CBC's OTA Future: Discussion

[tvlurker]

They are only licensed until July 31, if the CRTC accepts this application.
If you can find a group willing to buy the station and negociate with the CBC, but somehow this can't all be done by July 31, then why not make an intervention asking for the license not to be tunred in right away? This would save some administrative hassle taking over the license (as opposed to participating in a call for applications.)

[cm3020prob]

Well, seen that way... Why store analog broadcasting equipment in a warehouse when you know you'll never use that equipment ever again?

Still, the CBC's reply sounded like all of 600+ remaining analog broadcasting equipment were broken, all at the same time, and needed repair right away, and were required to continue operating in analog form for the next 5 years. Doesn't make sense. We know that the OTA signal for SRC in Calgary is more valuable than, for example, the SRC repeater in Kitimat, BC.

The CBC's plan is just too radical. We knew back in 2006 that it's unfeasable for the CBC to convert all 600+ transmitters to digital, but a transitional plan to at least cover the biggest markets would have been prefered, as a case-by-case, based on geography and demographics. Instead, they'll just shut the whole thing down once and for all without any consideration.

[alebowgm]

I don't understand why they can't just play russian roulette with the transmitters and keep them operational until they break. Once something breaks, then shut that transmitter down or get the part off of a transmitter in a smaller community and shut that one down.

[El Gran Chico]

Alebowgm, you realize there are marginal costs to operate these transmitters that they bear every single day. From what I understand the distribution costs aren't cheap either (the transmitters have to get the signal somehow).

I'm all for shutting down the analogs - it's the lack of digital replacements in mid-sized cities that irk me.

[alebowgm]

Absolutely. But as was pointed out earlier in the thread, CBC/SRC is making seem as if they are broken, not the costs of operating them.

[dirtroad]

Those 1.7% of Canadians who are getting their CBC from over the air are probably the same people, who are already left out of cellphone service and highspeed Internet coverage.

If the CBC can not or will not provide them with OTA, then it is time for the CRTC to allow them, or compel the CBC to go completely FTA over satellite for all Canadians.

This is just the start with these 23 transmitters, CBC's plan is to accelerate the shutdown of the remaining analogue transmitters as stated on this CBC Website.

[frenchhomer]

Well I submitted, told them I disagree to revoke the licenses because the promise was ... A reduction in local programming
A diminished commitment to our regional presence, hard to not do that when peeps cannot watch. If they revoke them then give a tax credit to these people that pay for public broadcaster that is only available in the big cities. Let those that can receive it be taxed for it.

[ota_canuck]

OTA viewers are apparently not a very important factor to CRTC or the CBC. It's beginning to appear that the CRTC/CBC are plowing a straight and narrow path into a ' pay for a Broadcast Distributer's services or do without TV ' strategy for those sparsely populated areas! Hopefully they will be flooded with complaints from all those areas that will soon lose CBC over-the-air reception, but I'd doubt if even that will change the course of these proposed closures.

If there is not more publicity in the media soon regarding the impending rural area shut downs, then not many will even know that these public funded national OTA broadcast services are being clawed back, thus less than a fair representation of complaints will be filed in time.

I am sending this post to Robin Gill [Global] and Kate Taylor [Globe&Mail]

[El Gran Chico]

Those 1.7% of Canadians who are getting their CBC from over the air

Another unsubstantiated number from the CBC senior management to support their position. My estimate is that it could be double that. My hunch is that CBC is not counting things like 2nd TVs in homes, TVs in community centers, TVs in workplace lunchrooms, and maybe even doing things like omitting place like St. Thomas, Port Stanley, Strathroy, Stratford, Wallaceburg,etc. that don't have a CBC transmitter in their names, but are close enough to a city that has one. Also places like Huntsville and Bancroft where seasonal residents likely aren't counted.

Whatever the number of analog OTA viewers is, I suspect nearly all of them are located near a handful of transmitters (like London ON) while virtually nobody is watching from over 500 of them.

It's a shame that CBC didn't implement that plan they published back in 2006.

[cm3020prob]

Originally Posted by El Gran Chico

From what I understand the distribution costs aren't cheap either (the transmitters have to get the signal somehow).

It IS cheap in remote areas. A satellite dish on the tower receives the signal from Cancom, brings the signal down to the machine room all the way to the transmitter. There's still 500+ individual electricity bills and leases for each transmission site.

But they have no excuse to shut down SRC Calgary, CBC Quebec City and other places where they have a station in one language.

Also interesting, affiliates CKRT-DT Rivière-du-Loup owned by Télé Inter-Rives converted 6 low-power SRC transmitters last fall, while affiliate CKRN-DT Rouyn-Noranda owned by Radio-Nord will most likely keep their retransmitters operating as they were not part of the CBC's submission. Same goes for the 7 remaining CBC affiliates.

[roger1818]

^^^You are forgetting about the cost of distributing the signal by satellite. Turn off the analog repeaters and the CBC is no longer required to rent satellite space for SD broadcasts.

[cm3020prob]

I... don't get it.
Cable providers in small remote sectors do install a Star Choice satellite dish, use a bunch of terminals with most of the on-screen display disabled and feed it back to their clients in analog form. Both Shaw Direct and Bell Sat offer 17 CBC stations to their residential and business clients.

Why aren't CBC's analog rebroadcasters working the same way? Why the need to uplink ANOTHER whole set of CBC stations to a third satellite for the sole purpose of serving their analog rebroadcasters? Also, since neither Bell and Shaw are phasing out their standard definition terminals, their SD version are still up 2 times on a satellite.

It seems like the CBC have difficulty reaching out private companies for help, sharing, simplification and cost cutting. Doing so will allow them to continue operating in many areas.

[majortom]

Who says their distribution system requirements have anything to do with analog?
Several major networks in the US have HD distribution to affiliates via satellite...ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CW, ION to name a few.

[tvlurker]

Could using a single Master Control have anything to do with it?

[majortom]

Not trackin the beef.
They are using the latest available Satellite modulation techniques to distribute their HD content to all points across the entire country over two full transponders. What more do you want? It's the same thing networks do here in the US of A.
Folks would rather have them distribute seperate 480i SD signals like 10 years ago or something?