Category Archives: Television

Television

Goodbye, analog

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I admit it, I stayed up until midnight last night to watch all the analog TV signals go off the air. WTVP had a short countdown just before midnight that said, “after 37 years” on their analog frequency, they were shutting down “in just a few moments,” but that programming would continue on 47.1, 47.2, and 47.3. Once the countdown hit 0, the signal was gone. Nothing but snow.

When I went to WMBD (31), they were already off the air. WYZZ (43) and WEEK (25) ceased regular programming, but kept their transmitter on to broadcast a public service announcement loop on how to make the conversion to digital television. WHOI (19) did not go off the air yet, opting to keep their analog signal on until the extended cutoff date in June.

There’s no question that the quality of picture and audio is far superior on digital television. The only thing I will miss is the ability to pull in weak signals of television stations from other cities. For instance, I could get an analog signal from channel 8 in the Quad Cities and channels 12 and 17 from Urbana and Decatur, respectively. They were a little snowy, but could still be watched. I cannot get the digital signals from these stations. Not a big deal; just a little something I’ll miss. When I was a little kid, I remember getting a snowy picture of channel 55 out of Springfield, and once — just once, on a freak night — channel 44 out of Chicago.

Farewell, analog. Welcome, digital. I’m looking forward to seeing the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series in beautiful high-definition glory!

Television

Group suggests killing OTA television

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A think tank called the New America Foundation made a radical suggestion at a conference held at Google’s headquarters in California: kill over-the-air television.

…Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, said we should “take TV off the air” in a few years and replace it entirely with cable, satellite and Internet viewing.

“All channels should be available by broadband, with the government possibly subsidizing cable and satellite providers to deliver free Lifeline service,” Calabrese said.

The major networks and National Association of Broadcasters were not amused. They immediately wrote the FCC, urging them to “protect the public’s free, over-the-air broadcasting service.”

Television

Is this going to be a trend?

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Gee, this sounds awfully familiar:

Springfield’s public television station is in a financial crisis so serious that the station’s chief executive officer is warning it could go off the air…. Gruebel is appealing to viewers to donate $330,000 to get the station through the summer. If the money doesn’t materialize, “any number of negative scenarios can play out,” he said….

While the non-profit corporation hasn’t missed any loan payments, he said, it is at risk of violating loan covenants, including requirements to stay within a certain asset-to-debt ratio and have a minimum amount of money in reserve. The covenants are scheduled for review in September, he added.

Is this the new strategy for public television stations to raise money/pay off debt/get free publicity?

Food, Television

King Corn

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King Corn Taste TestAnyone else watched the independent film King Corn on PBS lately? It’s been shown several times as part of their Independent Lens series. Whenever I see it, it makes me want to eat better… healthier. The problem is, how do you do that in Peoria?

One obvious thing is to get fresh foods from farmers markets such as the ones at Metro Centre and down on the riverfront. But where does one get, for example, grass-fed beef around here? And is it even possible to avoid high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) if you want to? Sure, you can give up soda, but that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the products that contain HFCS.

Any suggestions? Or any stories on how you’ve tried to eat healthier and either been successful or given up?

Television

WTVP comes out smelling like a rose

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WTVP has announced that the station is saved.

You’ve done it! You’ve saved your public television station from extinction, and we will be forever grateful!! Thanks to the generosity of families and individuals in over 6,400 households in Central Illinois, we received over $2 million in pledges that allowed us to avoid going dark and to settle the long term debt crisis that was facing the station. […] Thanks to National City Bank and the Illinois Facilities Fund for their confidence in the future of WTVP.

The Journal Star adds this information:

Ultimately, the $7.2 million in debt was settled for $5.25 million. National City Bank and the Illinois Facilities Fund Bank teamed up to provide a $2 million mortgage, which cuts the station’s annual debt service from $1.3 million to $192,000.

Wow, what a sweet deal! Let this be a lesson to all you who overextend yourselves in debt: It pays. It pays big.

It looks like I won’t be able to pick up any of their bargain-priced equipment at auction. But the good news is that John Morris has a job to go back to after all.

On a serious note, I’m glad to have them remain on the air, but I worry about the management of the station after this debacle. It’s nice that viewers bailed them out, but maybe now that the crisis is over some changes in management should be made.

