It goes back to even before the days of sat TV. Denver stations existed first and were microwaved into many other places. Later in the BUD (big ugly dish) era, among the options to get network stations was a package called "Netlink Denver 5" which was the Denver local stations.
As to reforming TV markets, WV's micro markets are fast approaching the critical level where they should die. First, for complex historical-political reasons none of transmitters are in the same towns, and this combined with the terrain, mean that essentially everyone has to have cable or a dish. The edges of the state are covered by other states (Washington and Pittsburgh mostly). The only real and legitimate market is, of course, Huntington-Charleston, with enough people to allow for serious news coverage and such. That leaves:
- Parkersburg. Historically just one station (NBC), everyone get provider TV and the H-C or Columbus stations anyway. Shut it down and make H-C (the 2 WV counties) and Columbus (the one OH one) a little bigger.
- Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill. Historically just two stations (NBC and ABC) which were so far apart no place could get both OTA. CBS, and later Fox, was brought in by cable from H-C, Roanoke, or even Bristol. (Now has a CBS with .2 Fox at a yet third independent location). Population bleed has reduced what was always a small market to near nothing. News coverage is pure amateur hour. Kids just out of school and sales guy with no talent, using 30 year old SD equipment. Shut it down and make H-C larger.
- Wheeling. Historically just 2 stations (NBC and CBS) with ABC from Pittsburgh. Just a few miles from Pittsburgh, the area got its own TV stations when the Rust Belt was not yet rusting. Population bleed means no money for anything. News operations are worse than Bluefield's. Serves no purpose. Shut it down and get Pittsburgh stations, which everybody does anyway.
- Clarksburg. Also always missing ABC, which comes from Pittsburgh, along with all the other Pittsburgh stations. Worse market in the state. No money for anything. In fact so amateurish that several counties have been "captured" by Nielsen's methods by Pittsburgh. Shut it down and let Pittsburgh and H-C get larger.
In doing so the result is the two panhandles and the northern edge of the state served by the cities that are part of (DC or Pittsburgh) and the rest of the state being one market (similar to New Mexico or Utah) which would be 12 places larger in the list of markets, with the economy to support a serious effort at news and other local programming.
I like this idea. I have similar ideas for the designated market areas in Michigan (my home state) and Ohio:
Move Detroit’s transmitters in Southfield further east to cover Port Huron (as mentioned by
7/8 above, it does not currently have coverage). There are some areas around Warren that might work. This means that signals are weaker in western Livingston and Washtenaw counties, but they are close enough to Lansing to receive over-the-air signals, even if they are still part of Detroit’s DMA. I'd move Monroe County to the Toledo DMA.
For the Grand Rapids DMA, I’d move Calhoun and Branch Counties to the Lansing DMA. Battle Creek is currently part of the Grand Rapids DMA, but it’s closer to Lansing so I think it belongs there. While we’re at it, give St. Joseph county to South Bend’s DMA, which is much closer to that city than to Grand Rapids. I’d move all of the Grand Rapids DMA transmitters to Jamestown, MI (midway between Muskegon and Kalamazoo, and within 15 mi of Grand Rapids). This basically trades coverage of Battle Creek for coverage of Muskegon, which currently only receives WZZM 13 over the air. By making the Grand Rapids DMA smaller, you only need one ABC affiliate (as mentioned by
ftballfan above, there are two).
I don’t have any major changes to the Lansing and Flint/Tri-Cities DMAs or their transmitters.
Lastly, I’d combine the Traverse City/Cadillac, Marquette, and Alpena markets. The Alpena market is the third smallest in the nation, and I don’t know why it has its own market. The UP and all of northern lower can share one medium-sized market. Put a set of full-power transmitters near Cadillac, with translators in Alpena, Marquette and the Soo.
Here’s a map of the new media markets (for reference, a map of current media markets nationwide can be found here):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_television_markets
For Ohio, I’d make even more radical changes:
Eliminate the Lima, Youngstown, Wheeling (see
SP Cook's post) and Zanesville markets. They’re too small to stand on their own. Merge Lima into Fort Wayne DMA (to ensure Lima has over-the-air coverage, move the transmitters for Fort Wayne to the state line near the town of Monroeville). Merge Youngstown into Cleveland (by moving Cleveland’s transmitters to Solon). Youngstown’s population has basically declined to the point where it’s just another suburb of Cleveland anyways. Lastly, merge Zanesville with the Parkersburg and Athens DMA.
I’d move Toledo’s transmitters south of where they are now. At the moment, they’re located too close to the Michigan border, which is already covered by Detroit's stations. I’d say move the transmitters down to Bowling Green to cover the area south of Findlay.
For Dayton, move the transmitters to the northwest of the city, away from Cincinnati. For Cincinnati, move the transmitters to Kentucky, away from Dayton. For Columbus, move the transmitters to Westerville (a northeastern suburb) so that the signals can reach Mansfield.
Here’s a map:
I have ideas for other states, too...
