Milwaukee may get a full power channel 5!

[Gilbert]

From the FCC:

DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. SECTION 73.622(I), FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN. Proposed substituting DTV channel 5 for DTV channel 44 for station WWAZ-DT. (Dkt No. RM-11543 09-115 ). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 06/29/2009 by NPRM. (DA No. 09-1490).

This not only moves the channel from 44 to 5, but also moves the transmitter down to Milwaukee.

[AndrewP]

What will happen with NBC ch5 from Chicago I am getting. How receiver will handle two channels 5?

[foxeng]

2 channel 5's will be listed.

[AndrewP]

2 channel 5's will be listed.

Thanks, I can live with that:-)

[WPXE ION]

WWAZ analog channel was 68 so it should show up as that.

Here is the full report from the FCC

[Cheese!]

two words, electromagnetic interference, this will have the same problems that WBBM had in chicago when it was on 3, people 5 miles away from the transmitter couldnt pick it up, here in Watertown im not getting my hopes up for any signal

[mrschimpf]

This is WWAZ, which went off the air in January of last year due to Pappas Telecasting going bankrupt and unable to afford their digital facilities. It would show up as 68.1, however, there are major misrepresentations in the app to move it down to MKE...

1. A claim they air Spanish language programming. They never have; they've been FamilyNet since they came to the air. An attempt to associate it with a Spanish network (Azteca America) failed when Pappas sniped with Azteca over revenue and ratings. Since then WBWT 38 has taken Azteca in Milwaukee, and WVCY has the FamilyNet rights for the market, while WMKE has America One, and none of those stations is going to let the new kid take their affiliation, no matter how small a network it is. So they're coming to the market likely with no possible affiliation unless they go with home shopping or they sell it to an outlet such as Daystar, which is completely possible.

2. If anything, WWAZ interfered more with WWRS than the opposite. Keep it at Iron Ridge on 5 and the interference issues will go away.

3. Somehow I see Tom Petri and Fond du Lac fighting this one. They probably campaigned for years to get this full-power station, and to see it completely wasted on a horrible owner with a mediocre network, they want a fresh start and jobs for their area rather than yet another Fond du Lac in name only station bumping off one of the Green Bay stations on cable for a home shopping signal. There was a very good reason WWAZ never asked for must-carry for their station in the analog age south of Oshkosh; you get WBAY or WISN booted from a cable system just to put on FamilyNet, someone wouldn't have been happy.

4. It also has a unique position currently as having their signal in the Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay DMA's. Going all the way for Milwaukee is shooting themselves in the foot.

5. Finally, VHF. WMVS shot themselves in the foot with a Channel 8 signal which is pretty much cable-only once you get past the Ozaukee-Sheboygan line unless you have a powerful antenna setup. As WPVI, WHDH and WLS can tell you, it's a horrible mess.

[mrschimpf]

Well, WWAZ got approved for their application to move to channel 5 by the FCC; now they just have to file the permit to broadcast from Milwaukee (though still as an FdL station).

Not surprisingly, Weigel was opposed to it by using the argument of the station abandoning FdL and rural viewers, and knowing that they might become a rival to their Milwaukee cluster (Pappas filed permits for translators in Ripon and Columbus to get around that issue), while the PBS station in Kalamazoo and the Channel 6/87.7 station in Chicago (a low-power operation airing smooth jazz audio) were opposed on interference concerns. But the FCC approved the move because WWAZ's channel 44 is being looked at by WLS-TV as their new home because of the VHF mess. We'll have to see how everyone else in the market reacts now, and if MPTV or the big three will allow WWAZ to hitch on their towers.

[AA9VI]

WLS was approved to move to channel 44.  That leaves Chicago with only WBBM on VHF once WLS gets its new transmitter on line.

Incidentally, WMVS is coming in fairly well on the Cook/Lake Co. IL side.  It's coming in about as well as the other Milwaukee stations here. From my perspective, WDJT is the new Milwaukee benchmark on signal in these parts.  WITI is a close second. WMVT is third and then it goes downhill from there.

[Northern Fringe]

When WWAZ was on the air in Fond du Lac, their programming consisted of a rebroadcast of a Family Net satellite feed.  For most of the time they were on the air, they didn't even insert any station ID's.  Also, their signal was hard to get even in Oshkosh (30 miles away).  I hope they would do a better job if they were to start up again.

I would agree that WDJT is the benchmark for a good signal up here in Oshkosh also.  When conditions are not good for Milwaukee signals to travel up here, WDJT is the only station that will give me a signal.  It makes me wonder what they are doing differently that gives them so much of a better signal than everyone else.

[bradsmainsite]

5. Finally, VHF. WMVS shot themselves in the foot with a Channel 8 signal which is pretty much cable-only once you get past the Ozaukee-Sheboygan line unless you have a powerful antenna setup. As WPVI, WHDH and WLS can tell you, it's a horrible mess.

Interesting observation.  Wondering how you came to this conclusion?

[mrschimpf]

Interesting observation.  Wondering how you came to this conclusion?

I'm in Sheboygan and no matter what antenna I use, WMVS is unviewable unless the trop effect is heavy (WZZM from Grand Rapids and WLUK in Green Bay also don't come in well). I rarely get any VHF stations where I am, which is pretty much what WLS-TV is running into right now; close in within the metro area they're fine, but getting out into the suburbs you lose the signal pretty fast.

[bradsmainsite]

I'm in Sheboygan and no matter what antenna I use, WMVS is unviewable unless the trop effect is heavy (WZZM from Grand Rapids and WLUK in Green Bay also don't come in well). I rarely get any VHF stations where I am, which is pretty much what WLS-TV is running into right now; close in within the metro area they're fine, but getting out into the suburbs you lose the signal pretty fast.

I will pm you.  Would like to check this area out.  Have over 300+ installs in the sheboygan county area and beyond.  Have never had trouble with ch. 8 yet ever.:confused: