Link]

You are correct, Syndex is enforced at the copyright owner's discression.

See ya
Tony

I think some syndex enforcement is ridiculous. I think they should only enforce it if they realize the other station's programming is getting much higher ratings or hurting the ratings of their broadcasts.

I remember our local cable used to put the Travel Channel on in place of syndicated programming on "out of DMA" stations that could be received over the air with a decent antenna. It was annoying.

We used to have 2 ABC stations on cable back in the late 80s/early 90s. They didn't enforce syndex then but when ABC programming was showing (that was on at the same time) it had to be on the affiliate in the DMA which was stupid because during the local spots and at the end of primetime you could always tell when they flipped it back to the other ABC station and then you could see their commericals and local news. It made no sense to even do this.

[James Long]

1) When is the magic 60 day from bill signing day?
12/8/2004 Became Public Law No: 108-447
60 Days = 2/06/2005, which is SuperBowl Sunday.

Is enactment the same as the day it became law? The exact language is:
47 USC 340 (c) PUBLICATION AND MODIFICATIONS OF LISTS; REGULATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall—(A) within 60 days after the date of enactment of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004—(i) publish a list of the stations that are eligible for retransmission under subsection (a) (1) and the communities in which such stations are eligible for such retransmission; and
(ii) commence a rulemaking proceeding to implement this section by publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking;
(B) adopt rules pursuant to such rulemaking within one year after such date of enactment.
2) Will the FCC publish it to us mere mortals? :)Yes.
(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF LIST.—The Commission shall make readily available to the public in electronic form, on the Internet website of the Commission or other comparable facility, a list of the stations that are eligible for retransmission under subsection (a) and the communities in which such stations are eligible for such retransmission. The Commission shall update such list within 10 business days after the date on which the Commission issues an order making any modification of such stations and communities.

But do note the (B) paragraph above: adopt rules pursuant to such rulemaking within one year after such date of enactment.
The FCC should be publishing the list, but the rulemaking controlling significantly viewed stations does not have to conclude soon. In other words, it could still be a while, but the FCC does have to get started.

JL

[hancox]

which means...lobbying. Great.

[hancox]

Bumping this because it seems to have faded a bit...

WTF are the DBS companies sitting on? :)

[James Long]

Their hands. Waiting for the FCC to finish the proceeding.

JL