Link to follow when H-M updates their website.
The arrogance of NBC25 management again rears its ugly head. NBC25 wants to raise their rate to Antietam Cable and Adelphia Cable by $0.30 per subscriber or they will no longer permit the cable companies to air the station.
TV25 has contracted with one of the satellite providers to air the programming. They have the arrogance to think that people will drop cable and move to satellite just because they will not be provided on cable.
As far as I'm concerned TV25 can take their lousey local programming and shove it. Plus they can take their bad signal along with them.
Maybe Antietam and Adelphia will replace TV25 with something more interesting like "Watching the Paint Dry" channel.
Full Version: NBC25 May Be Dropped
Link to Story here
Thursday November 10, 2005
NBC25 and cable providers at odds
by ERIN CUNNINGHAM
HAGERSTOWN
erinc@herald-mail.com
Two local cable companies might soon drop Washington County's television news station.
NBC25 might not be available to Antietam Cable and Adelphia Communications Inc. customers beginning in 2006 because of a money dispute between NBC25's parent company and the two area cable providers, representatives with Antietam Cable said Wednesday.
The dispute started during a routine contract renewal in late October. NBC25 gives consent once every three years for area cable providers to carry the station, said Duane Lammers, chief operating officer of Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc., which owns NBC25.
Antietam Cable is owned by Schurz Communications Inc., which also owns The Herald-Mail Co.
Lammers said he is taking NBC25 to a satellite dish network that is willing to compensate the company for its programming.
During contract negotiations, Nexstar asked Antietam Cable to increase the amount of money it pays Nexstar to include the station in its cable package. Lammers would not say how much money the company currently receives from Antietam Cable.
He did say the company asked Antietam Cable for about 30 cents each month for each of Antietam's 38,700 cable subscribers in Washington County - $11,610 each month and $139,320 annually.
Lammers said cable bills would not have to increase, but Antietam Cable says the additional cost would be passed onto cable subscribers.
He said a satellite dish network is compensating Nexstar at a rate comparable to the amount it wanted from Antietam Cable.
"We have successfully negotiated for carriage of (NBC25) in the past, and we already have offered to substantially enhance the existing terms of our carriage agreement with (NBC25)," Antietam Cable President and General Manager Gene Hager said in a written release. "We are dismayed that (NBC25's) new owner (Lammers) is disinterred in the realities of this marketplace."
Hager said Washington County residents will continue to receive NBC programming from another affiliate in Washington, D.C. That contract is secure through 2008, he said.
Antietam Cable also is looking at ways to provide Hagerstown-area news, weather and sports information, which are not part of the Washington, D.C., news broadcast.
A spokesperson with Adelphia Communications, which also is said to be dropping NBC25 from its programming, did not return phone calls Wednesday.
NBC25 Vice President Hugh Breslin III said his station, which serves parts of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania, is the most-viewed on Antietam Cable, according to the last research available to him. But Lammers said Antietam Cable officials said they could replace the local news coverage provided by the station.
"I don't know how," Lammers said. "I suspect that the people who live in Hagerstown probably don't feel that way."
Hager would not comment on a way to replace local coverage, referring to the written release he submitted.
Lammers, who was not with Nexstar three years ago for the last consent agreement, said he did not know how long the companies have been doing business. Hager could not provide that information.
Regardless of the companies' history, Lammers said if NBC25 moves to a satellite cable provider, many of Antietam Cable's customers will switch, too.
"We just want to make sure that the customers of Antietam Cable understand that their cable company is placing no value on us and believe they can replace us," he said.
Hager said Lammers threatened Antietam Cable when the company did not negotiate higher payment for including the channel in its cable package. Hager said Lammers said, "(Nexstar) will spend the next two months making (Antietam Cable's) life very painful."
Attempts to contact Lammers about these claims were unsuccessful.
Each company says the other is to blame for the failed negotiations. Lammers said his company has reached deals with other cable providers who are willing to pay for its stations.
Thursday November 10, 2005
NBC25 and cable providers at odds
by ERIN CUNNINGHAM
HAGERSTOWN
erinc@herald-mail.com
Two local cable companies might soon drop Washington County's television news station.
NBC25 might not be available to Antietam Cable and Adelphia Communications Inc. customers beginning in 2006 because of a money dispute between NBC25's parent company and the two area cable providers, representatives with Antietam Cable said Wednesday.
The dispute started during a routine contract renewal in late October. NBC25 gives consent once every three years for area cable providers to carry the station, said Duane Lammers, chief operating officer of Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc., which owns NBC25.
Antietam Cable is owned by Schurz Communications Inc., which also owns The Herald-Mail Co.
Lammers said he is taking NBC25 to a satellite dish network that is willing to compensate the company for its programming.
During contract negotiations, Nexstar asked Antietam Cable to increase the amount of money it pays Nexstar to include the station in its cable package. Lammers would not say how much money the company currently receives from Antietam Cable.
He did say the company asked Antietam Cable for about 30 cents each month for each of Antietam's 38,700 cable subscribers in Washington County - $11,610 each month and $139,320 annually.
Lammers said cable bills would not have to increase, but Antietam Cable says the additional cost would be passed onto cable subscribers.
He said a satellite dish network is compensating Nexstar at a rate comparable to the amount it wanted from Antietam Cable.
"We have successfully negotiated for carriage of (NBC25) in the past, and we already have offered to substantially enhance the existing terms of our carriage agreement with (NBC25)," Antietam Cable President and General Manager Gene Hager said in a written release. "We are dismayed that (NBC25's) new owner (Lammers) is disinterred in the realities of this marketplace."
Hager said Washington County residents will continue to receive NBC programming from another affiliate in Washington, D.C. That contract is secure through 2008, he said.
Antietam Cable also is looking at ways to provide Hagerstown-area news, weather and sports information, which are not part of the Washington, D.C., news broadcast.
A spokesperson with Adelphia Communications, which also is said to be dropping NBC25 from its programming, did not return phone calls Wednesday.