Technology, Television

Digital TV coverage may be more limited than thought

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Rabbit Ears AntennaFor those who still use rabbit ears to get their TV signals, here’s a worrisome press release from the market-research firm Centris. Basically, it says that to really get a good signal, you need a rooftop antenna and be within 35 miles of the transmitter. If you’re farther away, or if you’re using rabbit ears, you may be left in the dark after the digital conversion.

I heard about it first through Broadcast Engineering. You can read their synopsis here.

NEW YORK, New York (February 12, 2008) – New proprietary research released today by Centris (www.centris.com), a leading market research firm, illuminates a major discrepancy in digital TV broadcast coverage that is critical to the upcoming DTV transition on February 17, 2009. The study, of U.S. television households reveals that there are serious “gaps” in digital TV signal coverage across the country. Coverage that millions of households will rely upon once analog signals are switched off exactly one year from now. That’s why I recommend looking in to the best iptv provider that way you can watch your favorite shows and movies without interuption. “We predict that digital TV signal coverage will be more limited than currently anticipated. An issue that, until now, has been completely overlooked by the FCC and governing bodies, and could have serious – and costly – implications for millions of consumers” says David Klein, Executive Vice President of Centris.

There are more than 40 million households currently receiving over-the-air analog signals in the U.S., according to Centris. These reflect a combined total of as many as 117 million sets that are unconnected from cable or satellite video networks – a figure that far exceeds any previous projections on the number of people who will be affected by the national switch from analog to digital broadcasting. With less than one year – and counting – until the DTV transition takes places, the potential gaps in digital coverage present a huge problem for the TV industry, and an equally large opportunity for cable, satellite and telecom video service providers as well as for manufacturers and distributors of “smart” television antennas. Similar problems have emerged in the digital transition taking place in the UK, where it is recognized that problems with digital coverage will require the use of more sophisticated antennas.

THE GLITCH: EXPLAINED

Over-the-air (OTA) consumers are currently being educated on three available options. Two of the three options – acquiring new digital TV sets and purchasing government subsidized digital-analog converter boxes – are entirely dependent upon receiving digital TV signals through an antenna. Without adequate broadcast signal coverage or a sufficiently sensitive roof-top antenna, Centris forecasts, these options will simply not work. For consumers living in problem areas where broadcast gaps exist, installing a sophisticated roof-top antenna is a possible option but signing up for a cable, satellite or telecom video provider is the only guarantee that their TV sets will continue to work. This is not what the Federal Government claims.

“Consumers are being urged to purchase equipment that may or may not work when they bring it home – never before has such an important transition been conducted on a trial and error basis. The reality is, if consumers want guaranteed ‘free’ TV, they will have to pay for it,” says Klein.

DISCOVERING THE GAPS

Centris examined several large TV markets and exercised models of coverage to determine how many broadcast stations could be received in zip codes within 5 mile intervals of the TV towers in a 60-75 mile radius corresponding to the FCC-identified service contours. Alarmingly, the results showed that there was little continuous coverage beyond 35 miles. The explanation lies in the fact that the antennaweb model used in the Centris study takes into account outdoor receiving antenna sensitivity and multipath interference. Certain households – for example: those that are not elevated; are surrounded by trees; or have set-top antennas instead of roof-top antennas; among other factors – are at higher risk of having limited or no signal coverage. Centris surveys reveal that 75% or more of over-the-air households have only set-top antennas.

“These are very real factors, that have until now not been accounted for. The effect will have extensive ramifications, not only among consumers, but also electronics retailers and manufacturers who can expect an influx of costly returns when it is realized that the converter boxes and new digital TV’s don’t work,” says Barry Goodstadt, Senior Vice President of Centris. “In addition, with so many sets potentially at risk of going dark, network, local and public television, advertisers and agencies will likely be adversely affected.”

THE COUNTDOWN

The hidden gaps in digital TV coverage will undoubtedly magnify existing levels of confusion in the marketplace. According to Centris November, 2007 survey results, 45% had no idea that the DTV transition was taking place; and among those who are aware of the transition, only 56% could correctly state when the analog transmission is scheduled to stop. With the one year-out countdown upon us, it is critical that the gaps in digital coverage are included in national dialogue on the DTV transition.

Television

Ahl: WTVP has been losing $288,000/year on average

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Now this is what I call good journalism. Jonathan Ahl of public radio station WCBU has an analysis of WTVP’s crisis based on IRS reports the station has submitted over the past several years. It sure sheds a lot of light on possible reasons Bank of America is calling the loan to the station, and why the station can’t get enough financing elsewhere.

