WHDH snubs Leno

[Doug Drown]

I doubt Hearst would part with WCVB; it's the crown jewel of its broadcasting division.  WMUR would be a possibility, but WMUR isn't carried by a lot of eastern and central Mass. cable systems.  What's more, Hearst, through its ownership of WCVB, WMUR, WMTW, WNNE/WPTZ and NECN, has built quite the little television empire in New England.  I'm not sure the company would want to break that up.  

Your observation that the VHF/UHF distinction doesn't matter anymore is true from a technical standpoint, but you're also correct in saying that the general public still makes the distinction.  When CBS lost WJBK-TV, Channel 2, in Detroit back in the early '90s, it bought Channel 62, a UHF also-ran.  Some time later it attached the historic WWJ call letters to the station, but I don't think the network has ever recovered from WJBK going over to Fox.  The last I knew, WWJ-TV was the only CBS O&O that didn't have a local news operation --- this despite the fact that WWJ-AM is an all-news station.

 -Doug


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Maureen Carney 
  To: Doug Drown ; Boston Radio Group 
  Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 10:15 PM
  Subject: Re: WHDH snubs Leno


  "Assume Fox viewing positions" (a line from "Married...With Children" as the Bundy's hang around the TV set with tinfoil, etc.) NBC would have to do a lot of education to get people to know they're on a new station, even with heavy cable penetration. For example, WTMU is on channel 19 in Framingham but two towns over in Holliston (where my family lives) it's on channel 95. I don't know if Comcast would make a change to a lower channel if a major network is involved. We on this list know that VHF and UHF don't matter that much anymore given digital and cable/satellite. Most of the general public still makes the distinction and 7NBC sounds better than NBC60.

  Perhaps Hearst is willing to part with either WCVB or WMUR? Given this economy they might be willing to sell.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: Doug Drown <revdoug1@myfairpoint.net>
  To: Kevin Vahey <kvahey@comcast.net>; Maureen Carney <m_carney@yahoo.com>
  Cc: Boston Radio Group <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
  Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2009 9:58:03 PM
  Subject: Re: WHDH snubs Leno

  Sounds like it.  I can't imagine what NBC's "strong options" would be. 
  Wouldn't the network want a station that traditionally has been in a VHF 
  slot?  What are they gonna do, buy Channel 2?    -Doug