TV reception in rural America before cable

[KeithE4Phx]

And, as obviously an employee of Big Media, you better hope so, because internet TV = no retrans for you.  Having to live only on ad rev alone.

How sad for Big Media.

Nope, I've never worked for any media outlet, big or small.  I'm retired, so I don't work anywhere.

And internet streaming most certainly can mean retransmission fees.  The FCC doesn't regulate it, but I believe copyright law does.  Unless a broadcaster/streamer chooses to offer its services for free (many do), they have the right to charge if they want to.

[doorknob60]

^I subscribe to CBS All Access and pay an extra $4 a month not to have commercials.  I wish Hulu had the same option.

Hulu definitely does. It's $12 a month (I think the regular version is $6).

Unless you mean the Hulu Live TV service. That wouldn't really be too possible, because it's mostly just broadcasting networks that have ads baked in.

[In_Correct]

Technically I never was in Rural America Before Cable. But I have a few other experiences. Also I want to comment on a few other things in the discussion:


In the 1980s we moved from an urban area to a rural area be cause Those People were from rural areas them selves. I do not remember what television was like in the urban area. But in the rural area perhaps it would have been much better with much higher quality televisions. But there was not any in the place that I was. It was mostly a bunch of black and white battery capable televisions. Eventually there was a colour television. One with a light grey screen when turned off. This was a dial television. Two dials. The first dial is for Very High Frequency. And the other dial is for Ultra High Frequency. There is a third knob for power and volume. And most likely a bunch of very tiny knobs to adjust the picture.

A Video Home System, A Video Cassette Recorder (I hate them.) at one point in time was a Top Loading one. There were other things such as Vinyl Phonographs as part of a stereo system. (The remaining radios being portable.) Eventually the television was upgraded to a same size 12 or so Inch Magnavox television with side speakers that looked like they detached but did not. Remote Control. I don't think I have this television any more (nor the remote). As for V.C.R.s, I hate them. Many of them wore out so there is no point in trying to remember. Eventually there is a full colour television added. Another dial based one. Borrowed This was replaced with an Emerson television with a built in V.C.R. (and of course, the built in V.C.R. no longer works.) I still have this television. What I love about combo televisions is that they go to the silent blue screen, not the usual annoying noise. (Even if the V.C.R. is broken the silent blue screen still works.) In 2003 (?) In 2001 I dumpster dived a Sharp television made in 1987. It has the black screen when turned off. Remote control, but in the form of a classic wood furniture. Unfortunately it is wrecked, and the television was always malfunctioning so I doubt I will repair it. There was also a dumpster dived Zenith television, light grey screen, no remote, and the usual Zenith "won't turn on until it is ready, and when it finally does it keeps changing the channel" problems. I do not have the Zenith any more. (Interestingly I dumpster dived a much newer Zenith, with the same problem! I do not know if I still have it, but if I do I will get rid of it.) I got a Sanyo 18 or so inch television since 2003 which I still have. A J.V.C. perhaps 25 inch or perhaps larger television. And there are numerous televisions I got at a garage sale for a dollar each. These are currently in storage as I have not found any use or place to put them. They are all C.R.T. televisions. I do not need to upgrade which I will explain why later.


The television viewing experience was never that good to begin with. Perhaps if the televisions I had back then were larger, I would be able to watch more clearly.

In addition to the too small televisions, the only antennas were the ones built in to the televisions. And I don't think the black and white battery televisions had U.H.F. antennas.

Perhaps if there was an outdoor antenna installed, there would be more T.V. Stations to watch. I am not sure how many TV Stations there actually are for the local D.M.A. ... perhaps several Low Power ones? But for a while most of the time there was barely three stations. Two V.H.F. and One U.H.F. stations. The U.H.F. is a P.B.S. station. The other two was just a C.B.S. and an N.B.C. with the N.B.C. being the weakest station. An outdoor antenna would be needed to watch it.

Eventually that place got Cable TV installed so that is what most people had in their houses. The Cable TV provider easily provided the local stations. And be cause the D.M.A. had few T.V. Stations, it included some of the other stations from two other nearby T.V. Stations especially important for the lack of A.B.C. and FOX. There could not be more than one national feed from the same network. That meant that while FOX and A.B.C. was easily added from that other nearby D.M.A. the C.B.S. one was not added. P.B.S. was not added either. Eventually when the stations were launched, W.B. and U.P.N. were added from that D.M.A. also. But very interesting is that one C.B.S. station, for what ever reason, was included, and from a third D.M.A.. This was the only station from a third D.M.A.. When the national feed aired, the cable company blacked it out and displayed a message to change the channel to the other C.B.S. station.

