WMTW Channel 8 in Portland Maine - Maine's Total Weather? Are you sure?

WMTW in Portland, ME (Channel 8) has a tag line that it's "Maine's Total Weather".

That can't possibly be true if it's the ONLY station in its market that doesn't broadcast the weather in High Definition (or the entire local news broadcast for that matter).

Here are some screen shots of the 3 major affiliates in Portland. They are just random shots.  Open and look.

NBC WCSH 6

CBS WGME 13

 and finally poor little
ABC WMTW 8

Look at the quality (or lack thereof where appropriate) of each picture.  Channel 8 graphics look the same now as they did 10 years ago.

Now that's not to mention the overall broadcast quality of Channel 8.  When you add PBS to the the mix, Channel 8 is the only local broadcaster in the Portland market using 720p instead of 1080i.  That alone is not WMTW's fault.  Their affiliate parent, ABC, decided years ago when they had a choice, to go with 720p instead of 1080i for their HD broadcasting. (You may look elsewhere on this site or others for an explanation of the difference.)  And it took all local affiliates years to get up to speed with the right technology, studios, makeup, and field cameras needed to be able to broadcast the local new in High Definition

The problem?  WMTW never really caught up.  Their prime time programming from ABC is in 720p.  Some say it's the same quality as 1080i in that the average user can't tell the difference.  I beg to differ - strongly.  Just watch any broadcast or cable channel using 1080i including the other networks, plus cable networks like CNN, etc. and you WILL see the difference.  720p was okay (just okay) for HD TV's that were at most 32 inch screens.  But as TV's get bigger, the difference in quality becomes even more apparent.

As for WMTW, their local news broadcast appears to me to be in the right ratio (16:9 for HD, as opposed to 4:3 for SD) but the quality of the picture appears to be more like 480i or 480p.  These are the picture qualities used prior to HD.  So the picture might look correct (not stretched or oddly proportioned as can happen) but the quality is abysmal.  Many TV stations around the country try to fool the public by broadcasting in a 16:9 ratio, but use a 480i picture quality.  You will see this most prominently in "field" reporting.  The studio cuts to a location piece and suddenly the picture looks awful.  This happens because the field cameras they use are cheap, crappy cameras that can film in the 16:9 ratio, but can't film in high definition.  ANY MODERN SMARTPHONE HAS BETTER BROADCAST QUALITY THAN THE FIELD CAMERAS USED ON WMTW.

In my opinion WMTW should be ASHAMED of the quality of the content they are producing for the public. If you are watching WMTW on a High Def TV on the High Def channel, compare it to the standard definition channel.  Every cable operator has both.  And even if you're not using cable TV in preference of free HDTV over the air, compare channel 8.1 (their supposed HD channel) to channel 8.5 (the SD version), there is very little difference.  On the other hand, do the same with WCSH or WGME.  You will be blown away by the better picture in HD.

I don't watch WMTW for local news/weather any more because the picture quality is so bad.  It's bad in an era of television that has produced unbelievably crisp, clear, high definition TV.  What is WMTW going to do when Ultra HD and 4K HD televisions become norm.  Just like flat screen TV's became so prolific 10 years ago, within 5 years, Ultra HD and 4K will be the norm.  You can't even buy a TV that's not an HD flat screen anymore.  In 4K, watching WMTW will be like watching black and white, grainy, "news reel" footage from the moon walk in 1969  in comparison to every other channel in the Portland market.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times:  Whoever has the best HD wins!

As the choices for watching television get broader each day, and in a world where the almighty advertising dollar still rules, can WMTW really afford NOT to keep up? 

I welcome your comments and opinions

WMTW in Portand, ME, tries to fool viewers looking for HD

 

I'm not quite sure what is going on over at WMTW in Portland, Maine.  Even though Hearst Television (Heart Communications) has spent millions upon millions upgrading the TV stations it owns so that the local news for each can be broadcast in High Definition (HD), somehow Hearst managed to skip over WMTW - "News 8" in Portland, Maine.

Let's face it - whoever has the most HD wins.  Along time ago I predicted that whichever local TV station in our market (Portland/Lewiston/Auburn) did the local news in HD would win the ratings game (and therefore the advertising revenue).  And I happened to be right.  WCSH-6 broadcast its local news in first, WGME-13 was second, and WMTW has yet to do it.  The ratings match up exactly to this dynamic.

