FCC Incentive Auction results released

[Bob DeMattia]

Ot oh.

Looks like NBC Boston will have to find a new home (again)!

-Bob


On Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 5:13 PM, Garrett Wollman <wollman@bimajority.org>
wrote:

> The FCC has now publicly released the results of the TV band-clearing
> "incentive auction" process and announced the new channel assignments
> and phasing for the TV repacking.
>
> The following Boston-market stations are getting large sums of cash to
> relinquish their UHF channels assignments:
>
> payout  old RF
> ($MM)   chan.   station
> ------- ------- -------------------
> 162.1   41      WLVI (56 Cambridge)
> 161.7   19      WGBH-TV (*2 Boston)
> 135.0   47      WYDN (*48 Worcester)
>  93.6   18      WMFP (62 Lawrence)
>  80.4   36      WYCN-CD (13 Nashua)
>  68.1   35      WBIN-TV (50 Derry), as already reported
>  63.9   24      WFXZ-CD (24 Boston)
>  43.4   40      WDPX-TV (58 Vineyard Haven)
>
> All of the stations listed here filed for channel sharing agreements,
> if I'm understanding the FCC's release correctly -- even WBIN.  That
> does not necessarily mean that they will be able to actually execute a
> channel-sharing contract with one of the surviving stations.  See the
> full listing for all markets at
> <https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-results-worlds-
> first-broadcast-incentive-auction-0>
>
> The repacking goes like this:
>
> Station                 Changing        Phase   Linked
> WGBH (2 Boston)         19 -> 5         4       Yes
> WBZ-TV (4 Boston)       30 -> 20        4       Yes
> WCVB-TV (5 Boston)      20 -> 33        4       Yes
> WHDH (7 Boston)         42 -> 35        8       No
> WMUR (9 Manchester)     9 -> 9          -       N/A
> WENH (11 Durham)        11 -> 11        -       N/A
> WPXG-TV (21 Concord)    33 -> 23        4       Yes
> WFXT (25 Boston)        31 -> 34        4       Yes
> WUNI (27 Worcester)     29 -> 19        4       Yes
> WSBK (38 Boston)        39 -> 21        8       No
> WGBX (44 Boston)        43 -> 32        8       No
> WWDP (46 Norwell)       10 -> 10        -       N/A
> WNEU (60 Merrimack)     34 -> 29        4       Yes
> WUTF (66 Marlborough)   27 -> 27        -       N/A
> WBPX-TV (68 Boston)     32 -> 22        4       Yes
>
> The "linked" column indicates that these stations are part of a group
> of multiple stations that must all shift channels at the same time (or
> in a specific order) -- for example:
>
> * WPXG -> 23 before WCVB -> 33 before WBZ -> 20 before WEDH -> 30
> * WGBH -> 5 before WUNI -> 19 before WNEU -> 29 before WFXT -> 34 before
>   WCSH -> 31
>
> The deadline to begin testing new facilities for phase 4 is June 22,
> 2019, and the deadline to complete construction is August 2, 2019.
> For phase 8, the deadline to begin testing is January 1, 2020, and
> to complete construction is March 13, 2020.  Stations which do not
> meet the construction deadline must go off the air (or may request
> special temporary authority to operate on a different channel or share
> a channel).
>
> -GAWollman
>
>