NBC25 Vice President Hugh Breslin III said his station, which serves parts of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania, is the most-viewed on Antietam Cable, according to the last research available to him. But Lammers said Antietam Cable officials said they could replace the local news coverage provided by the station.
"I don't know how," Lammers said. "I suspect that the people who live in Hagerstown probably don't feel that way."
Hager would not comment on a way to replace local coverage, referring to the written release he submitted.
Lammers, who was not with Nexstar three years ago for the last consent agreement, said he did not know how long the companies have been doing business. Hager could not provide that information.
Regardless of the companies' history, Lammers said if NBC25 moves to a satellite cable provider, many of Antietam Cable's customers will switch, too.
"We just want to make sure that the customers of Antietam Cable understand that their cable company is placing no value on us and believe they can replace us," he said.
Hager said Lammers threatened Antietam Cable when the company did not negotiate higher payment for including the channel in its cable package. Hager said Lammers said, "(Nexstar) will spend the next two months making (Antietam Cable's) life very painful."
Attempts to contact Lammers about these claims were unsuccessful.
Each company says the other is to blame for the failed negotiations. Lammers said his company has reached deals with other cable providers who are willing to pay for its stations.
Nothing really new here and no reason to get all excited about it.
My husband works at Antietam Cable and they go through this process every year and in the end they always work out a compromise.
The real issue is a the new telecomm laws and initiatives that are going to make a huge impact in the near future regarding cable/local coverage.
My husband works at Antietam Cable and they go through this process every year and in the end they always work out a compromise.
The real issue is a the new telecomm laws and initiatives that are going to make a huge impact in the near future regarding cable/local coverage.
Lammers sounds like a real a$$hat to me. Must be why so much censorship and childish games are played on their forums.
This is the problem when you have a cable company that is basically a monopoly in the area and one local station for such a wide area.
IMHO, optimal situation would be two-fold. Entry of another cable company for the areas of the county serviced only by Antietam. Second, resurrect the news programs for (and I have to use cable channel numbers) Channel 8 or 24.
The area of West Virginia I originate from has two stations (NBC & CBS) in an area half the size of this and they get by fine, if not better, than NBC25. There is room for another news program in this area if the capital backing is there for it. Perhaps this development would provide that.
I for one will not switch to DISH Network, but by the same token would love to have a cable alternative to the monopoly we have now. I also agree with the post that says these guys will eventually realize that the spray from this pi**ing battle is not strong enough to hit the ground.....
OICU812
IMHO, optimal situation would be two-fold. Entry of another cable company for the areas of the county serviced only by Antietam. Second, resurrect the news programs for (and I have to use cable channel numbers) Channel 8 or 24.
The area of West Virginia I originate from has two stations (NBC & CBS) in an area half the size of this and they get by fine, if not better, than NBC25. There is room for another news program in this area if the capital backing is there for it. Perhaps this development would provide that.
I for one will not switch to DISH Network, but by the same token would love to have a cable alternative to the monopoly we have now. I also agree with the post that says these guys will eventually realize that the spray from this pi**ing battle is not strong enough to hit the ground.....
OICU812
The article below explians what it is really all about.
Don't forget that Antietam and the Herald Mail are owned by the same parent company, so you may find a bit of bias reporting through the Herald.
TV Grudge Match Reignites
Stations and cable brace for new retransmission-consent talks
By John M. Higgins -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/3/2005
For months, station owners have praised Nexstar Broadcasting for standing up to cable operators in the battle that is known in TV circles as retransmission consent.
Nexstar Broadcasting is insistent on forcing cable systems to pay cash to retransmit its local stations' signals. Since January, three Nexstar stations have been stripped from cable systems that refused to pay. Last week, as the kickoff of the latest season of retransmission-consent negotiations was about to commence, Nexstar COO Duane Lammers was preparing to issue similar demands on behalf of most of his remaining 46 stations.
Nexstar considers its move a noble cause, but few seem willing to follow the broadcaster to the mat and risk the ratings and advertising pain of cable operators' not carrying their signals.
Lammers says he doesn't expect a lot of company in the battle: “There's a lot of people out there ready to fight to the last drop of our blood.”
Blood—more like red ink—is what industry executives worry about during retransmission talks. Over the weekend, broadcasters were due to notify cable systems what they want in exchange for the right to carry the signals of local TV stations.
Many broadcasters stagger the terms of the cable deals, so the three-year cycle doesn't apply to all 2,600 TV stations or 8,000 cable systems. And many stations lack the leverage to make demands. Stations with weak signals or weak programming will opt for “must-carry” status. That forces cable operators to carry the signals, but the cable operator isn't compelled to compensate any further (for example, providing prime channel position). The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) estimates that 50% of stations opt for must-carry status.
Still, this round comes as station owners—which have induced payments from DBS and telephone companies—are increasingly interested in securing cash for permission to retransmit their signals.
CBS Chairman Les Moonves has seized on the idea of getting cash from retransmission consent as justification for owning CBS stock after it is spun off from Viacom next year. There will doubtless be a few collisions as the Dec. 31 negotiating deadline approaches, but this probably isn't the year for a widespread battle between stations and systems.
Most station groups and large operators will continue to do as they have done in the 12 years since retransmission-consent rules were enacted: without cash. Even the combative Sinclair balked at a showdown with Comcast last spring, settling a dispute without collecting cash. And CBS stations are tied up in long-term agreements, so we won't see how serious Moonves is for about three years.
Most broadcasters will be seeking full carriage of new “multicasting” channels, starting in space created by their switch to digital broadcasting. They'll want better terms and license fees for cable networks they own all or part of. Big operators are willing to disguise payments as advertising or cable-network fees, but they stubbornly resist straight cash-for-carriage deals.
Retransmission consent is a powerful tool for companies owning both broadcast stations and cable networks. One MTV Networks executive recently told me that losing retransmission consent is the only downside in the Viacom split. Using the power of CBS' and UPN's TV stations, MTV has been able to drive distribution of a slew of startup networks, from VH1 Classic to Noggin. (Another executive, however, counters that the retransmission game is played out for MTVN. The better leverage today is operators' hunger for product to feed video-on-demand. “VOD is the new retransmission consent,” the executive says.)
