Tim Cuprisin and Digital Deadlines

[Tom Snyder]

Tim's column at JSOnline is all about the deadline, who will miss them and why.

Enlightening....
 http://www.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/apr02/37771.asp

I am a bit puzzled by Channel 12's view of the Universe: "Awaiting a construction permit for the tower extension, Biancuzzo says the station is still in compliance with FCC rules, since it can't broadcast a digital signal without the equipment on the tower."

Huh?!?!?! They've had four years to get this done, and they have perfectly good space available to them on another tower that they can lease. Who knows when zoning issues will be resolved... They're missing the deadline because of their own inaction and stubbornness. They filed for an extension with the FCC, but it was rejected.

How does that make them still in compliance with FCC rules?

[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 04-24-2002).]

[Joseph S]

I was just about to post this. Thanks, Fox  6 for planning to meet the deadline.

All I can say to WI$N is F%*( ()* for lying to all of us!!!!

Dean Maytag, you lied to me and you owe us all a formal apology for failing to do a damn thing in 5 years to meet the deadline. You and new GM Frank Biancuzzo are a disgrace to broadcasting. This weekend ABC will be broadcasting "The Sixth Sense" in HD and Milwaukee will be missing out on another ABC HD movie. ABC has a good quantity of quality HD programming and apparently you don't care to serve the viewers of Milwaukee. I can't wait to hear the cop outs on May 2!!

 http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=HTV&script=1010&item_id=620295]http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=HTV&script=1010&item_id=620295]http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=HTV&script=1010&item_id=620295>Corporate Profile  

Why isn't Hearst-Argyle discussing abject failure on May 2? Quit crying poor mouth when the stock has doubled over the past 3 months. A complaint will be filed with the FCC on May 1.

Thank you Mr. Cuprisin for writing this story that desperately needed to be written concerning the absolute lack of effort being taken by local broadcasters to meet the deadline.

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[Note: This message has been edited by Tom Snyder]

[RobbQ]

While I am happy that WITI is trying to make the deadline it is very disappointing to find WISN making lame excuses.  By their logic they could be fighting with the city for months or years.  Can't sell enough commercial space on an HD channel yet?!?  Beats me how they think they can be in compliance.  Anybody know how big an antenna I need to get ABC from Chicago or Madison...

BTW.  I just had to let you guys know about WITI, sorry I couldn't give you any more info at the time.

Just love this site,
Robb

[Matt Heebner]

I am glad that WITI will be doing their "enhanced" definition, but I am totally perplexed about WISN. Exactly HOW LONG have they been in this "discussion" with Milwaukee about zoning permits
I sincerly hope the FCC does not look the other way on this. I tend to believe this is a stall tatic being used for whatever reason. All I know is i missed the Indiana Jones movies, and I am going to miss even more before this issue is cleared up.

Matt

[Gregg Lengling]

Actually WISN has been fighting with Milwaukee since 58 put up their new tower right next to theirs.  You can ask Jim Hall about that, it cost 58 a few hundred thousand dollars more because 12 wouldn't give them permission to access their site and instead had to build a bridge over the river next to the tower (Jim gave me a tour when the tower was just finished a number of years ago and it is a state of the art facility, I also had a tour of the studios in Chicago where their parent stations are with the son of the owner...they were very cutting edge back then with robot cameras and everything....way ahead of the curve)...but I digress back to the subject....So after 58 decided to build their tower their, 12 was already complaining that it would bother their signal and the city should allow them to increase their height.  Well anyway they are still fighting about it.......in a small way I don't blame them for being mad a Milwaukee.  And I wouldn't want to rent space from someone else when I already have a tower that I could update and end up costing less than a few years of rent over at the Blue Hole site.

Well anyway it will all wash out in the laundry.


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Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
gregg@camelcomm.com