Why is the Tonight Show not in HD on WTMJ-DT?

[Tom Snyder]

So how much would it cost a local station today to outfit their operation with HD playback capability?

[Nels Harvey]

So how much would it cost a local station today to outfit their operation with HD playback capability?

Some stations locally are presently just passing their network feeds through to their digital transmitter.  That includes having invested in, installing, and operating the transmitter itself.  That expense is significant enough considering there is not any  real additional revenue from those transmissions.

In order to pass the signals from network to the transmitter, basic equipment like audio and video switching, microwave systems, monitoring and analog to digital up-conversion equipment have had to be utilized.  Very little from analog is usable.

In order to provide complete digital service, virtually everything in a TV station will need to be replaced.  New routing switchers, studio switchers, character generators, recording systems (probably fancy computers with humungous storage capabilities), character generators, studio cameras, field ENG cameras, audio/video syncing capabilities,  monitoring facilities, and a lot of other incidentals and supporting equipment, needs to be purchased.  Manpower to install and setup all of this takes a lot of extra money and time over and above the equipment costs.

I'm sure all of the stations are working to prepare for the changeover next year, with budgets that are strained by all of this expense.  I know for a fact that the progress at Ch. 10/36 has been very extensive, with literally years where the engineering hallway was, and is, filled with new, digital equipment waiting to be installed.  Space needs to be provided for the new equipment, one item at a time, while everything stays on as normal for the rest of the system.

It is more than just jerry-rigging a digital playback capability.  The new digital requirements demand a logical transition plan in order to provide us with the sort of digital service that the people on this site are clamoring for.  For example, Ch. 6 needs to improve their digital transmission system to provide better service for us.  

Their plan to turn off the digital system for those improvements is required by OSHA.  Plans, and crews, were arranged for in order to accomplish the job.  They want to do so during a low viewers period, in order to provide a minimum of interruption  to their service.  Think of the expense for this job alone, for engineers, and tower riggers.  This is just one problem of many to be solved.

Yes, we, as viewers, are impatient for the digital improvements that are necessary to provide the routine, robust, and complete digital broadcast experience we are so accustomed to with analog television.  It will come with time.  It won't be cheap!  There will be a few bumps in the road.  Just let the engineers continue to work towards this difficult goal for us!

Nels....

[Tom Snyder]

I'm honestly not trying to pick a fight here.

But these are not mom and pop candy stores. A TV station in a market this size is worth what... $40-50 million?  If their main analog transmitter completely failed and took all their processing equipment with it, they'd find the money to repair it.

The owners have the money.. and if it were prohibitively expensive, there wouldn't be such a growing number of TV stations that are already full HD all the way down to their local news and crews.  

I believe it's simply their choice.

But then I'm only balancing the budget of a small company with ten employees, and not running a TV station.

[Fr8train]

I can understand what you are saying Nel and I'm trying to be as patient as possible but it is hard.  

I have to agree with Tom though.

I'm an engineer too, a software engineer by trade.  I am continuously responsible for updating and modifying our software to make sure it satisfies our customers needs and is compatible with newer technology.  This sounds quite similar to the situation TV engineers are in here.  I have other duties and responsibilities just as these engineers do but I find the time to keep our customers satisfied with our product.  

It isn't cheap for my company to pay me to do this but it is the cost of doing business.  My company realizes that technology is always changing and if they are going to compete in a technology field they can't just buy some hardware and write a program and expect it to run forever without any maintenance or replacement.

If we told our customers to "be patient" when our software wasn't running optimally for them they would take their business elsewhere.  They wouldn't be empathetic.

If a station is not broadcasting their product in a way that satisfies me I'm going to take my "business" elsewhere and watch a channel that does.

[Nels Harvey]

I'm honestly not trying to pick a fight here.

But these are not mom and pop candy stores. A TV station in a market this size is worth what... $40-50 million?  If their main analog transmitter completely failed and took all their processing equipment with it, they'd find the money to repair it.

The owners have the money.. and if it were prohibitively expensive, there wouldn't be such a growing number of TV stations that are already full HD all the way down to their local news and crews.  

I believe it's simply their choice.

But then I'm only balancing the budget of a small company with ten employees, and not running a TV station.

Tom,

I don't mean to pick any fight here either.  I just wanted to point out what the station owners and managers are facing in their efforts to provide digital TV for us.

Just because a TV station has a value doesn't mean the owners have money to upgrade their facilities.  For example, Ch. 49 still hasn't shown us a digital signal that I'm aware of.  Having done engineering for the Kinlows, and understanding their situation, I'm wondering what they will do by next year!

Ch. 6 is in the process of being sold by Fox.  Fox has done less, apparently, than the other network stations in the area.  While Rupert Murdock may be a very wealthy man on paper, I think it is obvious that the Fox organization has fallen behind, at least in Milwaukee.  Is that the reason they are selling?

The economy has a great bearing on TV advertising, and with so many other signals available from cable and satellite, the cash cow that TV stations used to be really doesn't exist anymore.  Advertising is the revenue source that keeps the stations going, and if it diminishes, the money isn't available for such a major upgrade.  That means increasing the debt load, and interest expenses.  If the profit drops, the stock associated with the station also loses value.  TV stations are just like any other business.  If there isn't a profit, eventually a business will fail!

I only wanted to point out that I believe the local stations are doing their best as they can to provide this radical upgrade to their facilities.   I don't think the owners have the money you think they have.  It's not just money, it's logistics.  I tried to point out the real challenges the station managers are facing.  People capable of the new technology are needed as well, and quite hard to find.

If one part of the overall system does fail, often there is some redundancy.  A new part, or unit can be replaced, and such things are budgeted for.   To replace an entire system with entirely new technology is another story altogether.  Our local stations do not have a gadzillionaire owner who can wave his magic wand and plop a new facility there like in a Sims game.  It's time to ease up a bit on the guys trying their best to accomplish this massive effort!

Nels....

[SRW1000]

Well, the good news is that the shows should be back in HD starting tomorrow night.

Scott

[Tom Snyder]

I appreciate your input Nels, and I hope you know that I'm just taking the other side for the sake of discussion.