The negotiations could be much harsher on small cable operators, who contend a train wreck is coming. Some of them—around 10% of the members of little-guy lobbyist American Cable Association—already pay cash. And the association warns of an onslaught this year that will cost them $1 billion. Broadcasters will have second thoughts before provoking a showdown with giants Comcast or Time Warner Cable. The big cable boys could take those stations dark on systems in major markets across the country. But there's little to lose by beating up on 18,000-subscriber Rapid Communications or even 400,000-subscriber Cebridge Communications.
Those operators are getting demands for 50¢-$1 per subscriber monthly. ABC says in an FCC filing that it thinks it's worth $2 per subscriber. By comparison, MTV collects around 27¢ per subscriber monthly; ESPN gets $2.60.
Prospects are so dark for small cable operators that they've occasionally gotten demands for payments from companies straddling both sides of the argument, companies that own both stations and cable systems. According to FCC filings, one of those is The Washington Post Co., parent of Post-Newsweek stations and CableOne, which is battling Nexstar.
Meanwhile, the Nexstar fight lingers on. The company's stations are still off cable systems in Abilene and Texarkana, Texas, and Joplin, Mo. Cox Communications Director of Programming Debbie Cullen says she hasn't met with Nexstar since February. Cable operators have handed out a few thousand rabbit-ear antennas and lost a few thousand subscribers that have jumped to DirecTV or EchoStar services, both of which pay cash for retransmission consent. (On DBS, broadcast stations come on an optional tier. If the FCC lets cable do that, cable operators would happily pay for retransmission consent—and give away a lot more pairs of rabbit ears.)
But Nexstar's audience has plunged; Nielsen Media's May book shows its stations are down 30%-40% in key dayparts. But the markets are small enough that it's not causing a financial crunch to Nexstar as a whole. Expanding the war will magnify the pain.
Although antitrust laws prevent companies from teaming up against systems, Lammers hopes other broadcasters in Nexstar markets will take up the fight, dramatically increasing the pain to cable. Says Lammers, “It's market-by-market.”
Don't forget that Antietam and the Herald Mail are owned by the same parent company, so you may find a bit of bias reporting through the Herald.
TV Grudge Match Reignites
Stations and cable brace for new retransmission-consent talks
By John M. Higgins -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/3/2005
For months, station owners have praised Nexstar Broadcasting for standing up to cable operators in the battle that is known in TV circles as retransmission consent.
Nexstar Broadcasting is insistent on forcing cable systems to pay cash to retransmit its local stations' signals. Since January, three Nexstar stations have been stripped from cable systems that refused to pay. Last week, as the kickoff of the latest season of retransmission-consent negotiations was about to commence, Nexstar COO Duane Lammers was preparing to issue similar demands on behalf of most of his remaining 46 stations.
Nexstar considers its move a noble cause, but few seem willing to follow the broadcaster to the mat and risk the ratings and advertising pain of cable operators' not carrying their signals.
Lammers says he doesn't expect a lot of company in the battle: “There's a lot of people out there ready to fight to the last drop of our blood.”
Blood—more like red ink—is what industry executives worry about during retransmission talks. Over the weekend, broadcasters were due to notify cable systems what they want in exchange for the right to carry the signals of local TV stations.
Many broadcasters stagger the terms of the cable deals, so the three-year cycle doesn't apply to all 2,600 TV stations or 8,000 cable systems. And many stations lack the leverage to make demands. Stations with weak signals or weak programming will opt for “must-carry” status. That forces cable operators to carry the signals, but the cable operator isn't compelled to compensate any further (for example, providing prime channel position). The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) estimates that 50% of stations opt for must-carry status.
Still, this round comes as station owners—which have induced payments from DBS and telephone companies—are increasingly interested in securing cash for permission to retransmit their signals.
CBS Chairman Les Moonves has seized on the idea of getting cash from retransmission consent as justification for owning CBS stock after it is spun off from Viacom next year. There will doubtless be a few collisions as the Dec. 31 negotiating deadline approaches, but this probably isn't the year for a widespread battle between stations and systems.
Most station groups and large operators will continue to do as they have done in the 12 years since retransmission-consent rules were enacted: without cash. Even the combative Sinclair balked at a showdown with Comcast last spring, settling a dispute without collecting cash. And CBS stations are tied up in long-term agreements, so we won't see how serious Moonves is for about three years.
Most broadcasters will be seeking full carriage of new “multicasting” channels, starting in space created by their switch to digital broadcasting. They'll want better terms and license fees for cable networks they own all or part of. Big operators are willing to disguise payments as advertising or cable-network fees, but they stubbornly resist straight cash-for-carriage deals.
Retransmission consent is a powerful tool for companies owning both broadcast stations and cable networks. One MTV Networks executive recently told me that losing retransmission consent is the only downside in the Viacom split. Using the power of CBS' and UPN's TV stations, MTV has been able to drive distribution of a slew of startup networks, from VH1 Classic to Noggin. (Another executive, however, counters that the retransmission game is played out for MTVN. The better leverage today is operators' hunger for product to feed video-on-demand. “VOD is the new retransmission consent,” the executive says.)
The negotiations could be much harsher on small cable operators, who contend a train wreck is coming. Some of them—around 10% of the members of little-guy lobbyist American Cable Association—already pay cash. And the association warns of an onslaught this year that will cost them $1 billion. Broadcasters will have second thoughts before provoking a showdown with giants Comcast or Time Warner Cable. The big cable boys could take those stations dark on systems in major markets across the country. But there's little to lose by beating up on 18,000-subscriber Rapid Communications or even 400,000-subscriber Cebridge Communications.
Those operators are getting demands for 50¢-$1 per subscriber monthly. ABC says in an FCC filing that it thinks it's worth $2 per subscriber. By comparison, MTV collects around 27¢ per subscriber monthly; ESPN gets $2.60.
Prospects are so dark for small cable operators that they've occasionally gotten demands for payments from companies straddling both sides of the argument, companies that own both stations and cable systems. According to FCC filings, one of those is The Washington Post Co., parent of Post-Newsweek stations and CableOne, which is battling Nexstar.
Meanwhile, the Nexstar fight lingers on. The company's stations are still off cable systems in Abilene and Texarkana, Texas, and Joplin, Mo. Cox Communications Director of Programming Debbie Cullen says she hasn't met with Nexstar since February. Cable operators have handed out a few thousand rabbit-ear antennas and lost a few thousand subscribers that have jumped to DirecTV or EchoStar services, both of which pay cash for retransmission consent. (On DBS, broadcast stations come on an optional tier. If the FCC lets cable do that, cable operators would happily pay for retransmission consent—and give away a lot more pairs of rabbit ears.)
But Nexstar's audience has plunged; Nielsen Media's May book shows its stations are down 30%-40% in key dayparts. But the markets are small enough that it's not causing a financial crunch to Nexstar as a whole. Expanding the war will magnify the pain.
Although antitrust laws prevent companies from teaming up against systems, Lammers hopes other broadcasters in Nexstar markets will take up the fight, dramatically increasing the pain to cable. Says Lammers, “It's market-by-market.”
Thanks Julie, appreciate that article from the industry.
I just think in NBC25's market area, that 30 cents is a little high to demand from local Antietam Cable.
Would I be willing to pay an extra 30 cents on my cable bill just to get NBC25's programming? Well, it wouldn't break my budget. But, no I wouldn't be willing to pay it. Would I switch TV providers because of it? No.
I rarely tune in channel 12 (channel selection for NBC25 on Antietam). The signal sucks with lots of interference. Do I watch the local news programming on channel 12? Rarely.
I'd really like to see NBC25 replaced with something else. Perhaps the Oxygen channel or something else. Something with more value that I'd perhaps even be willing to pay an extra 50 cents a month, for.
And even if I did watch NBC25, like the article above says, I'd hook up a pair of rabbit ears and just watch the channel over the air.
Yup, it certainly is a pissing match. But hopefully Antietam's stream is a little stronger.
I just think in NBC25's market area, that 30 cents is a little high to demand from local Antietam Cable.
Would I be willing to pay an extra 30 cents on my cable bill just to get NBC25's programming? Well, it wouldn't break my budget. But, no I wouldn't be willing to pay it. Would I switch TV providers because of it? No.
I rarely tune in channel 12 (channel selection for NBC25 on Antietam). The signal sucks with lots of interference. Do I watch the local news programming on channel 12? Rarely.
I'd really like to see NBC25 replaced with something else. Perhaps the Oxygen channel or something else. Something with more value that I'd perhaps even be willing to pay an extra 50 cents a month, for.
And even if I did watch NBC25, like the article above says, I'd hook up a pair of rabbit ears and just watch the channel over the air.
Yup, it certainly is a pissing match. But hopefully Antietam's stream is a little stronger.
DON'T WE ALREADY PAY FOR NBC25'S SIGNAL BY BUYING THE PRODUCTS OF THEIR ADVERTIZERS????????? WHY ARE WE BEING ASKED TO PAY A SECOND TIME BY NBC25 JUST TO GET A CLEAR SIGNAL THAT THEY SEEM INCAPABLE OF PROVIDING?????????? ONE WOULD THINK THAT THE PAYMENT WOULD BE MADE TO THE CABLE COMPANIES, NOT TO THE CONTENT PROVIDERS.. 
I tune in to NBC25 for the local news, weather, and the kids sports that I can't get on the DC stations. The only reason I sit through the DC news is to see a good Redskins report!
This morning during the today show, NBC25 happened to have a scrolling message at the bottom of the screen that was suggesting viewers switch their subscription to Dish Network in order to keep receiving NBC25 in 2006. They're really pushing the issue!
This morning during the today show, NBC25 happened to have a scrolling message at the bottom of the screen that was suggesting viewers switch their subscription to Dish Network in order to keep receiving NBC25 in 2006. They're really pushing the issue!
QUOTE (Naomi @ Nov 10 2005, 10:16 AM)
I tune in to NBC25 for the local news, weather, and the kids sports that I can't get on the DC stations. The only reason I sit through the DC news is to see a good Redskins report!
This morning during the today show, NBC25 happened to have a scrolling message at the bottom of the screen that was suggesting viewers switch their subscription to Dish Network in order to keep receiving NBC25 in 2006. They're really pushing the issue!
This morning during the today show, NBC25 happened to have a scrolling message at the bottom of the screen that was suggesting viewers switch their subscription to Dish Network in order to keep receiving NBC25 in 2006. They're really pushing the issue!
You can watch nbc programming on nbc 4 in dc without the crawl from nbc25. They carry local H-town news when something really silly comes up here.
SUBJECT : LOSING NBC 25 FROM CABLE BROADCAST
COMMENT : NO BIG LOSS , THEIR LOCAL NEWS BROADCASTS REMIND ME OF THE HAGERSTOWN MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETINGS , ALL SCREWED UP !
COMMENT : NO BIG LOSS , THEIR LOCAL NEWS BROADCASTS REMIND ME OF THE HAGERSTOWN MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETINGS , ALL SCREWED UP !
A couple bucks a year is no biggie to me. I watch 25 for local news a couple times a week. If given the option I might pay 30 cents a month for it. Otherwise, well, my antenna is still up -- might buy an A-B switch and do it that way.
Snippet from Antietam Cable Website:
Antietam Cable
WHAG Refuses to Negotiate
ANTIETAM CABLE “DISAPPOINTED” WITH DECISION OF WHAG PARENT CORPORATION TO REFUSE TO NEGOTIATE CABLE CARRIAGE
Consumers will not lose NBC programming
Antietam Cable customers will continue to receive NBC programming if WHAG TV (via its parent company, Nexstar Broadcasting) follows through with publicly announced plans to pull its signal from the Hagerstown cable system on December 31, 2005.