That place did not have Cable Television for very long and was only for one television. The moment that Prime Star (PrimeStar) was launched, they switched to PrimeStar without Cable. Again it was for one television. Perhaps there could have been PrimeStar on one television in one room and in Cable television in another room. The other televisions were only connected to their own antennas. Also, PrimeStar was very expensive, making Cable TV or PrimeStar in a second television not easy. PrimeStar seemed to have a few packages: 1. H.B.O. and etc. 2. Other PayPerView. 3. Every Thing Else. Those are over a thousand channels, many of them PrimeStar channels for regional weather (and all of them were included) as well as a bunch of satellite radio stations. There were a few stations from Japan also. PrimeStar was a digital satellite system. It had a computerized receiver box with menu. When it rained, the signal would have giant pixels. And there would be the option to block out channels if desired (but still have to pay the same amount.)

PrimeStar launched additional satellites every year, meaning more channels every year. The cost went up also. I was told that they would not renew PrimeStar and I was asked what I thought about Cable. Being raised in a place that is so religious that it makes religious people look atheist, I thought of the Channel Blocking option that PrimeStar had. I believed that if I watched television with an unflitered service, my eye balls would burn up or some thing. So I said: "As long as Cable TV does not have the same things as PrimeStar, especially the Blocking, I don't want to watch TV at all." They were "proud" and they thought I was thinking of their budget.

But the televisions were not turned off and instead back to boring Rabbit Ears that usually did not get any signal. Other times it did (or perhaps this during the PrimeStar period but on one of the other Rabbit Ears televisions.) get a few other stations from That Nearby D.M.A. It got an Independent station, now a My Network TV (most Independent stations became an affiliate once the network launched) ... another independent station, which is now a Telefutura, and a W.B. station, as well as a second W.B. Local Low Power Station which are now C.W.s.)

Also By this time there was a lot of tapes. This was when Walmart had many V.H.S. Home Videos. Other times we rented movies which I made copies of. The rest were from what few Television programmes I recorded. This was mostly The Arthur Show on P.B.S.. Unfortunately The Arthur Show has not made 60 episodes per year for a very long time and I became disappointed when I started to run out of new episodes to watch and at the time I did not want to rewatch the same episodes.

Wheel Of Fortune was another programme that was on every day. Unfortunately, it was on the station with the weakest signal.

Around this time, or perhaps

It was not much longer until a school assignment that required everybody write down what they watch on television to see if any body else watched it or even heard of it (?!) and it turned out that every body else had Cable and nobody else knew what I was talking about.

After that, I asked for more TV channels again. I did not think about outdoor antennas nor a different satellite dish company. Since by that time that place had Cable Internet installed, that is where we went to first to get more TV channels. By this time every room had a Television as well as a Cable in it. Eventually, a large collection of V.C.R. (with some D.V.D. and V.H.S. together) be cause V.C.R.s and D.V.D.s wear out often.

They bought a different house. It too had Cable Internet with Cable T.V. also. The Cable T.V. was in every room.

In 2006 the local D.M.A. launched its A.T.S.C. signal with their own fledgeling affiliates for U.P.N. / My Network T.V. , W.B. / C.W. , and Fox. The local Cable Company decided to replace all the other stations from The Nearby D.M.A. with the local D.M.A.'s new A.T.S.C. stations. (but they still kept the second C.B.S. station from the third D.M.A., complete with blackouts during the national feed.)

In 2007 I Moved Out and did not move back nor did I ever stay in any place that had Cable T.V., not even Satellite Dish. There was Cable T.V. at High School and University and other places but that is it.

Around this time I stayed at places with Cable Internet but no Cable T.V. and the next place had only Dial Up with Rabbit Ears but only TWO stations. I wondered why I could not get the three new local stations nor the P.B.S. station. Their extended family lived in a different house with Satellite Dish T.V..

Around this time they began the switch to A.T.S.C. signal which required converter boxes for older televisions. They offered them for free. When I connected them I was able to get the three new A.T.S.C. stations plus a N.O.A.A. Weather Map, during a time when the voice was higher quality.

