[opendtv] Re: Wha' Happened to the FCC?

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:15:04 -0600

Tom Barry wrote:

> As you say the more popular (mostly network affiliate) broadcasters
> are afraid of competing with cable because if they offend cable they
> probably cannot get retrans consent dollars.

Let's assume for a minute that a station group that owns network affiliates DID 
NOT get any retrans consent dollars. How close would they be to breaking even 
with just the ad revenues, as of now?

Now change that equation slightly. Let's assume that the station group has a 
national footprint vs a max of 39 percent coverage. How much more attractive 
would that station group be to advertizers?

Now let's diddle with the costs. Can the station group share its local news and 
weather crews, either with other local stations, or reinvent these "local" 
crews into more of a regional model? For example, how hard would it be for the 
weather team to cover not just the one market, but perhaps the entire NE US? 
And transmit the same weather program from all of that station group's stations 
in the NE? Or just forego the local news and weather entirely, leaving that to 
another broadcaster?

Now let's diddle with operating costs. How hard would it be for a station group 
to run the vast majority of its OTA transmitters remotely? Perhaps outsource 
the transmitter and tower maintenance to local companies that do this work for 
all of the OTA stations? (I assume much of this is already being done?)

In other words, why can't OTA stations operate more like MVPDs?

Bert
 
 
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