RE: more Clear Channel more often

["Michael P Fitzpatrick Jr." <fitzradio@the-spa.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matthew Osborne
> Sent: Monday, October 08, 2001 11:21 PM
> Subject: Re: more Clear Channel more often
>
>
> Clear Channel does own a few broadcast television
> stations around the country.  The only two I can
> rattle off the top of my head right now are WXXA-TV 23
> (Fox) in Albany, NY and WJAR-TV 10 in Providence, RI
>

They used to own WPRI-TV in Providence, not WJAR. But they sold it to STC a
while back. Around the same time was when STC sold WNAC-TV to LIN
Television.

>
> Actually, Clear Channel won't have to.  You see,
> Ackerley beat them to the punch on this.  All of
> Ackerley's Upstate NY TV stations are already
> centrally operated out of WIXT-Syracuse's Master
> Control.  As far as I know, each individual station
> (in NY State anyway) only has news reporters, news
> anchors, just barely as many people necessary to run
> the studio for local news, and salespeople working at
> the individual stations.  Everything else is
> centralized in Syracuse.  So actually, this purchase
> by Clear Channel would probably fit in very well with
> their corporate ideaology, and at least Upstate NY
> doesn't have to worry about any more local jobs
> getting axed by this takeover (right now anyway),
> because they were already all axed when Ackerley took
> over all of these stations to begin with.
>

And it's not only happening in Central NY. It's also happening in Southern
New England. NBC switched WJAR in Providence and WVIT in Hartford to it's
new "central-casting" system where the master control is actually switched
through servers tied via fiber optic to WNBC-TV in NYC. So basically during
a "local" break in Hartford, the first two spots may be Hartford local
spots, run off the server in Hartford, the next spot in the break may be a
national spot run off the server in NYC (via fiber to Hartford), then the
final break may be in Hartford run off the local server. The switching
between local and Nat. spots is seamless. It's actually a very nice looking
system on the air. Provided the computer switches the break correctly. This
technology was showcased in Florida recently to several TV group owners,
including LIN, Freedom, Hearst-Argyle, and Young. All of who made it clear
if the system is effective for NBC's O&O's (Owned & Operated) and proves
reliable, then they plan on jumping on the bandwagon. It's the sign of the
times, and the advancement of technology in this day and age. "Master
Control" is going to evolve from the standpoint it is now, to "Network
supervisor" overseeing the computer network.

--Mike

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