Although WMTW has won many award for its news coverage in the last few years, including a regional Emmy award and the Edward R. Murrow award, it continues to be dead last in the ratings in its official demographic area (Portland/Lewiston/Auburn as cited by the National Association of Broadcasters).

And here is why.

First, keep in mind the the majority of US households now have at least one High Definition television. And if you own one, and have truly experienced REAL HD, there is simply no going back to crappy quality pictures.  Why should we.  The technology has been around for two decades.  It would be comparable to the 1950's and 1960's when Color TV took over Black and White.  Can you imagine if out of 3 local TV stations, two were in color and one was in B&W?  Which would you watch on your new color TV?

After the conversion from Analog TV to Digital TV, local TV stations were still broadcasting their locally produced news in standard definition (SD).  It takes lots of money (for equipment in the studio and for field reporting) and time to prepare for broadcasting local news in HD.  But parent company Hearst put up the funds for what seems like every one of its TV station, except WMTW.

As recently as about 3 weeks ago, WMTW's HD capabilities for the local news was limited to a banner/scroll at the bottom of the screen which mostly had weather info during the broadcast, but the actual on-camera folks, and field reporting, was done in SD - and it looked like hell.

About 3 weeks ago, WMTW "converted" to what uninformed viewers might think is HD, but in fact is not.  WMTW simply changed the aspect ratio from 4:3 (SD) to 16:9 (typically HD but more accurately is simply considered wide screen. You don't have to be in HD to broadcast in wide screen) so that the picture would fill the screen and not look stretched or squished.

However, the quality of the broadcast didn't change.  The local news is in wide screen but IS NOT IN HD.  Nor is the field reporting.  Just compare the onscreen graphics to the info bar at the bottom.  Or compare the picture to one of the other TV station's local news.

I can only imagine that WMTW received many complaints from viewers regarding its lack of local news in HD.  So their solution was to try to fool the viewing audience into assuming the broadcast was now in HD simply because the picture was now in wide screen format.  Well, guess what - IT'S NOT!!!!  There is NOTHING HD about WMTW's news broadcast.  It's just a wider originating picture.  Shame on you WMTW.

I am perplexed as to why WMTW is one of the few, if not the only, Hearst-owned TV stations around the country which has not been converted to full HD for the local news.  I've tried to find out, but simply can not.  And worse now is that because of ratings, WMTW cancelled it's weekday noon newscast due to lack of ratings and was replaced by "The Steve Harvey Show".  Really!?  Are you kidding me??  That show will get cancelled within a few months if not weeks.  Then, WMTW will be showing infomercials instead of a noon newscast.  It's just sad.  And all because the ratings were lost to two other stations who invested in HD technology for the local news cast.  WMTW is also the only local TV station to skip a 5 PM newscast - because nobody is watching in non-HD.  Instead they have the Dr. Phil show at 5 pm which is rebroadcast from an HD uplink.  They can do that, but they can't broadcast the local news in HD.  It's different technology.

The bottom line is that WMTW is dragging in the ratings even though the station wins prestigious awards.  But who would want to watch WMTW news (that looks awful on an HDTV) when the viewer can relax his/her eyes and watch WCSH-6 or WGME-13 local news in GLORIOUS, full HD.  No matter how insipid the news readers are (I simply can not call the people who anchor or report for WCSH or WGME "journalists"), the weather maps on the two HD stations are cool (especially WCSH) and much of the field reporting, which is sometimes local and sometimes rebroadcast from other stations around the country, is crystal clear in HD.

WMTW is losing the ratings game.  By all measurable criteria, they should be winning. But the lack of HD from the live studio news broadcast AND from the field reporting is dragging them down even further.

I tried to reach WMTW for comment about why they switched to 16:9 wide screen but not to HD, and to find out why Hearst's multi-million dollar investments in most stations it owns had not reached WMTW.  I could not get a response.

In defense of WMTW, the station does not refer to its local news as HD and does not use "HD" in any tag lines.  However, switching to a wide screen format as a way to placate the public is one more nail in the coffin, and a bit (or a lot) disingenuous.

WMTW once had one of the biggest viewerships in the country (by share) because its tower was located on top of Mount Washington, the highest place in New England.  They used to reach six or seven states plus the Montreal market.  The fall from grace began when digital TV was mandated and WMTW had to sell it's spot "on the mountain" due to FCC regulations.  They simply could not or would not keep up with current technology.

I'm sure that the local management at WMTW wishes like crazy that their local news was in HD.  I can't imagine it would be otherwise.  So the blame has to be put on the Hearst Corporation.  I wouldn't be surprised if Hearst plans to sell the station and that is why WMTW's newsroom has not been converted to HD.

If anyone out there knows what's going on, I'd truly love a reply to this post so that my readers will understand it as well.

Sharon Rose on WCSH 6 a second-rate hack

I can't even bring myself to call her a reporter.  There is nothing "journalistic" about Sharon Rose.  A journalist reports the facts and while every journalist is supposed to be unbiased, it is common that a journalist has his/her own slant to the story.

That's one thing.  But Sharon Rose on WCSH 6 doesn't stop there.  She makes it quite clear what her opinions are about every story she reads.  That's right, she's not a journalist, she's a "personality" that reads from a teleprompter.  As a result, what we get, as viewers, is her biased, eye-rolling, scrunched-up face as it pertains to any story that falls outside her narrow-minded, white-bread, middle class purview. 

On Tuesday morning, November 29th, 2011, the WCSH 6 Morning Report reported a story regarding some business men in Connecticut who won the lottery.  The point of the story was that not only did they win a lot of money, their intentions are to donate a large portion of the money to charities and other humanitarian organizations.

Video of the winners ran during the story. The video depicted the winners at the lottery headquarter in Rocky Hill, CT, where they stood next to and behind the "big cardboard check".  As the video portion ended there was a woman seen clapping off to the side.

When the camera returned to Sharon Rose and Lee Nelson in a wide shot, Sharon Rose just couldn't contain herself.  She made a motion as if she were clapping but her hands never touched, thereby never making a noise.  While she was making this motion she said "That's how they clap in Connecticut".

First of all, Rose's depiction was NOT what was happening in the video.  Second, I was born in raised in Connecticut.  I grew up in the Hartford area.  In fact, I lived in Rocky Hill at one point in my life.  I was born into a lower middle class family that didn't have a lot of money.  Actually, we were poor.  Connecticut is no different than any other place in the world.  Some people have money - most don't. AND WHEN WE CLAPPED, WE WERE POOR ENOUGH THAT OUR CLAPS MADE NOISE.  I moved to Maine in 2001 after living in CT for all of my life prior to that.  It's no different here than it was there; except there are a lot better choices of restaurants and stores outside of major cities.

I was extremely irked by Sharon Rose's depiction of "all people from Connecticut are rich snobs".  On one hand I wondered if she was jealous.  On the other hand, I assumed she's just an idiot.

This isn't the first time I've caught her showing her true colors.  If you take a moment to watch her when either she or Lee Nelson is reading a story, you can tell exactly what she thinks about ANY topic by the way she scrunches up her nose at it, sneers, rolls her eyes, or does any number of things to show her disdain.  Watch closely as a story is read about gay people, the homeless, casinos, abortion rights, Occupy Wall Street, and on and on and on.  She got a stick so far up her ass, her only option is to try and wiggle it out, and every painful attempt can be read all over her face.

I personally am sick and tired of that single-minded, opinionated, prejudiced, bigoted, news-regurgitating blow hard that I can't stand another minute of it. 

To those of you who disagree - YES - I CHANGED THE CHANNEL.  The only reason I was watching WCSH in the first place was because they managed to the first to start broadcasting the local news in High Definition.  I mostly put up with WCSH for a few weeks because the weather graphics are so cool.  But let's face it, WMTW should have been the one to do it first.  They are the local TV station with the best newscast and the most down the middle reporting.  That's why they win the local Emmy for best newscast in this demographic market (Portland/Lewiston/Auburn).

When I wrote to the WCSH news director, Maureen O'Brien, this was her response to me questioning why Sharon Rose is allowed to behave the way she does:

"I am sorry you were offended by Sharon’scomment. We encourage our anchors to be real people – to laugh and joke and react like other people do, particularly in the morning. I understand that this approach is not everyone’s cup of tea.."

