May 1st DTV News Coverage

[Kevin Arnold]

Well, here it is May 1st and one of the major media industries in the US has miserably failed to meet the deadline. Of course you wouldn't know it if you watched television news. In fact, other than American TV commercials, you wouldn't have known there was such a thing as HDTV. If this has been any other industry, TV news would have been all over the hot story of how there was a failure by the industry to meet a Federal deadline. Instead silence. I guess its too much to ask for this info to be included on the news when it might embarass them. But I do know about the evils of reusing plastic water bottles.......

KJA

[Gregg Lengling]

It also seems to be very interesting as we go through sweeps time that the one major network station that doesn't have a DTV signal (WISN) has a prize package that includes a HDTV home theater....sure hope they have a DVD player as there is no channel 34 on the air.


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

[Matt Heebner]

Kevin,
I know exactly what you are talking about. This is bordering on almost embarrassement for the media. Other than a "blurb" in Tim's JournalSentinal article there was nothing, and I mean nothing(including signals from FOX and ABC) to indicate the start of the digital transition.
I can not believe that no one from the media has picked up probably the biggest news event in technology for the decade. This is ever as big as the technicolor revolution was decades ago. People do not understand that this (hopefully) signifies the beginning of the END of analog TV transmissions...something that hasn't changed since the introduction of transmitted television programming.

Some evil part of me wants all the "un-informed" people of the world to wake up one morning and find that all they get on their TV is snow. Everyone who has looked at me crazy and unbelievingly for getting into HD, and not realizing the end of analog is getting closer..... Everyone who still buys goddamn expensive ANALOG tv (Sony Wega anyone?) sets from stores. I want them all to wake up and scratch thier heads in bewilderment over why they cant get their Jerry Springer on the TV anymore....AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Okay, I am better now. Just venting due to the fact that I can't get FOX's  digital signal that they are supposedly broadcasting today-as-I-type-this-but-cant-for-the-life of-me-get-it-in.

Matt

[Tom Snyder]

WTMJ Radio did a "feature" on it this morning as part of their 5:30 newscast. I missed it cuz my alarm didn't go off till 5:40, but they referred to it...

Then John Belmont and Tom Carr "joked" about high definition radio (and as an aside mentioned how AM Stereo had the same high hopes and it only existed in the marketplace for 9 minutes).

John asked Tom if he had seen HDTV, and Tom replied that the picture is truly remarkable. But, as John Belmont pointed out.. Who has $7,000 to get the gear to view it?

So funny I couldn't stop laughing.

[Steve Mann]

Here's a great statement about today's deadline from Senator John McCain.
 http://mccain.senate.gov/dtvfloor02.htm

[Joseph S]

It is now May 2, 2002.

WISN, WMMF, WITI, WPXE, WMVT, WVCY, WJJA, and WCGV have all failed to meet a deadline set some 5 years ago.

   

"The broadcasters have not only missed today's deadline, but they have broken their promise to Congress and American consumers. In testimony before the Commerce Committee in 1997, the NAB stated, 'We agreed to an aggressive rollout for this new technology . . . Broadcasters have made a compact with Congress concerning high definition television. We will meet our commitments.' - http://mccain.senate.gov/dtvfloor02.htm  

Congrats to WTMJ, WMVS, and WDJT on beating the deadline and putting the others to shame. I will get my Alias fix from another source WI$N, the three above named stations are the only ones available for watching on my television.

[This message has been edited by Joseph S (edited 05-02-2002).]

[oflaherty]

There's a problem doing TV stories involving our direct competitors because no matter what we do lots of people will criticize us very strongly.

We had the same problem a few years back with the arrest of anchorman Mike Bartley at Fox 6.

If we don't report the arrest and make a big deal out of it we are bombarded with calls and e-mails criticizing us for covering up for "one of your own."

If we do report the arrest and make a big deal out of it we are bombarded with calls and e-mails criticizing us for taking a cheap shot, trying to gain a ratings advantage by kicking a competitor when he's down.

It's the same with the DTV deadline.
If we don't report it we get blasted for covering up the story.
If we do report that some Milwaukee stations have missed the deadline we get blasted for taking a cheap shot at a competitor, trying to make them look bad for our own advantage.  

Just for the record, we did a very short story at 6:20am Tuesday (just before Scott Walker's live morning news conference.)

From Daybreak 5/1/02:

"TODAY IS THE FEDERAL DEADLINE FOR ALL COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATIONS TO OFFER BROADCASTING DIGITAL TV.

MANY STATIONS, INCLUDING TODAY'S TMJ FOUR.. ARE ALL SET. BUT SEVERAL OTHER STATIONS AREN'T READY SO THEY'VE REQUESTED AN EXTENSION TO COMPLETE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR DIGITAL-TV FACILITIES.
DIGITAL TV OFFERS A CRYSTAL CLEAR PICTURE.
EXPERTS ESTIMATE ABOUT 4 POINT FIVE MILLION HD TV SETS WILL BE IN USE BY THE END OF YEAR, WHICH COULD BRING DOWN THEIR CURRENTLY HEFTY PRICETAGS."

I caught the tail end of John Belmont's comments yesterday on WTMJ radio. He tells me this morning that unlike AM Stereo he thinks HDTV is the real deal. He's seem the demos at Flanner's and is impressed. But with a wife and child to support the current price of a good system is a problem.