Kudos to Jonathan on finding and reporting this information!

Television

Will AT&T video service be coming to Peoria?

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AT&T LogoOn June 30 last year, the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007 was enacted, allowing a video service provider to apply for a state franchise license instead of having to negotiate with individual municipalities like cable companies have traditionally done. Since then, only one company has petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission for a state franchise license: Illinois Bell Telephone Company, doing business as AT&T Illinois. They applied on September 24 and were granted a franchise license on October 25.

So the obvious question is, where in Illinois will they be rolling out their new video service? Answer: that’s confidential. According to the application:

An exact description of the video service area where video service will be offered by AT&T Illinois … is designated as Confidential and Proprietary. This designation is necessary to avoid public disclosure of the areas in which AT&T Illinois plans to offer video service before it has begun to offer service in those areas. Disclosure of information regarding the areas that AT&T Illinois plans to offer video service … would put AT&T Illinois at a competitive disadvantage and cause competitive harm, since cable and other competitors could use such information to target the marketing of their own, existing services in areas in which AT&T Illinois plans to provide service but before AT&T Illinois has had an opportunity to initiate service in those areas.

So we won’t know if Peoria is one of the service areas unless and until it’s actually rolled out. However, the local unit of government will get at least 10 days of advance notice.

What we do know is that it is already being rolled out in the St. Louis Metro East area. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, AT&T Illinois’ TV service, branded as “U-Verse,” was made available starting Monday, January 7:

The plan is to gain experience running U-Verse here and then roll it out across Illinois. Mitchell has said he hopes it’ll be in Chicago by the end of March, though there’s no firm timeline for broader expansions. … Citing competitive concerns, Mitchell wouldn’t say exactly where or how fast AT&T plans to expand, but it will start in parts of 17 Metro East municipalities, including Belleville, East St. Louis, Collinsville and Glen Carbon, though not Edwardsville, Alton or Granite City. It first picked dense areas where it already has a network, Mitchell says, and plans to grow from there.

AT&T’s U-Verse system is internet-based and delivered to the home through phone wires, either fiber optic directly to the house, or copper wires from the house to a nearby node that’s connected to fiber optic line. You can see an example of the kinds of packages they offer by clicking here, and a sample channel lineup can be seen by clicking here (PDF).

Television

WTVP crisis a mystery

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WTVP logoI was talking with my father-in-law recently and we got on the subject of WTVP. I asked him if he was going to pledge any money to help “Save Our Station.” No, he said. He likes public television, but since he subscribes to cable, he’s confident he’ll continue to get PBS programming even if WTVP goes dark. They’ll probably just pipe in a PBS station from Champaign or Chicago to complete their lineup.

What bothers him about WTVP’s plight is that he feels like we’re not getting the whole story. Somewhere, there’s a missing piece, because what we do know just doesn’t add up.

He goes through the numbers. They owe nearly $8 million, and they’ve been making all their payments — they’re merely in “technical” default of their loan because they didn’t reach predetermined pledge quotas. If the bank forecloses and liquidates WTVP’s assets, the bank will get a fraction of that — my father-in-law thought he heard them say somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million. That means the bank would be losing roughly $6 million.

I used to work at CEFCU, and I can tell you that financial institutions have no desire to repossess cars or foreclose on houses. That’s the last thing they want, in fact. First of all, they won’t get all the interest you would have paid if you had kept making payments on the loan. Secondly, they have to unload the repossessed property. In doing so, they have to try to get enough out of the car/house to pay off the loan. Hopefully they’ll get that, but often they take a loss on part of it.

So here’s Bank of America — if they foreclose on WTVP, they’re not even going to get the principal of the loan recovered. They’re not going to get $8 million for a 30,000-square-foot commercial building in the warehouse district, plus equipment that was worth about $1.7 million when it was new two to three years ago. Not even close. So, if WTVP is making their payments on time, foreclosing over a technicality would appear to be an incredibly stupid idea. There has to be more to the story. There just has to be.

My father-in-law can’t figure out what the missing piece is. He speculates that it could be a number of things. Perhaps the bank has a willing buyer — someone who wants to acquire a TV license in Peoria. Maybe the bank knows some financial or management information the public doesn’t know about the station — information that gives them no confidence the loan will continue to be repaid no matter what happens.

Whatever the secret is, we probably won’t find out until after January 15, 2008 — the date WTVP’s loan comes due and Bank of America decides whether or not to shut down the station.