 NOT EVERYONE'S CUP OF TEA???.  Making fun of an entire State and making judgments about the people who live there, without knowing what the hell you are talking about, is not a "joke".  It's offensive.  Sharon Rose doesn't "react like other people".  She reacts like herself; a narrow-minded, glorified copy girl, who has nothing but disdain for anyone who doesn't think like she does.  She's a conservative, middle-class, bigot.  And since the management as WCSH stands by her and allows her behavior each and every day, they must be bigots and racists too.  What other conclusion is there to make.

I was stupid to expect an apology from either WCSH or Ms. Rose.  I don't know why I was disappointed I didn't get one even when I specifically asked for one.  I guess that's why they invented blogs.

WCSH 6 Morning Report in High Def

It's been several years now since I have watched WCSH Channel 6 in Portland, for my morning news. Watching it was a habit; it's what "people" watched when I first moved to Maine in 2001 and so I got in the habit of watching it. But never really cared much for the hosts.

When Shannon Moss defected to Channel 8 - WMTW, I began watching Channel 8 for my morning news. Channel 8's newscast was professional and easy to watch. The other competition, Channel 13, WGME, was always a distant third in my book, and in the ratings.

Channel 8 took a big bite out of WCSH's domination of the morning news market. WCSH had become stale, and full of big-egoed anchors that often rolled their eyes at news stories and often voiced their right-wing opinions openly; something that is supposed to be an absolute no-no in the world of journalism. But the viewership never questioned Sharon Rose's opinion about certain stories.

OK - jump to today. I've always said that whoever can do the news in HD in our local Portland/Lewiston television market will win the ratings game. Viewers who have HD televisions will, in general, watch an HD broadcast over a standard definition broadcast, even if the HD broadcast wouldn't normally be their first choice in programming.

I will try to be fair. My opinions on WCSH are not a secret. But they did a good job. I caught the broadcast today, Friday, November 4, 2011, when the morning News Center team celebrating their 15th anniversary. Seeing a live news HD broadcast in Maine was a pleasure and something I have been waiting for since I started this blog in 2007 and long before the official transition to Digital TV in this country in 2008. The anchors, Lee Nelson and Sharon Rose, were still as insipid as they've always been. But Lee Nelson actually looked good in his HD makeup. Whoever did it did a great job. Kevin Mannix, the weather forecaster, also looked great. Unfortunately, the unforgiving bright lights and camera lenses of high definition were not so kind to Sharon Rose. She looks like a corpse in HD; the "false eye lashes" were way over the top and appeared like two frightened spiders caught in a flashlight beam.

Like most HD local news broadcasts, field camera work is still in standard definition. That will come in time. But the most impressive addition to WCSH's broadcast was the weather. The new weather maps were large, crisp, and easy to read. New graphics, like three dimensional surface-map icons (take a look at the high and low pressure icons on the map with circular three-dimensional wind circulation) were cool. There seemed to be many new graphic features and they didn't overpower the map; they added functionality to it. Often, when new technology is available, it is used because it is available regardless of the value it adds. Not true with WCSH's weather graphics - job well done.

The other local affiliates in our demographic market, WMTW and WGME, have to make the switch to broadcasting in HD or they will lose a lot of viewers. It is expensive to convert a studio to an HD studio, and the hardware (cameras, editing equipment, etc.) and software needed is extremely expensive and requires a hefty financial commitment from each station's ownership.

I'm happy that Southern Maine finally has an HD news broadcast. I'm disappointed that it was WCSH to do it first, but I have to admit, overall they did a very good job that will only get better as HD broadcasting in local markets matures.

Now come on WMTW!! Let's get with the program (no pun intended). WGME, to me, is out of the running. Even with an HD broadcast they will still be in third place, out of three.

I will continue to watch WMTW for my news. I simply can not stomach the on-air personalities. I will continue to hope that WMTW goes HD for their news and I may check in on WCSH form time to time, just because HD is so much easier on the eyes.

Craig Ferguson finally goes HD; plus an HD update for Maine

The man who is simply the best in the late night arena, Craig Ferguson, will no longer be able to be the butt of his own jokes about being the only late night show not in High Definition.