Antietam President/General Manager Gene Hager says, “Antietam Cable already carries another NBC affiliate -- WRC from Washington, DC. Antietam has secured the contractual rights necessary to continue carrying WRC through 2008. All NBC programming still will be available to Antietam’s customers. The company is also investigating options to provide Hagerstown area news, weather and sports information.”
Federal law requires that, every 3 years, television stations and cable companies negotiate the terms by which local stations can be carried on cable. Nexstar made an initial proposal to Antietam that is substantially more expensive than any other television station in the region. When Antietam Cable did not immediately capitulate to Nexstar's demands, Nexstar's Chief Operating Officer threatened, among other things, "We will spend the next 2 months making your life very painful." Hager says, “We do not believe that such threats have any place in good faith contract negotiations. Antietam Cable respects the local operations of WHAG and would like to continue offering that station to our customers. We have successfully negotiated for carriage of WHAG in the past, and we already have offered to substantially enhance the existing terms of our carriage agreement with WHAG. We are dismayed that WHAG's new owner is disinterested in the realities of this marketplace.”
Nexstar has been attempting to force cable companies to pay a per-subscriber fee for carriage of TV signals in all markets it serves. Those costs would have to be passed on to local customers.
Antietam Cable
WHAG Refuses to Negotiate
ANTIETAM CABLE “DISAPPOINTED” WITH DECISION OF WHAG PARENT CORPORATION TO REFUSE TO NEGOTIATE CABLE CARRIAGE
Consumers will not lose NBC programming
Antietam Cable customers will continue to receive NBC programming if WHAG TV (via its parent company, Nexstar Broadcasting) follows through with publicly announced plans to pull its signal from the Hagerstown cable system on December 31, 2005.
Antietam President/General Manager Gene Hager says, “Antietam Cable already carries another NBC affiliate -- WRC from Washington, DC. Antietam has secured the contractual rights necessary to continue carrying WRC through 2008. All NBC programming still will be available to Antietam’s customers. The company is also investigating options to provide Hagerstown area news, weather and sports information.”
Federal law requires that, every 3 years, television stations and cable companies negotiate the terms by which local stations can be carried on cable. Nexstar made an initial proposal to Antietam that is substantially more expensive than any other television station in the region. When Antietam Cable did not immediately capitulate to Nexstar's demands, Nexstar's Chief Operating Officer threatened, among other things, "We will spend the next 2 months making your life very painful." Hager says, “We do not believe that such threats have any place in good faith contract negotiations. Antietam Cable respects the local operations of WHAG and would like to continue offering that station to our customers. We have successfully negotiated for carriage of WHAG in the past, and we already have offered to substantially enhance the existing terms of our carriage agreement with WHAG. We are dismayed that WHAG's new owner is disinterested in the realities of this marketplace.”
Nexstar has been attempting to force cable companies to pay a per-subscriber fee for carriage of TV signals in all markets it serves. Those costs would have to be passed on to local customers.
If anyone wants to lend their support (or not support) to Antietam Cable's decision can post on their website here:
http://www.antietamcable.com/contactus/gen...ntact_form.html
Don't bother contacting the tv station, they'll just ignore you.
http://www.antietamcable.com/contactus/gen...ntact_form.html
Don't bother contacting the tv station, they'll just ignore you.
One could look it as getting TV 25 for a month for less than it costs for a single copy of the HM newspaper.
yeah, maybe snoop, but ya' can't line the bottom of a bird cage with nbc25. 
The talent and quality of their news stinks and isn’t worth paying anything for. Let’s face the facts, other than the news you can watch NBC4 for your shows.
The news stories are terrible. Stories about a cat or someone colleting gas caps is not important to me. What’s up with baby photos? This idea is so “small town”. The camera work in and out of the studio looks like my 6 year old is working there.
The weather report is a joke. It’s 80% Lou reading today’s temps. Who cares about the temps when the day is over? Just show them for a few seconds, the people can read them themselves. Lou does not have to read them all. Here’s an idea, how about spending more time talking about tomorrows forecast. Watch the pros do the weather out of DC and take notes and try to be like them! It would also help if Lou got a degree in meteorology.
The only thing that they cover well is local sports.
Another idea, how about you try to interview people that have a basic grasp for the English language?
The news stories are terrible. Stories about a cat or someone colleting gas caps is not important to me. What’s up with baby photos? This idea is so “small town”. The camera work in and out of the studio looks like my 6 year old is working there.
The weather report is a joke. It’s 80% Lou reading today’s temps. Who cares about the temps when the day is over? Just show them for a few seconds, the people can read them themselves. Lou does not have to read them all. Here’s an idea, how about spending more time talking about tomorrows forecast. Watch the pros do the weather out of DC and take notes and try to be like them! It would also help if Lou got a degree in meteorology.
The only thing that they cover well is local sports.
Another idea, how about you try to interview people that have a basic grasp for the English language?
QUOTE (asiseeit @ Nov 10 2005, 03:17 PM)
Another idea, how about you try to interview people that have a basic grasp for the English language?
In Washington County? That would take real investigative reporting to find.
This is one time I agree with the cable company. I do not believe in paying protection money. I saw that scroll that 25 put up. If I were Antietam Cable I would not carry them anymore period.
I hope though they add another NBC station and or another fox station so we would have 2 of each.
I am not a cable company fan but they are right this time.
I hope though they add another NBC station and or another fox station so we would have 2 of each.
I am not a cable company fan but they are right this time.
Hey Tony, your next run for office, I know where you'll be able to pick up some really cheap advertising!
With NBC25 market shrinking, their ad bucks oughta' be real cheap.
With NBC25 market shrinking, their ad bucks oughta' be real cheap.
QUOTE (Yossarian @ Nov 10 2005, 08:19 PM)
Hey Tony, your next run for office, I know where you'll be able to pick up some really cheap advertising!
With NBC25 market shrinking, their ad bucks oughta' be real cheap.
With NBC25 market shrinking, their ad bucks oughta' be real cheap.
