Re: Alternate site backups

[Martin Waters <martinjwaters@yahoo.com>]

--- dan.strassberg@att.net wrote:
<snip>
With
> approximately 
> 70% cable and satellite coverage nationwide, you can
> > make a strong case that TV stations don't need 
> terrestrial over-the-air backup sites.
<snip>
If the
> claim I  heard that only 1/3 of New Yorkers have
cable is true 
> (is it?), I would think that the WTC collapse would
> turn into a bonanza for the NYC cable systems.
<snip>

I don't know about the one-third number. Right after
the attack, the NY Times said 30 percent of the metro
area did not have cable.

But, as I posted back then, I don't think stations
should, or even should be allowed to, skip having a
backup site because "just" 30 percent would be without
service in some enormous catastrophe.

And even with cable, some questions pop up. Are there
some cable systems, especially farther out, that don't
have direct connections or satellite, but take the
signal off the air?

As recently as a year ago, my &&^%%$$##!!!! cable
system was taking not only the NY stations off the
air, but WFSB-TV, Hartford, channel 3. The reason I
know this is that on especially bad summer days the
signals would be even more substandard than normal, to
the point of really bad images and positively
indecipherable audio. The company -- going by the name
ATT Broadband if they haven't changed it again yet
this week -- must be capturing those signals on rabbit
ears in the back room. Any sort of halfway decent
outdoor antenna should be able to get a top-shelf
signal from channel 3 at their location. 




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