Conan O'Brien (Late Night with....) was in HD back when he was still in the 12:30 time slot. His replacement, Jimmy Fallon, continues in High Definition. Jay Leno, David Letterman, and even Nightline on ABC (although it hasn't been that long for Nightline) have all been broadcasting in High Definition for a while. And when Jimmy Kimmel on ABC went high def earlier this year, that left Craig Ferguson on CBS as the only late night show NOT in high definition.

Ferguson made it known, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly, that he didn't appreciate it very much. His self-deprecating humor took pot shots and the bad lighting, second-rate stage, and lack of support from CBS.

Starting this past Monday, August 31, 2009, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is now in high definition. And it's about time. With 53% of American Households having at least one HD television, my predication are coming true.

I predicted that when the viewing public got used to high definition, they would demand it. And it would show in the ratings. The bottom line is - if a TV show is not in HD, it has a lesser chance of being watched. HD buffs, and regular TV viewers with an HD TV, will easily channel surf right past a show that is not in HD and will land on one (and stay there) that is in HD. Viewership equals ratings. Ratings equals advertising dollars.

The same is happening with local news broadcasts. In Southern Maine, where we can receive both local Maine news AND Boston news, the ratings tell the story. Viewers would much rather watch High Definition. So with a choice, viewers are tuning in to WCVB, WBZ, and WHDH (the big three out of Boston), for news. Some data suggests that viewers may check their local (non-HD) channels for weather. But Southern Maine and Southeastern New Hampshire are close enough to being far out suburbs of Boston, so why not watch the Boston news. Most of what Boston has on the news is centered around New England, not just Boston. And since New England is really one big state, it makes sense that viewers who spent a lot of money on an HD TV want to get all of the benefits having one.

Again, not one Maine TV station produces its newscast in HD. The ABC affiliate out of Portland, WMTW, even tries to fake it. They bought some equipment that allows them to cram the entire bottom on an HD picture with weather information, but above that is the standard black bars and second-rate picture quality. They want you to think "HD" because they are partially using the expanse of an HD picture, but it's not really HD.

WCSH, channel 6, our NBC affiliate bought some equipment that would make the on-air transition from non-HD to HD programming less jolting. All they have really been able to accomplish in HD is a 3 to 4 second promo for their on-air talent. Example: "Watch Lee Nelson and the Newscenter Morning Report". A picture of Lee Nelson flashes on the screen, there are background graphics and such, and it's all in HD. But it only lasts 3 seconds. That's all they can do.

Then there is our CBS affiliate, WGME. They call their weather computer "Doppler HD". There is nothing HD about it. This is nothing more than a marketing ploy. Do they think people won't notice that their weather broadcast, and the rest of their news broadcast isn't in HD? Do they think we are that stupid.

This is what we are dealing with in Maine. These TV stations need to man up, or woman up, and invest in an HD infrastructure. Otherwise they will continually lose viewership. I've been saying this for as long as I can remember. Whichever Maine TV station beats the rest to doing the local news in HD will win the ratings war. It's that simple.

Update: Maine Television's Transition to Digital - what's really going on

Although President Obama signed a bill to extend the drop dead date for Analog broadcasting from February 17, 2009 to June 12, 2009, it is NOT a mandate. Broadcast television stations CAN extend their analog broadcasting, but they don't HAVE TO. So what's happening here in Maine? And what's happens beyond the conversion?

The future of Maine's broadcast television stations is in some ways written in stone and in other ways is very "up in the air" so to speak (pun intended).

There is a lot going on that we know about, but as always I am more interested in what we are not being told.

As of February 17, 2009 the following TV stations in Maine will still cease Analog operations and be Digital only. Some listed below have already shut off their analog signal.

WGME - CBS 13
*WPXT - CW - 51
*WPME - MyNetwork - 35
*MPBN - PBS Maine- Channel 10 in most areas except 9 in Orono and 45 in Biddeford
**WPFO - Fox 23
NHPTV - NH Public TV - Several channels
WVII - ABC 7 - Bangor

* Station has already dropped analog signal
** Station will do a flash cut-over from analog to digital on 2/17/09

CONGRATULATIONS, and job well done. I am glad that these stations have a backbone and continue forward on the conversion. The supposed extension to June is plain silliness. Why sign an extension bill if it is non-binding and all it does is cost different people money. It's crazy and unnecessary. The Converter Box Coupon program is not broke. The FCC handed out millions of coupons that were requested, but not really needed by the people who ordered them. And they sent out millions to people who simply let them expire without ever using them. The FCC is accounting for all of these unused and unneeded coupons as if it's money out the door and then claiming they are in the red. It's a bunch of crap. I don't know the percentages because the won't tell me but there must be a huge number of coupons out there that have never and will never be used. So I'd like to see the FCCs books to see if they moved those dollars back into the "cash available" column.