Off topic.. The National Association of Broadcasters now says WBAY in Green Bay is on the air with a DTV signal.  
And we were able to see a signal from WITI-DT a couple of times on Wednesday, but we didn't get any audio.
---
Sean at TMJ4

[Joseph S]

 

We had the same problem a few years back with the arrest of anchorman Mike Bartley at Fox 6.

If we don't report the arrest and make a big deal out of it we are bombarded with calls and e-mails criticizing us for covering up for "one of your own."

This should be a non-issue. If it is news then it should be reported. When I was in Boston, a few years ago, one of the reporters, Mike Macklin of WHDH, was arrested  for spousal abuse. Later that year, anchor Randy Price was arrested for drunken driving. These stories were not only reported on every competitor's station, but were reported on WHDH TV as well, because it was news and people watching wanted to learn more about the story. It also gives the individual in question a chance to respond with a defense without being on the defensive.

It just seems like the stations in Milwaukee band together to pull the wool over peoples' eyes. You can't keep avoiding the truth without people losing trust in your newscast.

 

From Daybreak 5/1/02:

"TODAY IS THE FEDERAL DEADLINE FOR ALL COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATIONS TO OFFER BROADCASTING DIGITAL TV.

MANY STATIONS, INCLUDING TODAY'S TMJ FOUR.. ARE ALL SET. BUT SEVERAL OTHER STATIONS AREN'T READY SO THEY'VE REQUESTED AN EXTENSION TO COMPLETE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR DIGITAL-TV FACILITIES.
DIGITAL TV OFFERS A CRYSTAL CLEAR PICTURE.
EXPERTS ESTIMATE ABOUT 4 POINT FIVE MILLION HD TV SETS WILL BE IN USE BY THE END OF YEAR, WHICH COULD BRING DOWN THEIR CURRENTLY HEFTY PRICETAGS."

This report leaves out the relevant facts. Such as:
-The deadline was set five years ago
-What was the outcome of those requests for extensions?
-Instead of "Hefty," How about an actual price comparison or dollar figure? This just makes it sound like the price is completely out of reach. A $400 tuner is cheaper than paying year after year for basic cable and will work with a twenty+ year old TV to provide a better quality picture than the cable.
Lastly,
What can you receive now or what  are the number of channels available in Milwaukee.
(We all know you can't mention another network for fear that the one complete moron remaining in the area will discover another channel actually exists on his TV/Radio.)  

 

And we were able to see a signal from WITI-DT a couple of times on Wednesday, but we didn't get any audio.

Was it channel 16 (ATSC)? That was the only channel I could seem to get new activity out of on rescans.

Thanks for all the help, Sean. The same to Betsy McCormack at WTMJ that responded promptly to my questions concerning the Olympic scheduling times and the Dallas v. Lakers Superbowl Sunday NBA broadcast. Outside of WTMJ and WDJT(Jim Hall), no one else seems to even respond to simple questions anymore. Those military secrets are tough to keep though. We'll find out eventually, like during this morning's Hearst-Argyle 1st quarter earnings webcast.  

Edit: Feel free to annoy your analog viewers with a bug like this. It could help the cause by inspiring folks to learn more about it. http://www.cbs58.com/hdtv.swf

[This message has been edited by Joseph S (edited 05-02-2002).]

[Tom Snyder]

   

John Belmont's comments yesterday on WTMJ radio. He tells me this morning
                          that unlike AM Stereo he thinks HDTV is the real deal. He's seem the demos at Flanner's and is
                          impressed. But with a wife and child to support the current price of a good system is a problem.

And that makes him different thnt all the rest of us... how?    

His unwillingness or inability to throw money at the technology isn't really the point. The real point is that his assessment of the cost for HDTV at $7,000 may have just been a throw-away line, hyperbole for the sake of adding to the moment, or a on-the-fly remark. Regardless it as innacurate, unfair and irresponsible (and I'm saying this as a former radio guy who himself has said stuff on the air that was all of the above).

Like it or not, Mr. Belmont is THE voice of information for Milwaukee and has a responsibility to get it right.

The truth that needs to be told is that you can get an HDTV at American for $799, a set-top box for $450, and with no payments no interest until 2004, you can get set up for about 50-60 bucks per month. And prices will continue to come down.

BTW, does Journal company policy prohibit John from being a voice talent for Colder's, Flanners or American in trade for a TV?

[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 05-02-2002).]

[Matt Heebner]

I agree with Tom. My sister-in-law took me with her as her "advisor" and ended up walking out of American with a 27" Samsung HDTV and a HD DirecTv System for about $1350. Too expensive.....come on! I saw regular analog TV's there for more than that. Granted, they are bigger than 27", but in four years, they're about as good as door-stops.

Matt

[RobbQ]

Yesterday TitanTV listed WISN as under review, today it says,

ABC 34 WISN-DT Sep 1 2002  

Shall we start a pool on what their excuse will be come September?  I'll take "We are now researching the possible detrimental effect that digital TV waves might have on our viewers sense of reality so in our viewers best interests we will not be broadcasting a digital signal until this issue that we have made up is resolved... oh, and the city and all of it's residents have bent to our will.  The FCC is of course behind all of our excuses, er.. reasons, all the way."