How committed are OTA broadcasters to HD

[Tom Snyder]

Equipment was rented from MPTV, but the majority of the staff was WISNs. The camera ops were theirs, the director, Technical Director, Audio, producer, and a few other engineering positions were all WISN. MPTV did send an A2 (audio assist), tape operator, shading and uplink engineer.

Must have changed for 2007. The 2006 was mostly MPTV guys.  ( http://www.milwaukeehdtv.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-6228.html )

I'm still amazed that the only in-studio local programming deemed worthy of HD is not the news on any of the local Network affiliates, but the Channel 10/36 auction.

It's not they'd be investing in equipment that wouldn't see much usage... how much of the broadcast day originates from the news studios.. morning news, noon news, late afternoon, 5, 6 and 10 O'clock news (rebroadcast overnight)?  Yeah they'd have to upgrade their remote equipment to HD at some point, but why not do what GMA, Today or the NBC Nightly News does in the short term... HD in studio, with SD in the field (with sidebar graphics to fill he space).

[Jayflap]

Actually that is just about the same as the year before. 2007 had one less engineer and the addition of a production crew person.

I personally don't think that HD News would be that much better. It really is an incredible amount of fluff out there right now. If there were more locally produced programs, then HD would be a bigger push, but to outfit an entire field crew of shooters would be expensive.

And just on a side note, MPTV does produce I Remember, Interchange, Adelante, and Black Nouveau in studio and in HD. The Auction is a remote since it is done with the truck out in Brookfield and not in studio at the station.

J

[Bebop]

If anyone gets a chance to look at either Fox Business or CNBC HD. That's what we'll be seeing on a snow day, if locals go HD.  

[cigarsmkrwi]

I was in Green Bay over the weekend and there are two local stations broadcasting in HD. I watched the Simpsons and Family Guy in HD. It also looks like channel 24 is broadcasting in HD also, again i watched the Simpsons. Some life I have. {fart}

[LoadStar]

I was in Green Bay over the weekend and there are two local stations broadcasting in HD. I watched the Simpsons and Family Guy in HD. It also looks like channel 24 is broadcasting in HD also, again i watched the Simpsons. Some life I have. {fart}

They're all broadcasting in HD to some extent. The question is how much are they doing with HD, beyond just passing along the HD content transmitted from the networks. For instance, do they have the ability to record and rebroadcast HD content at a later point, as would be necessary for syndicated content? Do they have any "locally originated" content in HD, like news or entertainment programming?

[Nels Harvey]

I personally don't think that HD News would be that much better. It really is an incredible amount of fluff out there right now. If there were more locally produced programs, then HD would be a bigger push, but to outfit an entire field crew of shooters would be expensive. /quote)

The only reason that local news and production will go HD is because the local advertisers will begin to demand it.  As we all know, most TV ads are SD so far.  It is becoming a little better recently, as some HD ads are being produced, mostly nationally.   Spot production is an important income source that the TV stations want to keep out of the hands of production houses.

When stations have upgraded to produce local HD spots, they will also have installed the capability to do at least studio news in HD.  I think that is what it will take.  Field ENG will take a bit longer, but it is coming eventually too as cameras are replaced.

Nels....

[AndrewP]

I personally don't think that HD News would be that much better.

You should see it on Chicago WLS HD (ABC local) local news. If it was from Milwaukee I would watch it all the time.
Now if sme Milwaukee station wants an instant boost in viewers, just add HD local news:). At least I will switch right away.

[Gilbert]

You should see it on Chicago WLS HD (ABC local) local news. If it was from Milwaukee I would watch it all the time.
Now if sme Milwaukee station wants an instant boost in viewers, just add HD local news:). At least I will switch right away.

Andrew,

WLS-DT has been doing HD news since last winter. And since that time, the ratings increase due to HD news has been...essentially zero!

You may switch right away, and a few other of us HD fanatics would, but hardly anybody else would. WLS-DT proved that.

On the other hand, we down here in the Chicago market would greatly appreciate it if your full 1080i feed of PBS HD was sent down here by a 10 megawatt, 2'000 tower of juice!

[AndrewP]

Andrew,

WLS-DT has been doing HD news since last winter. And since that time, the ratings increase due to HD news has been...essentially zero!

You may switch right away, and a few other of us HD fanatics would, but hardly anybody else would. WLS-DT proved that.

On the other hand, we down here in the Chicago market would greatly appreciate it if your full 1080i feed of PBS HD was sent down here by a 10 megawatt, 2'000 tower of juice!

I thought that they don't have yet HD ratings system.

[js6751]

I'm personally pulling for WTMJ to go HD first, and I'm surprised that they haven't already. Charlotte already has one station with HD news, and they are the 20th largest city, in comparison to Milwaukee (22nd largest city). WTMJ was the first in color and the first in stereo, so why not HD? Does anyone know anything about the future of HD news in the area (any dates)?

[Tom Snyder]

The link to the article is gone now, but the Business Journal reported on Friday that 12 is planning a February 2009 rollout of news in local HD.

4 says they're ramping up, and that they'd be going HD sometime early in 2009 but wouldn't give a date.

58 says they'll roll it out over the next 1 to 2 years.

6 says nothing budgeted as of yer for that because they're for sale.