The latest wave of analog TV shutdowns got underway Thursday, as April 16th was the first day that non-public TV outlets could go off the air before the moved digital TV deadline of June 12th.
Here in Northeast Ohio, a before/after check of Trinity Broadcasting O&O WDLI/17 Canton shows that the incredibly snowy analog channel 17 picture we saw last night was gone by this morning.
OMW reader and digital TV follower Rich Emery down in Hamilton(!), near Cincinnati, tells us he watched WDLI's TBN sister station in the Dayton/Cincinnati region - WKOI/43 Richmond IN - dump its analog carrier without fanfare at "exactly" 11:59 PM last night.
We haven't heard if TBN's new O&O in the Columbus market, WSFJ/51 Newark, did the same, though we'll assume they did.
On the commercial side, Wheeling/Steubenville is now an all-digital market, as Cox NBC affiliate WTOV/9 Steubenville made the switch at 12:30 PM Thursday. We're told the analog signal went away at that point, and the digital version of WTOV moved to RF channel 9 about five minutes later.
WTOV's competitor in the market, West Virginia Media CBS/Fox/ABC affiliate WTRF/7 Wheeling WV, made an identical change back on February 17th...also moving its temporary digital signal to a new permanent home on the old analog channel...
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
WVIZ's Digital Plans, April Update
(This item is reprinted from our main blog.)
Ever since the earlier news that the new WKYC/3 antenna tower was finally rising into the air, we've had one question.
We'll assume that the Gannett Cleveland NBC affiliate will wait until the national digital transition date of June 12th to light up the station's new digital facility on RF channel 17, even assuming the tower is completed well before then...and given that Trinity Broadcasting O&O WDLI/17 plans to shut off its analog signal later this week.
Assuming all continues as planned, WKYC will have a few weeks before June 12 to test the new RF 17 signal - with WDLI's analog signal out of the Canton suburb of Louisville gone after Thursday, its planned shutoff date.
But wither WVIZ/25, the other future occupant of this tower rising at Broadview Road?
We have some news about that.
The ideastream PBS affiliate has filed its latest digital transition report, which takes into account the fact that the tower it will occupy is actually being constructed now. Quoting, complete with the capital letters found in FCC filings online:
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AS EXPLAINED IN IDEASTREAM'S REQUEST FOR ALTERNATIVE BUILDOUT, WVIZ'S FINAL AUTHORIZED DTV FACILITY IS TO BE LOCATED ON A NEW TOWER TO BE SHARED WITH STATION WKYC-DT. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT TOWER HAD BEEN UNEXPECTEDLY DELAYED (SEE, STA REQUEST OF WKYC-TV, INC., FCC FILE NO. BDSTA-20081201AWR AND MONTHLY FCC FORM 387 UPDATES FILED BY WKYC-TV, INC.). WHILE COMPLETION OF A FINAL FACILITY TO MEET A FEBRUARY 17, 2009 DEADLINE WAS NOT POSSIBLE, IDEASTREAM UNDERSTANDS FROM WKYC-TV, INC. THAT THE NEW TOWER WILL BE COMPLETED WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE NEW JUNE 12, 2009 DEADLINE.
-----
And the filing has specific information about when a new antenna will be added...assuming construction continues unabated:
-----
THE ANTENNA WAS ORDERED FROM DIELECTRIC COMMUNICATIONS ON JUNE 24TH, 2008. IT HAS BEEN MANUFACTURED, AND IDEASTREAM WILL REQUEST DELIVERY BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TOWER CREW. THE TOWER IS CURRENTLY BEING CONSTRUCTED, AND THE PREDICTION IS THAT THE ANTENNA WILL BE MOUNTED IN MID-MAY (WEATHER PERMITTING). ALL OTHER EQUIPMENT IS ON SITE.
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We don't know if WVIZ plans to light up the new digital facility shortly after the antenna is mounted, or if it'll wait until June 12.
The Cleveland PBS outlet has filed for an extension of the current 10kW STA facility from an antenna mounted on WKYC's auxiliary tower.
But the station notes in both filings that with the expected completion of the new WKYC/WVIZ digital tower, it's abandoning a third STA request that would have used 10kW from the side of the current WKYC analog 3 tower.
Thank you to one of our curious readers for the picture taken Sunday afternoon, showing guy wires now holding the under construction tower, and for the link to the WVIZ transition update filing.
(At this rate, the WKYC/WVIZ site will become the 2009 Radio/TV Tourist version of the WHOF/101.7 facility in Canton!)
Ever since the earlier news that the new WKYC/3 antenna tower was finally rising into the air, we've had one question.
We'll assume that the Gannett Cleveland NBC affiliate will wait until the national digital transition date of June 12th to light up the station's new digital facility on RF channel 17, even assuming the tower is completed well before then...and given that Trinity Broadcasting O&O WDLI/17 plans to shut off its analog signal later this week.
Assuming all continues as planned, WKYC will have a few weeks before June 12 to test the new RF 17 signal - with WDLI's analog signal out of the Canton suburb of Louisville gone after Thursday, its planned shutoff date.
But wither WVIZ/25, the other future occupant of this tower rising at Broadview Road?We have some news about that.
