WTMJ-DT and TWC sign agreement

[oflaherty]

Here's today's press release:

WTMJ-TV AND TIME WARNER CABLE SIGN DIGITAL RETRANSMISSION AGREEMENT

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – WTMJ-TV and Time Warner Cable, today, signed a long-term digital retransmission agreement. Time Warner will carry WTMJ-DT, TODAY'S TMJ4's Digital signal currently providing HDTV programming from NBC. The announcement was made today by Jim Prather, Journal Broadcast Group president – television.

"I am very happy that Time Warner digital subscribers will be able to receive TODAY'S TMJ4 high definition television signal. NBC currently provides the Tonight Show in high definition, as well as several hours of prime time programming. We see this as a building block to help our viewers get current and future high definition programming from TODAY'S TMJ4 and NBC," said Prather.

Carol Hevey, Time Warner Cable president said, "The signing of this digital retransmission agreement between Time Warner Cable and WTMJ-TV is an unprecedented move locally. This digital retransmission agreement will bring state-of-the-art technology, great choice and added value to our digital cable customers with high definition televisions."

Time Warner Cable recently invested over $250 million to upgrade its entire system in Southeast Wisconsin covering approximately 9,400 miles of cable plant, allowing the company to offer more services to their customers through Digital Cable and new products, such as icontrol launching this fall.  

As a result of this agreement, TODAY'S TMJ4 will be the first commercial TV station in Milwaukee and one of the first in the country to offer a high-definition signal to digital cable TV subscribers. Viewers with HDTV's will be able to receive TODAY'S TMJ4's high-definition signal on Time Warner Cable's digital service.  

Technical work on the project will begin immediately and TMJ4's digital programming is scheduled to be available to Time Warner subscribers before the end of this year. WTMJ-DT will be located on channel number 704 for Time Warner digital cable subscribers. When HDTV programming is not available, TMJ4 will provide an upconverted digital feed of its regular programming on channel 704.
---
Sean at TMJ

[Tom Snyder]

Way to go guys! Happy to see you got this done!   If the past is any predictor of the future, we'll see 58 on TWC soon, and will be watching for 6 and 12's agreements to come in the year 2525.  

[Matt Heebner]

I actually heard about this on the 5:00 news. Even though I am about as anti-cable as one can be, I realize the need for TWC to carry all the local HD channels to truely get HD to the masses. I think you will see a huge increase in HD viewership because of this. If only DirecTV would give away free HD boxes for a 3 or 4 dollar a month subscription price....if only.
Hey, anything to further the HD "agenda" is good for me!

Matt

[Joseph S]

This would be great news, but I can already receive WTMJ-DT with a tin can and an HDDecoder. Perhaps WGN-DT, WDJT-DT, HDNET, DiscoveryDT, and others will come soon.

At least we know some of the stations are being very proactive in pushing HD and will hopefully get good press for it.

[tenth_t2]

Yes, good news indeed.  Although I'm not a "cable guy"   I agree with Matt on the need for the masses to have HD delivered this way.

Now what we need is a line spike or something that would cause TWC to replace all those boxes with new ones that can get digital cable.....

[kjnorman]

 

As a result of this agreement, TODAY'S TMJ4 will be the first commercial TV station in Milwaukee and one of the first in the country to offer a high-definition signal to digital cable TV subscribers.

This is a bit of a stretch.  One of the first?  Yeah right.....

However it is still good news and I am happy that progress is being made.

I was thinking of cancelling my digital subscription ( and going back to analog !!) with the lack of content, but perhaps now I may keep it.

Kerry

[neomaxi]

Will WTMJ be in 1080i???

[borghe]

Hmm.. thought I posted this yesterday but guess I didn't. From the sound of it WTMJ-DT will be on 24/7 on TWC. Does this mean we can also start looking forward to OTA being on 24x7? Also, with Conan going to HD in December, will WTMJ keep broadcasting during Conan? Just some questions.  

[Kevin Arnold]

Greetings fellow "hobbyists". This deal finally made it into Cuprisin's column for Monday AM. Seems the old boy is inching towards the acceptance of HDTV even though TWC will manage to charge extra for what should be a basic service. I'm surprised that CBS46 wasn't the first here considering their aggressive and progressive stance but never underestimate the power of the good 'ole boy network. Here's the article:
 http://www.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/sep02/80230.asp

[This message has been edited by kjarnold (edited 09-15-2002).]

[oflaherty]

I've gotten a few answers to some of the question about WTMJ-DT and Time Warner Cable.
 
The Time Warner channel 704 feed will be 1080i. When we don't have HD programming, the SD program will be upconverted to 1080i.

Time Warner will get our feed on fiber.

While the Time Warner 704 feed will be on 24x7, we have not decided when WTMJ-DT will go to 24 hours a day operation. According to the FCC we must be doing at least 12 hours a day on WTMJ-DT by April 1, 2003.  See below:

FCC ACTS TO EXPEDITE DTV TRANSITION AND CLARIFY DTV BUILD-OUT RULES

"...The Commission provided that television stations may operate digitally at a reduced schedule by providing, at a minimum, a digital signal during prime time hours. This modified operating requirement does not affect DTV licensees' simulcast obligations. Thus, starting on April 1, 2003, a DTV station must provide a digital signal at least 50% of the time it transmits an analog signal; on April 1, 2004, 75%; and on April 1, 2005, 100%."

Full FCC press release: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/News_Releases/2001/nrmm0114.html

FCC order: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/2001/fcc01330.pdf

There was some concern over the quaility of the HD cable feed because digital cable uses special "rate shaping" equipment to send as many SD and HD programs as possible. Our cable re-transmission agreement says: "...operator (T/W cable) shall use reasonable commercial efforts to ensure that station's signal as retransmitted over operator's system shall be of comparable quality to the digital signal of other broadcasters carried on the system and, from a viewer's perspective in no lesser format or no lower resolution than that of any non-broadcast digital programming content carried on the systems..." (for example: HBO)

The FCC is also working on guidelines to protect the quality of broadcast signals on cable systems.
---
Sean at TMJ

[Kevin Arnold]

That looks like one of those loopholes that you can drive a truck through. Could be interpreted as OK to set it at the same quality as other "digital" programming i.e. TV41 in SD as it is on "digital" cable. Hope not.
As for going 24 hours-since 12/34 will go full power/24hr. and 58/46 is 24 hr. albeit low power wouldn't plain old competition dictate keeping a presence on around the clock?  Seems to be a mindset problem with someone at the top unwilling to commit 100% to HD. In order to get spousal units to embrace HDTV their really needs to be something on during the day.

[This message has been edited by kjarnold (edited 09-19-2002).]

[MesaV]

Thank you Sean for your updates.  Information is always welcomed.

[gparris]

So 704 will be HD channel 4(NBC)- how convenient! And-"wired" directly to TWC for no reception problems, atmospherically.

Questions:

1) Will TWC ask channel 58's (CBS) with its digital/HD signal-ask the station for permission to carry and make it 708 (matching the analog relation ch. 8 in analog cable)

2) Will TWC ask channel 12's (ABC) with its new digital/HD signal-ask the station for permission to carry and make it 712???

How long will TWC wait for transmission rights like it did with WTMJ? A year?

AND---will the the signal be "wired" like the NBC signal (to eliminate atmospheric problems)??

It is my understanding the the FCC makes the ONLY THE DIGITAL SIGNAL for retransmission on a cable system, not the analog one, even if it pulls it over the air, (hopefully, wired in) as it could and does with the older and current analog signals.

Question #3 : WHY? If the FCC wants the analog spectrum back it should be pushing for and NOT tying it up it red tape and hassles so the DTV spectrum flows thru the cable systems and floods homes that get it - roughly the 2/3 of this country!
It seems like the govt. wants it one way and a different way the next. Digital tuners for what? OTA? Or cable system's QAM? What is going on here? I would bet that ch 12 and ch 58 would be in there by now if not for all this permission crap. The stations cannot force their way into TWC, but if gives TWC a little room, as I understand it, for time to wait with this consideration. IT MUST ASK. IF it does NOT ask, it can wait longer and use its space in its cable system for more crap it thinks it will sell.

I'd dump my dish tomorrow if anything digital like the ones available or soon to be were on TWC. But TWC knows the game. And plays Wisconsin really well.