I moved again, but kept the boxes. I also had some televisions, but no antenna at all. I bought a "Digital" Antenna, which is a silly Artec blue wallpaper thing.

Still not able to get a clear signal for the weaker station, nor could I get P.B.S., I was fed up.

I finally looked for Outdoor Antennas. I found an Outdoor Ampilfied Antenna that did not cost very much. Made of almost entirely plastic, and no pole at the time (I have a pole now) I used to not have it installed correctly. It crashed to the ground and broke many times. I have gone through numerous antennas.

I was able to get signal from that nearby D.M.A. and discovered that they also launched their own Subchannels. There are now at least 50 channels available during most nights, and some times during the day.  Many of these stations are Spanish. 

Eventually the local stations added a A.B.C. as well as expanded their newscasts to every station. And the local P.B.S. station repaired its translator. But I only had one antenna and I wanted to watch the stations from the very large D.M.A. with plenty of channels. If I want to watch more channels, I buy a second antenna and point it towards a different D.M.A..

I have had no reason to ever get Satellite Dish Television. I have not watch Cable / Satellite Television since then.

Also, I have Satellite Dish Internet since 2016. This Internet Service is (usually) reliable, but very expensive. That is one reason to not pay for Satellite Television. Another reason is that in 2006 is when they launched those other channels I wanted and tried to watch them instead. Also in 2006 Television also became barely watchable, not worth the expense. In 2008 I finally watched the new channels over the air which means I had less desire to pay for television. When I when I bought an outdoor amplified antenna, I have even less of a need for Television Subscription.

In 2012 Television became even more unwatchable. I started to turn it off more often and instead listen to Internet Radio. In 2015 I started to get more computers that have the capability to watch High Definition "Television" from You Tube. Also, You Tube sells copies of movies and episodes. I will download these movies and episodes, but I do not want to get from iTunes be cause they force you to use iTunes. Of course my favourite things to watch now are people that upload to You Tube.

This means that I do not turn the television on at all any more, even though I moved again. This time I live in an area within 50 miles between THREE D.M.A.s surrounding me, with a fourth one 100 miles away. There are probably even more D.M.A.s also, but I have yet to install multiple antennas. Perhaps I will set up all those C.R.T. televisions ... one C.R.T. television & outdoor antenna for each D.M.A. ... Eventually I will install a Big Ugly Dish for television also, but ever since 2011 the commercials are very annoying.

As for purchasing new Televisions: I will get All In One Desktop Computers instead.

...

Also I want to comment about a few things from classic Television:

Does anybody remember QUBE? As a fan of old game show hosts such as Bill Cullen, I learned about QUBE be cause of a programme called "How Do You Like Your Eggs?".

There was a few discussion about local programming. This was a national programme on A.B.C. which means that it has been lost. It aired in 1971, much too early when television episodes were regularly preserved or for people to have recorded it. However, Somebody actually managed to record at least part of the pilot episode. It is Curiosity Shop with executive producer Chuck Jones and includes a puppet version of Professor Balthazar. It is not that much different from a local television block. Or perhaps not. But the stage does not look very big.

[In_Correct]

The reason is that too many rural areas are not wired for high-speed internet or cable, or may have fiber connections, but not at a data rate that will allow multiple video streams. 

Rural America will never have high speed internet service.

What is internet service like in rural America?  I haven't dealt with it since before streaming video was a thing.  My family has done just fine streaming multiple video streams with just 15 MBps download, and I know other people who have reported no problems with as little as 5 MBps download or even less.

It is there, but very expensive. There are four options.

Dial Up. (I Think.)

W.I.S.P. (A type of Internet service not much different from Cell Phone companies, except it is worse. )

Cell Phone Companies themselves usually offer a Residential service or at least a tethering device.

Satellite Dish. It is much better than WISP, and resembles Cable as you get a Modem. It is just like how Satellite Dish Television is an adequate substitute for Cable Television. You can also get a home telephone (through the satellite and modem itself) just as you can with Satellite Dish Television. But Satellite Dish Internet is still not worth the trouble.

Occasionally there is D.S.L. and Cable in a rural area. Fiber Internet is only available if you are in the city limits but the city does not have to be large. It can be small enough for U.S.D.A. to consider it as a rural area.

If you are not too far away from a large city, you will get a variety of Internet Service Providers.

But Cell Phone Companies are very expensive no matter what.

I have rarely streamed video. I have mostly streamed Internet Radio. Internet Radio has no problems. Internet Video is best at a lower setting. I prefer storage such as offline storage.

