How come I lost these channels? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

mets82 · 12-01-2011, 01:56 PM

When I was growing up in CT., I used to have WPIX Channel 11, FOX 5 and WWOR all out of New York. Over time I started to lose these channels. My question is why did I lose them. I mean I had those channels for 20 yrs. or so. When I asked Comcast about it, I really didnt understand what they were talking about. They something like "I shouldnt have had those channels to begin with." I dont know if that makes any sense or not.

I guess another question I have is that is there anyway I can get those channels back? I miss Channel 11 because they have The Honeymooners marathon on New Year's Eve. FOX 5 sometimes has different football games than FOX 61, which is the CT. affiliate. I'd much rather have those channels than some of the ones I have received lately.

USATVFAN · 12-01-2011, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mets82

When I was growing up in CT., I used to have WPIX Channel 11, FOX 5 and WWOR all out of New York. Over time I started to lose these channels. My question is why did I lose them. I mean I had those channels for 20 yrs. or so. When I asked Comcast about it, I really didnt understand what they were talking about. They something like "I shouldnt have had those channels to begin with." I dont know if that makes any sense or not.

I guess another question I have is that is there anyway I can get those channels back? I miss Channel 11 because they have The Honeymooners marathon on New Year's Eve. FOX 5 sometimes has different football games than FOX 61, which is the CT. affiliate. I'd much rather have those channels than some of the ones I have received lately.

call your cable provider and ask them.

LUNCH · 12-01-2011, 02:27 PM

I don't know the reason, but I do know the answer Comcast gave you is nonsense.

AKA · 12-01-2011, 02:41 PM

It probably has something to do with syndicated exclusivity. 25 years ago, cable systems were full of out-of-town local stations. When the syndex laws went into effect in the late '80s, they started to disappear.

As a kid in Spokane, I enjoyed KSTW-11 out of Seattle. It was an independent station that played lots of cool shows stations in Spokane didn't carry, along with an original, local kids' show and Mariners and Sonics games. When the syndex laws came into play, our cable company had to black out lots of their programming. By the mid '90s, the station was only carried for part of the day (it shared channel space with public access), and it was dropped altogether in 1995, when it (briefly) became a CBS affiliate.

born2late · 12-01-2011, 03:45 PM

Years ago there was a channel from San Francisco that was on our local cable, then it was gone. We also had WWOR, and it was removed later on too. All these superstations show the same things. I thought of just ordering one channel, but the programming is nothing special. I get the same shows on other channels, so can't see wasting the money.

AKA · 12-01-2011, 04:11 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndication_exclusivity

Quote:

Syndex is currently being used to block Dish Network superstations from being picked up in certain markets. In this case, the CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates in given markets can invoke the syndex law to keep the superstations affiliated with the same network from coming into the market in any form. CW stations are using the law in order to block KTLA, WPIX, and KWGN, while WWOR-TV and WSBK-TV are presently blocked in markets where MyNetworkTV affiliates are invoking the law.

I'm sure the same rules apply to Comcast.

robyrob · 12-01-2011, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

As a kid in Spokane, I enjoyed KSTW-11 out of Seattle. It was an independent station that played lots of cool shows stations in Spokane didn't carry, along with an original, local kids' show and Mariners and Sonics games. When the syndex laws came into play, our cable company had to black out lots of their programming. By the mid '90s, the station was only carried for part of the day (it shared channel space with public access), and it was dropped altogether in 1995, when it (briefly) became a CBS affiliate.

J.P. Patches !

AKA · 12-01-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robyrob

J.P. Patches !

I think J.P. Patches pre-dates me. It was actually Ranger Charlie and Rosco (with a male Ranger Charlie who was eventually replaced by a female Ranger Charlie).

Edit: It looks like J.P. Patches was on KIRO (the former and current CBS affiliate), and ended in 1981.

factsoflife · 12-01-2011, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mets82

When I was growing up in CT., I used to have WPIX Channel 11, FOX 5 and WWOR all out of New York. Over time I started to lose these channels. My question is why did I lose them. I mean I had those channels for 20 yrs. or so. When I asked Comcast about it, I really didnt understand what they were talking about. They something like "I shouldnt have had those channels to begin with." I dont know if that makes any sense or not.

I guess another question I have is that is there anyway I can get those channels back? I miss Channel 11 because they have The Honeymooners marathon on New Year's Eve. FOX 5 sometimes has different football games than FOX 61, which is the CT. affiliate. I'd much rather have those channels than some of the ones I have received lately.

