[opendtv] Re: Echostar make or break
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 11:12:01 -0400
Barry Brown wrote:
> I think the biggest problem, is the large number of stations that
> have to be used to deliver network or syndicated programming.
> Technically, this is no longer a requirement. Cable and satellite
> headends can take national feeds and feed them to 85% of viewer's
> homes without using local stations.
They could. Similarly, a national network like NBC could do the same
thing with its network of OTA transmitters, if this lowered their
overhead costs and if the viewing public didn't mind. But NBC is not
allowed to own all of the OTA transmitters it needs to achieve national
coverage. Nor can an independent company, i.e. one that produces no
content, own all of the OTA transmitters required to achieve national
coverage.
I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm merely saying that what's good for DBS
TV providers should also be good for OTA networks.
> Also IMHO, local programming is normally an afterthought, or what
> is required to meet FCC regulations, except when there is some
> sort of emergency. Two or three super stations per market would
> be all that is required to do a good job of delivering local
> programming 24/7. This would also free up a lot of wasted spectrum
> space, not only OTA, but satellite and, to a lesser degree, cable
> channels as well.
The market should be allowed to decide. If a local station can thrive on
local content, more power to it. However, in the interest of keeping the
OTA network viable, it doesn't make sense to allow a DBS company to use
a national feed for network content, say NBC, but to forbid NBC from
doing the same thing over their OTA facilities.
It's the same story for each TV distribution medium. Providing the
resources necessary for local content costs money, whether you're cable,
DBS, or OTA. The market should be allowed to find the right balance.
Bert
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