Of course by then nobody in the immediate voting area will be able to actually see your spots
I'm not really into it enough to be firmly on either side yet, but I just wonder...where there be this mutch bi*ching and moaning, and newspaper coverage, the next time the HM raises their per-copy price another nickel - which is 5x the per-month raise NBC25 is talking about? I mean, seriously, we're talking a penny a day.
I could care less if they don't carry NBC25. Would free up a channel to put some worthy programming on. I got sick and tired of watching amateur newscasts years ago.
Good riddance, NBC25.
Good riddance, NBC25.
But see, Snoop, you can recoup your cost of the paper by taking advantage of the weekly coupons. In fact, you can come out ahead.
I don't see recouping the cost of an amateur TV station.
I can see WHAG's point in charging a cable provider for it's service. But why do they want to do it now, if they weren't doing it before? I just see it as NEXTAR's way of squeezing a few bucks out to make their bottom line better. I'm sure the local station would see little, if any, of the proceeds.
I don't see recouping the cost of an amateur TV station.
I can see WHAG's point in charging a cable provider for it's service. But why do they want to do it now, if they weren't doing it before? I just see it as NEXTAR's way of squeezing a few bucks out to make their bottom line better. I'm sure the local station would see little, if any, of the proceeds.
The only reason I watch WHAG-25 is when a show is aired in widescreen form. For some reason, shows on WRC-4 that are originally widescreen are actually aired full-screen but on WHAG-25 they're aired widescreen (black lines) 
I prefer widescreen mostly so I watch ch. 25 for ER, for example...
I can't figure out if WRC-4 is changing the formatting during the broadcast or is Antietam Cable responsible. The standard transparent NBC peacock logo is mostly off the screen on Ch. 4 but fully visible on Ch 25. It seems like the zoom in a bit similar to the zoom feature on a DVD player.
Anyone notice this?
I prefer widescreen mostly so I watch ch. 25 for ER, for example...
I can't figure out if WRC-4 is changing the formatting during the broadcast or is Antietam Cable responsible. The standard transparent NBC peacock logo is mostly off the screen on Ch. 4 but fully visible on Ch 25. It seems like the zoom in a bit similar to the zoom feature on a DVD player.
Anyone notice this?
I noticed that too, boe, I thought it had something to do with my TV set, it's like you're losing the left and right side of the picture.
They probably choose to crop it because people complained about shows being broadcast in widescreen. Many people feel like if they are seeing black bars, they are missing out on some of the picture. Which, as you've figured out, is just the opposite. When they crop it and zoom in, you actually lose parts of the show/movie.
Another reason WRC does it may be because they have a seperate hi-def channel that shows most of their primetime linep in HD widescreen (16:9 ratio).
Another reason WRC does it may be because they have a seperate hi-def channel that shows most of their primetime linep in HD widescreen (16:9 ratio).
Its always about money! I like to watch ch 25 do the news. Its like watching a figure 8 racecar race. You just know somethings gonna happen.....ya just dont know what or how bad it will be!! I have a TV in my RV and one in my garage that work off antenna. Im suprised at the number of good clear channels I can get!! 2,4,5,7,9,25,31,54 WB!! 68 and some PBS from around the area. makes me wonder why we all got so spoiled and decided we HAD to have hundereds of channels and there is STILL nothing on!!!! Bring back the antennas with the ole electric rotors!!!!
I'll keep my cable, thanks. I don't need 100's of channels, but there are a hand full that I do need to keep me entertained. The big 3 networks just don't cut it.
QUOTE (Snoopy @ Nov 10 2005, 01:03 PM)
One could look it as getting TV 25 for a month for less than it costs for a single copy of the HM newspaper.
Who cares?? Want local news listen to the radio, it also saves electricity.
I'm surprised Antietam Cable is balking. They don't usually have any qualms about passing along price increases to their customers. Which is one of many reasons why I don't patronize them.
QUOTE (heyceeo @ Nov 11 2005, 03:37 PM)
Its always about money! I like to watch ch 25 do the news. Its like watching a figure 8 racecar race. You just know somethings gonna happen.....ya just dont know what or how bad it will be!! I have a TV in my RV and one in my garage that work off antenna. Im suprised at the number of good clear channels I can get!! 2,4,5,7,9,25,31,54 WB!! 68 and some PBS from around the area. makes me wonder why we all got so spoiled and decided we HAD to have hundereds of channels and there is STILL nothing on!!!! Bring back the antennas with the ole electric rotors!!!!
Not sure if this was already discussed elsewhere in the forums.
A bill was passed that requires all television stations to broadcast in digital only. Analog broadcasts will not be allowed. I believe the reasoning was to free up airwaves for additional emergency and cell frequencies. Originally scheduled for sometime in 2008 but was pushed back recently to 2009.....
Bill seeks $3B to convert analog
USA Today/The Future of Analog Television
House Panel Sets Late-2008 Digital TV Transition Date
PC World/Analog TV transition
Seems to be a little confusion on what the final date will actually be, hmm!
Reuters shows 12/31/08 for the deadline.....
Reuters
boe, if you keep digging, you'll probably find that orginal transition date was even earlier. Lot and lots of delays. It seems nobody wants to give up their analog bandwidth or pay for the new equipment.
Dropping NBC25 from cable will be no tragic loss! If people doing the news could read the prompter and look in the right direction of the camera it might be a different story! They (NBC25) are just like so many other things in this town, thinking they are better and more important than they are! NBC25 is a purportless news station in a minuscule town.
TV 25 is just a training ground for Tv casters.
You mean I am not the only one who notices that by the time the talking heads' hair and clothing has improved they move on? 25 newscast looks like it is put on by a high school troupe..
except for the weather sweenie..he has never left....perhaps because of the hair/clothing issue?
except for the weather sweenie..he has never left....perhaps because of the hair/clothing issue?
I watch NBC25 news at 11 pm sometimes. I enjoy the "local" flavor of the broadcast, the lack of polish that, if it can't be called a good newscast, can at least be somewhat entertaining on a base level.