The ideastream PBS affiliate has filed its latest digital transition report, which takes into account the fact that the tower it will occupy is actually being constructed now. Quoting, complete with the capital letters found in FCC filings online:
-----
AS EXPLAINED IN IDEASTREAM'S REQUEST FOR ALTERNATIVE BUILDOUT, WVIZ'S FINAL AUTHORIZED DTV FACILITY IS TO BE LOCATED ON A NEW TOWER TO BE SHARED WITH STATION WKYC-DT. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT TOWER HAD BEEN UNEXPECTEDLY DELAYED (SEE, STA REQUEST OF WKYC-TV, INC., FCC FILE NO. BDSTA-20081201AWR AND MONTHLY FCC FORM 387 UPDATES FILED BY WKYC-TV, INC.). WHILE COMPLETION OF A FINAL FACILITY TO MEET A FEBRUARY 17, 2009 DEADLINE WAS NOT POSSIBLE, IDEASTREAM UNDERSTANDS FROM WKYC-TV, INC. THAT THE NEW TOWER WILL BE COMPLETED WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE NEW JUNE 12, 2009 DEADLINE.
-----
And the filing has specific information about when a new antenna will be added...assuming construction continues unabated:
-----
THE ANTENNA WAS ORDERED FROM DIELECTRIC COMMUNICATIONS ON JUNE 24TH, 2008. IT HAS BEEN MANUFACTURED, AND IDEASTREAM WILL REQUEST DELIVERY BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TOWER CREW. THE TOWER IS CURRENTLY BEING CONSTRUCTED, AND THE PREDICTION IS THAT THE ANTENNA WILL BE MOUNTED IN MID-MAY (WEATHER PERMITTING). ALL OTHER EQUIPMENT IS ON SITE.
-----
We don't know if WVIZ plans to light up the new digital facility shortly after the antenna is mounted, or if it'll wait until June 12.
The Cleveland PBS outlet has filed for an extension of the current 10kW STA facility from an antenna mounted on WKYC's auxiliary tower.
But the station notes in both filings that with the expected completion of the new WKYC/WVIZ digital tower, it's abandoning a third STA request that would have used 10kW from the side of the current WKYC analog 3 tower.
Thank you to one of our curious readers for the picture taken Sunday afternoon, showing guy wires now holding the under construction tower, and for the link to the WVIZ transition update filing.
(At this rate, the WKYC/WVIZ site will become the 2009 Radio/TV Tourist version of the WHOF/101.7 facility in Canton!)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Welcome To Ohio Digital TV
As hinted a few weeks ago, we're finally live with a separate blog on the topic of digital TV in the state of Ohio.
It's April 2nd, and though some stations have plans to turn off analog signals in the next couple of weeks (and some already have), the majority of Ohio's television stations will keep airing both analog and digital signals until June 12th.
Between now and then, we expect a smattering of news about the transition.
We don't expect the same flow of news we got in the month or two before Congress moved the national digital TV transition from February 17th.
But we realize regular OMW readers with little interest in the transition are sometimes overwhelmed by our information and attention to the topic...so here's a place that we can go "whole hog" with DTV news without flooding the regular Mighty Blog of Fun(tm).
By the way, for those who happened to find their way here first, this blog is indeed a part of the Expanding Ohio Media Watch Blog Empire. (Can one build an empire based on free blogs, anyway? Yes, please think of us with tongue firmly planted in cheek when talking about, well, us.)
A massive team of digital TV reporters contribute to this report, led by the quasi-anonymous presence known as "Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm)". Or "the guy who actually writes this stuff".
Take the information here as you should take any information you find on the Internet - with a grain of salt or two. (Like, for example, the word "massive" in the previous sentence.)
We do intend to continue to uphold the editorial standards we've held over the past nearly four years on OMW. We strive for accuracy, and properly annotated sources. If something's a rumor or a "rumbling", we make it quite clear, and you can make your own decision whether to believe it.
Anyway, we'll continue to publish links to DTV news on the main OMW blog, but with very rare exception, the details will be here. Later, just to get this rolling, we'll copy over some recent items from OMW.
Welcome!
It's April 2nd, and though some stations have plans to turn off analog signals in the next couple of weeks (and some already have), the majority of Ohio's television stations will keep airing both analog and digital signals until June 12th.
Between now and then, we expect a smattering of news about the transition.
We don't expect the same flow of news we got in the month or two before Congress moved the national digital TV transition from February 17th.
But we realize regular OMW readers with little interest in the transition are sometimes overwhelmed by our information and attention to the topic...so here's a place that we can go "whole hog" with DTV news without flooding the regular Mighty Blog of Fun(tm).
By the way, for those who happened to find their way here first, this blog is indeed a part of the Expanding Ohio Media Watch Blog Empire. (Can one build an empire based on free blogs, anyway? Yes, please think of us with tongue firmly planted in cheek when talking about, well, us.)
A massive team of digital TV reporters contribute to this report, led by the quasi-anonymous presence known as "Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm)". Or "the guy who actually writes this stuff".
Take the information here as you should take any information you find on the Internet - with a grain of salt or two. (Like, for example, the word "massive" in the previous sentence.)
We do intend to continue to uphold the editorial standards we've held over the past nearly four years on OMW. We strive for accuracy, and properly annotated sources. If something's a rumor or a "rumbling", we make it quite clear, and you can make your own decision whether to believe it.
Anyway, we'll continue to publish links to DTV news on the main OMW blog, but with very rare exception, the details will be here. Later, just to get this rolling, we'll copy over some recent items from OMW.
Welcome!
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