LAist: LA DirecTV Customers Can Now Get NY's WNBC, Experience NBC's Amazing Shows 3 Hours Early

David Miller

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:14:32 -0800

I as well have received the channels 381-389 in both LA & OC since 98. It's what makes Dirtectv the best! It benefits all the networks as I am able to record 2 EC shows at once via Tivo and catch the other 2 WC shows later so I can watch all 4 network 8 pm shows at my own convenience. It's also great for shows like SNL or live shows that might have some outrageous event (The View) and watch it before it gets edited for WC. As someone that grew up in NJ, this is a great way to keep up on local NJ news and still watch /live the LA news too. I think the best example was during 9/11 when I was able to watch the NY news on the events and aftermath that was not covered here in LA. I should say, I only get ABC & NBC East Coast, while my mom who lives in a Mobile Home Park, can't get ABC/NBC but gets CBS & FOX. At least 2 are better than none. On my bill it reads "Network from NYC" and is $1.50 for each of the 2 channels, and well worth it.

Kevin

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:30:11 -0800

This isn't new..... I signed up for DirecTV in 2000, and never changed my package. I lived at the time on the east coast, and in an area with no OTA coverage (mountains). So, DirecTV gave me not just the NY, but the LA feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, all for $1.50 each a month. Today, 7 years later, I live in Utah, and still get all my "local" channels from the East/West Network feeds. Channel 380-389 are the NY/LA Network feeds. Granted I'll never change my package, since if I do I will lose this. I also get NESN here so I can keep up with my Red Sox. Local Utah TV sucks anyway. One day, when the urge to get HD is overwhelming, I'll breakdown and switch.

FrankM

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 11:21:40 -0800

$6 a month is a little steep for one channel. If it where ALL the network east-coast feeds, it would be a much better deal. I think this idiotic price point just sets up this 'trial balloon' for failure. My guess is that the NY and LA NBC stations are both O&O, there is no loss of eyballs when it comes to national commercials. Having a second feed of NBC in the #2 TV market allows the 4th place NBC a second shot at viewers. I too hope that this is a step in the direction of offering more 'feeds' of network programming. Digital TV signals have all of those subcarrier channels, they'd just need permission from the network to re-purpose the prime-time lineup in other hours of the day. Sort of like a linear version of 'on demand'.

ollie

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 23:52:22 -0800

my ip is 69.133.46.104 i approve of the designated hitter rule and i would vote for w again if only i could

tony

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:14:18 -0800

channel 382

alistair

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:55:07 -0800

yo, tony what channel is it on directv?

Jay

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:01:08 -0800

although it probably violates a bunch of FCC regs, the only station that would complain is KNBC, which of course, is an NBC O&O. so they probably won't be complaining.

Minion

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:58:01 -0800

@ Anon I too have had the east coast feed of NY for several years, the 380-389. Unfortunately when I upgraded to HD last year, I wasn't allowed receive the east coast HD feed on channels 80, 82, 86, 88.

Spoogy

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:31:21 -0800

How would they know if you just take your receiver from the East Coast and move it to the West Coast? If you don't tell them you moved, do you keep getting the channels from your former location?

Anon in NY

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:04:49 -0800

I subscribe to DirecTV, and have for about 11 or 12 years now. I get all the East Coast (NY) and West Coast (LA) network channels. These are channels 380 to 389. They are WCBS, KCBS, WNBC, KNBC, WABC, KABC, and whatever the FOX ones are. Back in the day, only the NBC ones (WNBC & KNBC) were from New York and LA. The rest were from other smaller cities in those time zones. For example, I think we got ABC from North Carolina. Being from New York, it doesn't bother me at all that my channels are my local NY channels. I'm sure that if I wasn't in NY, I'd want my local channels and not the East Coast/West Coast (NY/LA) thing that I've got now. I'm pretty sure I also get "local" channels, but I'm not sure.

tony

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:58:32 -0800

your comparing apples and machine guns, itcdr. for those of us in LA to be able to get tonight's Conan at 9:30pm, is much different than waiting for someone to capture it, upload it, and then waiting to download it. theres nothing better than having it on tv, immediately. when you and your millions can beat the network in delivering their tv shows, then we'll talk.

itcdr

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:50:06 -0800

I still don't understand why networks don't utilize bittorrent to distribute. Millions of people all over the world are already downloading these shows, so they don't have to wait for directTV to get through stupid laws like these. download tv: http://sharetv.org/shows

suckafree

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:37:04 -0800

only the zipcodes in the los angeles area are eligible ask for the 'wnbc ny available in la'

tony

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:22:35 -0800

excellent insight Johnathan! thank you!

Johnathan

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:06:06 -0800

More than likely, this is only legal because DirecTV is not relying on the "Local into Local" copyright-exemption law to deliver WNBC - but instead, they have a private contract with NBC Universal itself. As long as NBC approves it, and the local affiliate (KNBC, owned by NBC) approves as well, there is no problem with receiving WNBC in LA. Now if the other networks would get on board. Virtually all networks have many O&O affiliates (Owned & Operated by the network itself). For a while, anyone living in a CBS O&O affiliate market could get WCBS / KCBS HD on Dish Network.

tony

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:37:58 -0800

hc, id never be selfish when it comes to the news. even if it ends up hurting me personally. isnt that what good neighbors do? matt, directv users in the US get eastcoast feeds of MTV, E!, Comedy Central, HBO, and a few others. this would not only let people here in LA get an eastcoast NBC feed, but also keep our westcoast feed. only HBO, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and a few other movie channels allow for two feeds, a west and an east coast. but probably the best part of this east coast feed of NBC is the ability to get NY local news. so if something happens in ny, theres no need to go to CNN and hope they cover it, it will probably get Team Coverage on wnbc.

matt

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:13:19 -0800

So I guess this is one of those things that Canada actually got BEFORE the US for once? Time shifting the US channels (we normally get Detroit or Rochester) is one of the main reasons people buy digital cable or satellite here in Vancouver. On some of the carriers you can get every local version of every local major market Canadian channel plus the East Coast and West Coast Feeds of the big 5 US channels. So are you only able to timeshift channels like HBO then?

hc

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 23:19:37 -0800

Tony, I guess you're obliged. I understand the urge to spread the news. It is your job. I'm just saying, if you really want to keep your east coast feed you might wanna be selfish in this case and keep it quiet.

gina

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:10:40 -0800

At first, I thought, "Wasn't the east coast feed always available?" Then, I remembered that my DirecTV was bootlegged. Ah, the good old days.

tony

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:04:20 -0800

as a journalist, i am obliged to spread this news, arent i?

hc

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:02:23 -0800

This promotion sounds crazy to me. I work in TV research, and this sounds like a violation of the "must carry" law. Normally you need a waiver to allow you to receive satelite or dish coverage from another time zone, or from any other market, for that matter. The reasoning behind the law is that local stations want local customers to see their ads, not to be watching local ads from some other market. I know most of you probably don't care about the ads, but remember, these ads pay for the station to run. That's why broadcast TV is still free. Tony, if you want to keep your NY stations you should stop publicizing this, because when word gets out I suspect it will be shut down in short order. Although as a journalist, you might be able to get a waiver.