[ErmineNotyours]

If the FCC would let them, I believe most would just turn off those expensive, high-maintenance transmitters, ...

I would love to see the FCC rule that prevents them, but there is a more practical reason they do not.  If, say, a city's Channel 2 goes cable-only, they turn over their license to the FCC. Then some fly-by-night broadcaster could get it, and claim that city's virtual Channel 2.  They would put on satellite religious stations and home shopping channels on SD over their many multi-channel 2s.  And they wouldn't charge cable channels for the signal, they would demand they carry it.  They might even get to use the call letters too, if the owners of the original Channel 2 didn't think ahead and park them on a radio station somewhere with an agreement not to let them out to a TV station.  To protect their brand, they have to keep their transmitter.  But then, with spectrum repacking, anything can happen.

[MikeTheActuary]

If the FCC would let them, I believe most would just turn off those expensive, high-maintenance transmitters, lease the tower space to other services, and use cable, satellite (which will be dying in another decade), and streaming as their "transmitters."

In a sense, that's what's happening with the current restacking of frequency assignments.  The FCC wants to reassign TV broadcast spectrum to cellular phone use.  To make that possible, the FCC held a kind of auction, in which stations agreed to surrender their broadcast licenses in return for $$.   Some of those stations are going dark; others are transferring to digital subchannels of continuing stations.  And a bunch of stations are moving to different over-the-air frequencies, requiring OTA TV watchers to rescan their tuners.

[KEVIN_224]

Here in Hartford/New Haven, WCTX-TV (MY) channel 59 of New Haven became a subchannel of WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven. WTNH uses channel 10 for their digital. So if you don't have a proper VHF antenna, you may not receive either station.

Then again, we've got one of the highest rates of cable penetration in the entire country.

[KeithE4Phx]

If the FCC would let them, I believe most would just turn off those expensive, high-maintenance transmitters, lease the tower space to other services, and use cable, satellite (which will be dying in another decade), and streaming as their "transmitters."

In a sense, that's what's happening with the current restacking of frequency assignments.  The FCC wants to reassign TV broadcast spectrum to cellular phone use.  To make that possible, the FCC held a kind of auction, in which stations agreed to surrender their broadcast licenses in return for $$.   Some of those stations are going dark; others are transferring to digital subchannels of continuing stations.  And a bunch of stations are moving to different over-the-air frequencies, requiring OTA TV watchers to rescan their tuners.

Actually, it's Congress that mandated all of this.  The FCC cannot make rules unless Congress passes laws to base them on.

Congress allowed the auctions, and allowing co-owned stations to merge their stations onto one transmitter makes sense.  Once ATSC 3.0 is released for commercial use, expect more consolidations of duopolies to happen, freeing up more spectrum.  There are only 35 TV channels (2-36) left, compared to 82 until the early 1980s, and 68 between then and now.  Consolidating duopolies might be mandatory with ATSC 3.0, but that hasn't been decided yet.

And it's unlikely that the FCC will ever allow existing TV stations to shut down without giving those channels to some crackpot religious or home shopping outfit.  Those "broadcasters" would then demand must-carry status instead of taking carriage fees (which any station can do), bouncing the former station either off a system completely, banished to a three- or four-digit channel number, or forced to being online-only. 

Today's broadcasters need to be careful what they wish for.  If they get it, they could be put out of business.  Online-only broadcasting by mainstream local stations is still in the future, especially those which have network affiliations.

[Life in Paradise]

 [/quote]
There are only 35 TV channels (2-36) left, compared to 82 until the early 1980s, and 68 between then and now. 
[/quote]

Are you sure of that number?  I have local digital stations of 44.1, 44.2, and 47.1

[rawmustard]

Are you sure of that number?  I have local digital stations of 44.1, 44.2, and 47.1

Those are likely virtual channel numbers, not their actual UHF digital channel numbers.

[vdeane]

Most channels these days use virtual channel numbers.  ABC here broadcasts as 10.1 but is actually on channel 24 (26 until last week).  CW is 45.1, broadcasting on 22 (43 until last week).

Also, thank the stars for the repack.  I can't receive high-band UHF well at all (it always required very inconvenient repositioning of the antenna in winter, and there was nothing that could be done to make those stations watchable in the summer).  The only station that didn't just move frequency (or stay as it was) was a retransmission of ABC from a tower in Massachusetts.  I even gained a station that my antenna was previously unable to pick up due to the combination of the high-band UHF issue and it transmitting from Amsterdam instead of the Helderbergs like every other station does.

