[KyL416]

For DirecTV, waviers only really work for areas where locals aren't carried or you have line of site issues and your locals are on 119 (which doesn't apply for you since the Philly locals are on the main 101 satellite). They can try requesting a wavier anyway, but the odds are it will be quickly denied.

No NYC channels are on the significantly viewed list for Bucks county, so it looks like you're out of luck with satellite. It's usually only bordering counties of a DMA that have neighboring locals on the significantly viewed list, the closer you get to the center of the DMA the less likely you are to have them on the list. Cable has some more freedom to carry stations not on the list, but then syndex comes into play where if your locals request it, all the programming they air has to be blacked out on the other station. Here in Monroe county it got so bad with WPIX, who's not on the list, that the cable company dropped it entirely.

 

[KyL416]

Below is the list for significantly viewed for Bucks County. I am looking into this a little more to see if there are any other options. Just for clarification, the people you refer to who get both are they DirecTV customers or Cable customers of some sort?

Where he lives none of the cable companies carry NYC locals (it doesn't help that the local cable company is Comcast which was notorious for dropping any neighboring locals the moment they acquire a system). It's the county over in Mercer County, NJ where the local Cablevision systems have NYC locals in addition to the Philly locals.

 

[KyL416]

Depending on where he is, he might need something really directional since right to the north WBRE and WYOU from Scranton are on 11 and 13 and could cause problems when you try to receive WPIX and WNET to the northeast. WMCN on 44 might cause some problems with WNYW, WFPA on 28 might cause some problems with WNBC, WZPA on 33 might cause some problems with WCBS, and the low power MundoMax affiliate nearby in New Jersey on channel 38 might cause problems with WWOR. WNEP also has an Allentown translator on channel 7, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem for WABC since it barely makes it past the Lehigh county border.

Depending on your tuner you might also have some channel conflicts because of KJWP on virtual channel 2 and WACP on virtual channel 4, some tuners can handle it and just show multiple 2-1's and 4-1's, others might end up mapping it to the RF number or just give them fake numbers from 70 and higher, the really bad ones might ignore one of them.

You might need something really directional, and point it more towards Long Island instead of NYC so the Scranton stations and Philly/southern NJ stations don't interfere.

 

[KyL416]

The list was originally drafted in 1972, most of it is based on OTA viewing. The list has barely been touched since the 70s outside of some minor additions for newly signed on stations and removals of stations for various reasons. (i.e. For most of the Philly DMA the only addition to the list is WPSG since it didn't sign on until 1981) For Mercer County all of those NYC stations were on the list when it was first drafted in 1972.

The list was originally a list of stations that count as local for various counties and communities since cable providers must provide a portion of their lineup to local stations, later it also became a list of stations that are exempt from syndex blackouts. (i.e. here in Monroe county while the local Scranton stations can ask for blackouts on WFMZ, WPIX and WWOR, they cannot ask for blackouts on WCBS, KYW, WNBC, WNYW, WPVI or WCAU) In the mid 00s, atfer a new satellite locals law was passed, it also became the list of the only neighboring locals that satellite providers can offer (as opposed to cable where they've been free to carry other neighboring stations not on the list as long as they blackout any programming local stations request)

Even if they were to add them to the significantly viewed list for your county, there's nothing to make it mandatory for the satellite providers to pick them up. In Mercer County, the only channels they get via satellite are the Philly locals, only Cablevision carries the NYC stations. And since your local cable company is Comcast, which is famous for not carrying neighboring locals, they probably won't pick them up either.


Looking at the list for your area, nearly every NYC station is in the red and flagged for adjacent or co-channel conflicts, it would really take some work with a directional antenna. (Which also reduces the chances of them ever being added to the list for your area) Depending on what your deed is for the townhome, the rule preventing you from installing an antenna on the roof might be invalid. If you're responsible for maintaining the roof in most cases they can't prevent you from installing an antenna or a dish to get the service you want. "We don't want to see it" is no longer a valid reason and there are some lawyers who specialize in things like this who are willing to work pro-bono on your behalf if a community gives you problems, usually one letter from them pointing out the portion of the law they're violating is enough to get them to backoff. Now if it's a common area where the community maintains the roof, then they can block it under certain circumstances. (Circumstances that might already be voided if they're willing to let you install an antenna on the roof)

 

[KyL416]

If your deck is facing the right direction and is high enough so there's no obstructions like another bulding or trees in the direction you need to point, that could work. You would need a clear shot towards NYC.

 

[KyL416]

Where are you located though, what's the terrain between you and the station, and how many other stations are on the same channel or are adjacent to that ABC affiliate you get?

The antenna is only one part of the equation. In this area between all of the Scranton, Philly, NYC and all the other low power stations nearby it's very crowded and it will only get worse after the repacking in a few years. Where he lives most of the NYC stations have co-channel and adjacent channel problems that need to be overcome, the low elevation of that town doesn't help either.