I, like someone else who posted here, don't understand why Lou the weatherman fills airtime reading off the high and low temperatures of EVERY city displayed on the map. I suppose he's making up for a lack of anything else to say. I'd love be in charge of creating their maps so one day I could put about eighty towns on the map and watch Lou try to read off every one, just to see if he'd try.
The regular evening anchor is OK, but whenever they cut to a story she immediately drops her head like she's reading a really good novel during the video segments and she can't wait until the camera is off her so she can finish the chapter before the commercial break. The other fill-in anchor looks like someone they pulled out of a Wal-Mart checkout line and shoved her in front of a camera. She seems like a nice person, but someone needs to nominate her for TLC's What Not to Wear.
This $.30 a month thing is kind of silly, on both parties' parts. On one hand, thirty cents a month isn't going to break anyone. My opinion is that, if Antietam Cable relents and adds this charge to their monthly statements, they'd find some way of actually adding an additional dollar... and they'd explain the increase by saying that "added administrative costs" associated with the increase dictated the additional $.70. On the other hand, the company that owns NBC25 shouldn't try to push the increase off on Antietam Cable subscribers. If NBC25 were no longer available on Antietam Cable, they'd lose about 55 - 65% of their audience. When that happens, say goodby to Kathleen and the rest of the NBC25 News Crew. All except for Lou Scally; they'd hand him a broom and tell him to clean the lobby.
I, like someone else who posted here, don't understand why Lou the weatherman fills airtime reading off the high and low temperatures of EVERY city displayed on the map. I suppose he's making up for a lack of anything else to say. I'd love be in charge of creating their maps so one day I could put about eighty towns on the map and watch Lou try to read off every one, just to see if he'd try.
The regular evening anchor is OK, but whenever they cut to a story she immediately drops her head like she's reading a really good novel during the video segments and she can't wait until the camera is off her so she can finish the chapter before the commercial break. The other fill-in anchor looks like someone they pulled out of a Wal-Mart checkout line and shoved her in front of a camera. She seems like a nice person, but someone needs to nominate her for TLC's What Not to Wear.
This $.30 a month thing is kind of silly, on both parties' parts. On one hand, thirty cents a month isn't going to break anyone. My opinion is that, if Antietam Cable relents and adds this charge to their monthly statements, they'd find some way of actually adding an additional dollar... and they'd explain the increase by saying that "added administrative costs" associated with the increase dictated the additional $.70. On the other hand, the company that owns NBC25 shouldn't try to push the increase off on Antietam Cable subscribers. If NBC25 were no longer available on Antietam Cable, they'd lose about 55 - 65% of their audience. When that happens, say goodby to Kathleen and the rest of the NBC25 News Crew. All except for Lou Scally; they'd hand him a broom and tell him to clean the lobby.
QUOTE (Mcgee @ Nov 16 2005, 06:16 PM)
TV 25 is just a training ground for Tv casters.
which I don't appreciate. we're a big enough market here to deserve something better.
Reardon Steel, good post , welcome to the site.
scally is not a meteroligist, all he does is read what comes off the National weather service web site ,
i usually watch the news until he comes on and then switch channels , last night as in many broadcasts he opens with "HOW DOES MY HAIR LOOK"
over the years i have noticed that the good on air people dont last very long and go elsewhwere , i suppose that is why scally has been the forever .
i cant see nbc 25 as being a big loss for the community , except for their screwed up news and weather the same shows are on any other NBC channel .
if their news broadcast was really a local news show it might be worthwhile , they have no reporters , just text readers .
scally is not a meteroligist, all he does is read what comes off the National weather service web site ,
i usually watch the news until he comes on and then switch channels , last night as in many broadcasts he opens with "HOW DOES MY HAIR LOOK"
over the years i have noticed that the good on air people dont last very long and go elsewhwere , i suppose that is why scally has been the forever .
i cant see nbc 25 as being a big loss for the community , except for their screwed up news and weather the same shows are on any other NBC channel .
if their news broadcast was really a local news show it might be worthwhile , they have no reporters , just text readers .
Welcome Reardon. Any relation to Beth Steel?
Rowdy, I didn't realize that Scally wasn't a meteoroligist. Interesting. You'd think after all this time he'd have received his degree.
I thought I was the only one that was driven nuts by Lou reading all the dam temperatures.
There are very few reporters in any market. Most of the on-air personalities are all news-readers. I'm not looking for a Cronkite, Huntley, or Murrow, but you'd think they could report the news without reading from a tele-prompter.
Rowdy, I didn't realize that Scally wasn't a meteoroligist. Interesting. You'd think after all this time he'd have received his degree.
I thought I was the only one that was driven nuts by Lou reading all the dam temperatures.
There are very few reporters in any market. Most of the on-air personalities are all news-readers. I'm not looking for a Cronkite, Huntley, or Murrow, but you'd think they could report the news without reading from a tele-prompter.
Is it just me or does anyone else get a LOUSY picture from channel 12??? I rarely watch it because of the snow. My air TV in the garage picks it up fine. Sometimes channel 76 gets 12 better than 12!!
And as to the teleprompter.....its just that it always seems the kids are reading the news for the first time!!! I could see if it was "breaking news"....but they stumble over words and mis-pronounce things like its always a big jumbled suprise!!
And as to the teleprompter.....its just that it always seems the kids are reading the news for the first time!!! I could see if it was "breaking news"....but they stumble over words and mis-pronounce things like its always a big jumbled suprise!!
QUOTE (WVDragonlady @ Nov 23 2005, 09:00 AM)
QUOTE (Mcgee @ Nov 16 2005, 06:16 PM)
TV 25 is just a training ground for Tv casters.
which I don't appreciate. we're a big enough market here to deserve something better.
