Did you catch the announcement last week about Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) and Weigel Broadcasting unveiling plans to launch a new TV network, This TV, utilizing unused local digital TV
spectrum? The network will launch this fall offering children's entertainment and MGM's vast library of 4,100 films and 10,000 hours of TV shows.
Got me thinking:
It's been 10+
years since the FCC allocated digital broadcast licenses to all broadcast TV stations in the U.S. (1997) 6+ years since the government officially auctioned the broadcast analog spectrum
(2002) Almost 3 years since the government extended the originally scheduled analog transmission cut off date (2006) Nearly half a year before the February 2009 'real', 'real'
analog termination date Commencing February 2009, TV stations will have upwards of 4 channels to program in this new digital multiplexing environ Still no legislation in place
through must carry to guarantee channel allocation on the pay TV providers' (cable, satellite, telcos) distribution platforms
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So what have the broadcasters been up to in the last 10 years to
exploit this once-in-a-millennia opportunity to staunch viewer migration to niche cablers, reverse dissipation trends, and reclaim broad reach through the accumulation of content verticals as well as
topographic horizontals -- which I refer to as horitzonticals:
NBC launched Weather Plus and recently acquired The Weather Channel - perhaps to embellish its weather related programming
The Tribune TV station group launched The Tube Music Network (1996) only to shut it down last October ABC News Now, which began life four years ago as a 24-hour news service, was
killed last June ABC owned and operated TV stations formed a licensing venture to carry local AccuWeather WNBC 4.4 initiative, which is comprised of repurposed WNBC and NBC
content, keeps on keeping on, so I imagine CBS.2 venture to provide repurposed and extra featured entertainment fare for CBS owned & operated TV stations, quietly exists - unless you've
heard otherwise Weather, news, music, repurposed content and libraries of older series and theatricals. After all these years. And broadcasters wonder why they are not receiving appreciation
via Nielsen panel respondents.
