Locals lost in Huntington/Charleston WV area

[Scratch]

I get my local channels from Huntington/Charleston WV. I just got home and all of the locals are off. Anybody else having this problem? I have a blue screen telling me they are experiencing technical difficulties and please stand by.

Thanks

[SamC]

On DISH too??? They are off on DirecTV.

The networks don't have much going this afternoon anyway. I can get the Big 4 on my HDTV with my antenna anyway.

However, how anti-consumer. Why "we know these channels are out, sorry". Why not "we know these channels are out. The NY stations are temporarially un-blacked out for you." ?

[Scratch]

I live around Portsmouth, OH so all I get is the Huntington/Charleston locals and PBS stations from Portsmouth and Ashland KY. I can't get locals from NY so I'm stuck. :(

[TNGTony]

On DISH too??? They are off on DirecTV.

The networks don't have much going this afternoon anyway. I can get the Big 4 on my HDTV with my antenna anyway.

However, how anti-consumer. Why "we know these channels are out, sorry". Why not "we know these channels are out. The NY stations are temporarially un-blacked out for you." ?

Because, unless they get permission from the local channels, that would breach the contract the networks have with the stations both local and distant as well as a breach of contract between the local stations and the satellite carrier. At the same time it woud violate the FCC regulations allowing local channels and restricting importation of distant networks.

That's why. :)

It seems that there is a problem at the POP which serves both Dish and DirecTV.

See ya
Tony

[Scratch]

It never made any difference to me that I couldn't get NY or any other distant local station. I was just wondering if anybody else was having trouble today with their Huntington/Charleston WV locals.:)

[SamC]

As I understand it, the POP for DISH is at WRVC-AM radio station, which is in downtown Huntington, while the POP for DirecTV is at WVAH-TV station, which is 25 miles away in Hurricane.

And, yes, I understand SHVIA.

A pro-consumer company would simply include "New York stations will be substitued during the occasional brief outages of the POP, not to excede 50 hours per year." No station would deny that. Its called being pro consumer and thinking outside the box.

[TNGTony]

2.3 seconds of an out of town station KNOWINGLY given to subscribers in this circumstance is legally the same as letting them have the station 24/7/365.

See ya
Tony

[James Long]

A pro-consumer company would simply include "New York stations will be substitued during the occasional brief outages of the POP, not to excede 50 hours per year." No station would deny that.A station planning for an unexpected failure by allowing another station to 'steal' their viewership? Most stations are more likely to write a penalty into their contract for any outage than allow another station one minute of carriage.

[SamC]

Umm, how is allowing customers to see shows they wish to see, which the local, due to the equipment failure CANNOT deliver "stealing"?

Say a person is into "24". The local Fox, due to the equipment failure (remember this is the second largest geographic market east of the Mississippi, with stations spread out over 70 miles apart, making OTA impossible for most people) cannot deliver.

So its better for people to not see "24" and lose interest and maybe get hooked on what is on HBO, than to allow them ONCE to see WNYW?

[TNGTony]

Sam,

The networks give the local stations EXCLUSIVE TERRITORY. The word "exclusive" means to excliude all others with the same thing.

At the same time other station have their exclusive terrirories.

The local stations have to waive their exclusivity to allow an external source of their product. That is why it is called a waiver. The station would have to prodide Dish and/or Direct a BLANKET WAIVER for all the viewers. This would then allow Dish or DirecTV to import a TV station. But this wouldn't be as simple as just flipping the switch. Whenever Dish or Direct provide a distant station, they have to pay X amount per subscriber for copiright licenses.

So like I said, IT AINT UP TO DISH OR DIRECT. This is why people who live in areas with no local stations available through Dish cannot get distant locals automatically.

See ya
Tony