But see, the thing is, we're not big enough to deserve something better. Look at the broadcast content. They have to scatter to the four winds just to find enough news to cover. From Hagerstown to Cumberland to the WV Panhandle to Chambersburg to Frederick etc. From my perspective, living in Hagerstown, local issues affecting those other places simply don't interest me that much and if they did, I'm sure there would be more info about it in the newspaper anyway. In my opinion, local news is "watered down" by including all those other places. That "watered down" content keeps viewers to a minimum and obviously means reduced revenue which in turn means if a newscaster is any good, they will be leaving more more dollars and bigger stories. I'm not putting down any of those places, just saying that three minutes of local (insert your local town or county here) isn't enough to keep me watching for a half hour. I would imagine folks in Frostburg don't care much about happenings here either.
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
QUOTE (ROWDY @ Nov 23 2005, 10:27 AM)
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS ON THE ACCIDENT WE GO TO LOU SCALLY
It looks like some sort of motor vehicle was involved and it might be raining at the crash site.
by the way its 70F in Lubbock Texas. How's my hair look?
[quote name='samy0' post='45294' date='Nov 23 2005, 10:33 AM'][quote name='ROWDY' post='45291' date='Nov 23 2005, 10:27 AM']
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]
FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS ON THE ACCIDENT WE GO TO LOU SCALLY
It looks like some sort of motor vehicle was involved and it might be raining at the crash site.
by the way its 70F in Lubbock Texas. How's my hair look?
GOOD ONE !
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]
FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS ON THE ACCIDENT WE GO TO LOU SCALLY
It looks like some sort of motor vehicle was involved and it might be raining at the crash site.
by the way its 70F in Lubbock Texas. How's my hair look?
GOOD ONE !
That calculates into making an S-load of money for basically getting up brushing your hair. reading a paragraph from the national weather service then flipping a coin to see if you want to go with partly cloudy or partly sunny that day
QUOTE (samy0 @ Nov 23 2005, 10:33 AM)
QUOTE (ROWDY @ Nov 23 2005, 10:27 AM)
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS ON THE ACCIDENT WE GO TO LOU SCALLY
It looks like some sort of motor vehicle was involved and it might be raining at the crash site.
by the way its 70F in Lubbock Texas. How's my hair look?
LOL!
Very funny, but sadly its so true!! I've tried to watch the NBC 25 news but I can never make it through the whole broadcast. Its worse then going to the dentist for me.
Honestly I think my TV production class in High school had a better show then NBC 25. Its kind of disappointing and embarrassing for Hagerstown, IMO. Most everyone south of here thinks we are a bunch of hillbillies already and it just proves it with our local news......
I grew up in the sticks of Tennessee and I don't ever remember our local news being that bad. Yeah we had the cow got loose from Jed's farm again type of stories. Its not the news, just the hokey way the station manages and presents itself......
i heard somewhere that a weather forecaster is 25% right 25 % of the time ,
does that calculate to being right 0.510 % of the time
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS ON THE ACCIDENT WE GO TO LOU SCALLY
It looks like some sort of motor vehicle was involved and it might be raining at the crash site.
by the way its 70F in Lubbock Texas. How's my hair look?
LOL! Very funny, but sadly its so true!! <_
I've tried to watch the NBC 25 news but I can never make it through the whole broadcast. Its worse then going to the dentist for me.
Honestly I think my TV production class in High school had a better show then NBC 25. Its kind of disappointing and embarrassing for Hagerstown, IMO. Most everyone south of here thinks we are a bunch of hillbillies already and it just proves it with our local news......
I grew up in the sticks of Tennessee and I don't ever remember our local news being that bad. Yeah we had the cow got loose from Jed's farm again type of stories. Its not the news, just the hokey way the station manages and presents itself......
i would rather hear about jeds cow than i would scally's hair
does that calculate to being right 0.510 % of the time
QUOTE (boe354 @ Nov 23 2005, 11:07 AM)
QUOTE (samy0 @ Nov 23 2005, 10:33 AM)
QUOTE (ROWDY @ Nov 23 2005, 10:27 AM)
i'm gonna try to quote something that was on 25 a week or so ago.
" NBC 25 HAS JUST LEARNED OF A ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 70, WE HAVE NO FURTHER DETAILS "
this news scoop should win some kind of award !!!!!!!!!!!!
FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS ON THE ACCIDENT WE GO TO LOU SCALLY
It looks like some sort of motor vehicle was involved and it might be raining at the crash site.
by the way its 70F in Lubbock Texas. How's my hair look?
LOL!
Very funny, but sadly its so true!! <_I've tried to watch the NBC 25 news but I can never make it through the whole broadcast. Its worse then going to the dentist for me.
Honestly I think my TV production class in High school had a better show then NBC 25. Its kind of disappointing and embarrassing for Hagerstown, IMO. Most everyone south of here thinks we are a bunch of hillbillies already and it just proves it with our local news......
I grew up in the sticks of Tennessee and I don't ever remember our local news being that bad. Yeah we had the cow got loose from Jed's farm again type of stories. Its not the news, just the hokey way the station manages and presents itself......
i would rather hear about jeds cow than i would scally's hair
QUOTE (Yossarian @ Nov 23 2005, 09:35 AM)
I thought I was the only one that was driven nuts by Lou reading all the dam temperatures.
There are very few reporters in any market. Most of the on-air personalities are all news-readers. I'm not looking for a Cronkite, Huntley, or Murrow, but you'd think they could report the news without reading from a tele-prompter.
There are very few reporters in any market. Most of the on-air personalities are all news-readers. I'm not looking for a Cronkite, Huntley, or Murrow, but you'd think they could report the news without reading from a tele-prompter.
Yeah, I think that if Scally didn't have all those city temperatures to read, his weather portion of the broadcast would be about 90 seconds long. If he really wants to read the temps, then why bother to show them; it's rather redundant, isn't it?
The thing with anchors is that they are all pretty much teleprompter-readers nowadays, even in the big markets. The real journalism work is done by those people who do the remotes. They write their own stories and do their own interviews; all the anchor does is say things like, "for more of the story, let's go to so-and-so on the scene", or some such intro.
hmm.. lets see...
3-5mins news
2mins weather
and the other 18-20 mins is sports.
why do they even bother? *head shaking smilie*
3-5mins news
2mins weather
and the other 18-20 mins is sports.
why do they even bother? *head shaking smilie*
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