It has to do with your cable provider. In may cases, cable providers decided to limit their customers to only local affiliates. meaning they stopped carrying channels like those that weren't from CT.

My cable company, Cox Communications, in RI stopped carrying all Boston and New York Affiliates and limited us to only RI affiliates starting in 2003.

It could be another reason too.

factsoflife · 12-01-2011, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndication_exclusivity

I'm sure the same rules apply to Comcast.

Yeah, I'm guessing this is why Cox Communications in RI stopped carrying all of the Boston affiliates as well as the one NY affiliate we got (WPIX). This created a problem for us because we did NOT have a WB affiliate, and the channel we had WLCW 9 was a UPN affiliate. So what ended up happening is that Channel 9 stated airing both CW and UPN programming, they would air UPN shows M-F and CW shows on Saturday and Sunday.

I was sad because I used to love watching WPIX; I loved the newscasters they had.

AKA · 12-02-2011, 12:30 AM

From what I understand--and I could be wrong--enforcement of syndex is entirely up to the local affiliate.

robyrob · 12-02-2011, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

I think J.P. Patches pre-dates me. It was actually Ranger Charlie and Rosco (with a male Ranger Charlie who was eventually replaced by a female Ranger Charlie).

Edit: It looks like J.P. Patches was on KIRO (the former and current CBS affiliate), and ended in 1981.

awww, I vaguely remember them - but JP Patches was on forever

TVFactFan · 12-02-2011, 09:30 PM

we used to have WWOR in philly in the late 80's and now we don't

mets82 · 12-07-2011, 05:21 PM

If anything we should get rid of paid programming and bring back our syndication that we used to have years ago!!! FOX 5, WWOR-9, WPIX 11 and for me WGN America and any other syndication channel. Why not, we already have channels we dont want. Might as well get some channels that we actually like.

12-01-2011, 01:56 PM	#1
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	How come I lost these channels? When I was growing up in CT., I used to have WPIX Channel 11, FOX 5 and WWOR all out of New York. Over time I started to lose these channels. My question is why did I lose them. I mean I had those channels for 20 yrs. or so. When I asked Comcast about it, I really didnt understand what they were talking about. They something like "I shouldnt have had those channels to begin with." I dont know if that makes any sense or not. I guess another question I have is that is there anyway I can get those channels back? I miss Channel 11 because they have The Honeymooners marathon on New Year's Eve. FOX 5 sometimes has different football games than FOX 61, which is the CT. affiliate. I'd much rather have those channels than some of the ones I have received lately.

12-01-2011, 02:27 PM	#3
LUNCH Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 23, 2010 Location: New York State Posts: 1,304	I don't know the reason, but I do know the answer Comcast gave you is nonsense.

12-01-2011, 02:41 PM	#4
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	It probably has something to do with syndicated exclusivity. 25 years ago, cable systems were full of out-of-town local stations. When the syndex laws went into effect in the late '80s, they started to disappear. As a kid in Spokane, I enjoyed KSTW-11 out of Seattle. It was an independent station that played lots of cool shows stations in Spokane didn't carry, along with an original, local kids' show and Mariners and Sonics games. When the syndex laws came into play, our cable company had to black out lots of their programming. By the mid '90s, the station was only carried for part of the day (it shared channel space with public access), and it was dropped altogether in 1995, when it (briefly) became a CBS affiliate.

12-01-2011, 03:45 PM	#5
born2late Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 01, 2011 Location: Tn Posts: 360	Years ago there was a channel from San Francisco that was on our local cable, then it was gone. We also had WWOR, and it was removed later on too. All these superstations show the same things. I thought of just ordering one channel, but the programming is nothing special. I get the same shows on other channels, so can't see wasting the money.

12-02-2011, 12:30 AM	#11
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	From what I understand--and I could be wrong--enforcement of syndex is entirely up to the local affiliate.

12-02-2011, 09:30 PM	#13
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,015	we used to have WWOR in philly in the late 80's and now we don't

12-07-2011, 05:21 PM	#14
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	If anything we should get rid of paid programming and bring back our syndication that we used to have years ago!!! FOX 5, WWOR-9, WPIX 11 and for me WGN America and any other syndication channel. Why not, we already have channels we dont want. Might as well get some channels that we actually like.