1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
New Subcarriers From Buffalo For Antenna Users
Back in the winter, Buffalo's WUTV began running promos about a new channel called "TBD," scheduled to come to 29.2 "soon." Well, "soon" turned out to be a lot later, with the new channel finally debuting this month. It looks to be something aimed at Millennials, with brief web-like interstitial-type programming that appears to be geared for short attention spans. I'm not entirely sure about the concept, since it's accepted by many that Millennials don't watch much TV, and they're certainly not on antennas.
Still, they live stream the channel over the web, so perhaps that's their business plan. If you don't have an antenna, you can see it here.
But that's not the only change. GRIT TV, which had occupied 29.3 for years and was mostly wall-to-wall westerns, has been replaced by something called CHARGE!, a network dedicated to high action movies. They also stream over the web, but Canadians are, typically, geo-blocked out. Still, if you can get channel 29 over the air, you can get this. You can find out more about its schedule here.
- radiokid
- Member
Offline
Re: New Subcarriers From Buffalo For Antenna Users
The idea I think is to get on the cable system mostly by being OTA, Most Cable systems carry the subchannels.
I also know a few Millennials that may not have cable, and may use streaming as their main source, but have an indoor antenna to pick up some free local channels for sports games etc. I would not say it's a majority, but there are some out there.
- ckg927
- Member
Offline
Re: New Subcarriers From Buffalo For Antenna Users
RA: The reason WHY you're seeing TBD and Charge! on WUTV is that those diginets are owned by Sinclair(WUTV & WNYO's owner). Makes sense, no?
Here's the full subchannel list for the Buffalo market. Keep for future reference.
WGRZ: 2.2 Antenna TV 2.3 Justice Network
WIVB: No subchannels
WKBW: 7.2 Laff 7.3 Escape 7.4 Grit (moving over from WUTV)
WNED: 17.2 World 17.3 Create
WNLO: 23.2 Bounce TV
WUTV: (refer to RA's post)
WNYO: 49.2 American Sports Network(will be renamed Stadium) 49.3 Comet 49.4 GetTV
WPXJ: 51.2 Qubo 51.3 Ion Life 51.4 Ion Shop 51.5 QVC Over Air 51.6 HSN
WBBZ: 67.2 Heroes and Icons 67.3 MeTV(full time feed) 67.4 Daystar
I don't include WDTB(ch.39) and WBXZ(ch.56) because they're low-power stations.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: New Subcarriers From Buffalo For Antenna Users
I only wish WBBZ came in here, but it's not a very powerful signal and it gets into this part of Toronto only about 4 or 5 times a year, usually during the summer. And that's using a signal amplifier. Otherwise, you just can't get it. Shame. I really like MeTV! Any network with "Taxi," "Sgt. Bilko," "Car 54 Where Are You" and Twilight Zone" reruns is great in my book.
I was aware of the Sinclair tie-in on Channels 29 & 49, but the former began running ads early in the new year about the change and then pulled them, while the old subcarriers seemingly never left. Even then, other Sinclair stations added the newcomers. So what happened in The Queen City? I emailed TV correspondent Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News regarding the delay and he responded by saying even he couldn't get an answer about what the hold up was.
Anyway, they're finally on and, of course, I don't think I've watched more than about a minute and a half of either one of them.
I notice you left out the religious stuff on WNYB's Channel 26, which has one of the weirder configurations. Its primary channel, 26.1, is in standard definition, while 26.2 is the HD outlet. I can't think of another station that does that. Their third subcarrier, 26.3, when it's there, occasionally shows old (and by extension very cheap to buy) shows, like "The Lucy Show," "Ozzie & Harriet" and "The Cisco Kid."
I like the idea of subcarrier channels and wish they had them in Canada, but of course Rogers & Bell, who own most of the stations, wouldn't want to do anything to encourage OTA reception, since that's what cord cutters do. The only sub I really view with even a small amount of regularity is Antenna TV out of Tegna's WGRZ. Some great stuff on there, albeit not in HD.
Last edited by RadioActive (July 4, 2017 8:51 pm)
- •
Thread Starter