Granted, it doesn't hurt that my TV reception this year has been better than last year for reasons unknown.

Not looking forward to ATSC 3.  I don't want to have to buy a new TV or connect an external tuner.  But I wasn't aware of any effort to make it mandatory.

[KeithE4Phx]

Are you sure of that number?  I have local digital stations of 44.1, 44.2, and 47.1

Those are likely virtual channel numbers, not their actual UHF digital channel numbers.

They are virtual (PSIP) channel numbers.  As far as their transmitters are concerned, they could be anywhere between Channels 2 and 36, but the PSIP will be what the old analog channel number was.  It keeps the general public and station marketing departments happy, not to mention giving the translators (if any) a common virtual channel number.

[NWI_Irish96]

Most channels these days use virtual channel numbers.  ABC here broadcasts as 10.1 but is actually on channel 24 (26 until last week).  CW is 45.1, broadcasting on 22 (43 until last week).

Also, thank the stars for the repack.  I can't receive high-band UHF well at all (it always required very inconvenient repositioning of the antenna in winter, and there was nothing that could be done to make those stations watchable in the summer).  The only station that didn't just move frequency (or stay as it was) was a retransmission of ABC from a tower in Massachusetts.  I even gained a station that my antenna was previously unable to pick up due to the combination of the high-band UHF issue and it transmitting from Amsterdam instead of the Helderbergs like every other station does.

Granted, it doesn't hurt that my TV reception this year has been better than last year for reasons unknown.

Not looking forward to ATSC 3.  I don't want to have to buy a new TV or connect an external tuner.  But I wasn't aware of any effort to make it mandatory.

Did something change within the last couple weeks?  I'm getting better reception on the Chicago stations.  I have Hulu Live TV which gives me the ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC stations, but I have to use the antenna for WGN 9 and any of the subchannels and they're all coming in better than they used to.

[1995hoo]

The FCC just reallocated some frequencies such that most stations have been advising antenna users to rescan for channels. In most cities this happened last week. I've noted the one or two "problem channels"  for us seem better now.

[KEVIN_224]

As for Albany/Schenectady, I think  WCDC-TV channel 19 in Adams, MA is no more. It was a satellite station to WTEN-TV (ABC) channel 10.

WHPX-TV (ION) channel 26 is licensed to New London, CT. As of last week, however, their transmitter is now on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, CT...a good 50 miles from their city of license.

[SP Cook]

Geeky TV technobabble:

- The original TV was analog, called NTSC.  This was two bands, VHF, which was preferable, on channels 2-13; and UHF on channels 14-83.  The number, unlike radio station frequencies, are just made up, channel 5 is not actually five hertz or watts or whatever.  Each analog channel could only broadcast one thing at a time. 

- In 2009 the NTSC system was replaced by digital, or ATSC.  Every TV station was given a new channel to broadcast on.  However modern TVs can make the channel number appear to be whatever the station wants it to be, a "virtural channel", called PSIP.   Thus, for example WCBS in NYC, which was really channel 2 in analog, moved to channel 56 and then channel 33, but would show up on a TV as "2.1".  This preserves the "equity" in the brand name of channels built up in different markets over the years.   The "2.1" is important because a digital signal can be split many ways.  So there can be a 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, etc, each with a different program on it, and thought of by most people as a separate channel. 

Mostly these extra "channels" are taken up by "diginets" which are channel like Me TV, My TV, H&I, TBA, Cozi, and many others, mostly showing ancient reruns from the 60s and 70s.  But there is nothing that says the extra channels have to be diginets.  In a lot of small markets, where there were less than five TV stations, the extra channels can be used for the "missing" networks.  For example in Beckley, WV, one station is .1 CBS and .2 Fox, while another is .1 NBC and .2 CW, giving that area "all" five networks for the first time. 

But, and here is the crooked part of the deal, likewise stations figured out that they carry multiple networks on one actual channel.  So the FCC had a "reverse auction" to get stations to "go off the air" and free up the higher UHF frequencies for cell phones and other things.    So, for example, WNBC in NYG got over $200M to go off the air, when all it actually did was move to the second feed on another station, using PSIP to show up as 4.1, as always.  Of course, this was all a pay back to Big Media for decades of loyal service.