Now these are the TV in Maine stations who don't have a backbone and are using this fake extension as an excuse to hide their sub-standard technological abilities.

WMTW - ABC - 8 - Portland
WCSH - NBC - 6 Portland
WLBZ- NBC - 2 Bangor - owned by WCSH
WABI - CBS - 5 Bangor
The CW - used to be 56 Bangor, now just digital and only standard definition as a sub channel of WABI - The WABI/CW partnership is the most confusing and screwed up setup I have ever seen. I don't even think this CW entity has its own channel number anymore.

So there you have it, the winners and losers. Or is that the whole story?

The real truth is that NOT ONE MAINE TV STATONS is producing any programming in High Definition or even Standard Definition in 16:9 widescreen format. Not ONE. In Boston all three of the big three local affiliates produce their local news in High Definition. And they use Standard Def widescreen cameras for many of the field shots. WCVB even produces the only New England based non-news programming in High Definition. It's called Chronicle and they do an unbelievable job with production values.

Now in my area, WCSH, WMTW, and WGME all produce their news in digital, but standard definition. So all of us with HD televisions have to put up with two black bars on the side of the picture (called pillars). Many HDTV can't streth the picture to fit the screen easily because said black pillars are broadcast as part of the picture. The pillars exists only to fill up the screen. You would think that the people at these TV stations would be EMBARRASSED at this point. Hell, even Oprah and Ellen are in High Definition now, but Maine's crack TV technical directors can't quite figure out how to broadcast these programs in HD to Maine viewers. If Boston can do it why can't Maine? Is it about the money?

Of course it is. But they will blame in on the "economic downturn" or "reduced advertising revenue". The bottom line is that these stations are all owned by some corporate conglomerate. So until Maine's population demands High Definition local programming and refuses to watch the existing, ridiculous 1980's-style "news", then our TV stations will continue to offer sub-standard programming. If they aren't losing viewers, they have not reason to change anything.

Isn't it time we spoke up? Haven't we had to deal with enough with the digital conversion? WE WANT OUR HDTV!!!

Here's the big picture. A lot of people in Maine rely on over-the-air TV broadcasting. They have been forced to buy a new digital TV (and maybe a new antenna) or a converter box (and maybe a new antenna). When they have completed this, and hook it all up, they most likely receive fewer channels than they did before, because digital signals aren't as strong. The FCC promised that consumers would receive the same stations they did before. THIS IS NOT TRUE. The FCC had NO IDEA what they were talking about and did not know how many consumers would be affected by a reduction in the number of channels received. Now add on top of this all of the public service announcements and TV crawlers and news articles that have been going on for almost 2 years. The whole thing has been a major production and in my opinion, since the government started this whole thing, it was bound to be a mess, and it is.

So after all this don't we deserve to have high definition programming all the time, not just digital. Digital TV by itself isn't "better" than high quality analog broadcasting, not to the human eye anyway. So if you're not going to make a real difference and go HD all the way, then why bother. It's like in the old days if they had started selling color TVs and then no programming was in color, wouldn't you be a bit upset after you spent the money on a new set?

The Maine TV stations who are so behind the curve should be ashamed of themselves; I am ashamed and embarrassed by them. Thank goodness I can get the Boston channels from my house.

Am I really ready for Digital TV?

Are you sure you know the Truth about Digital TV and High Definition with an Antenna?

Doug Finck, from WPXT in Portland, ME, said in an email to me "our biggest challenge is not in communicating to the public that we are switching to digital...but the issues about reception"

Doug has been a long time supporter and recently shared the following information which I found most helpful in explaining some of the basic truths about digital TV.

"1. It's all about the antenna. An outside antenna will probably be necessary for many people. The type of antenna, however, is an issue because of the fact that there will be a combination of UHF and VHF digital stations and the viewers will need an antenna capable of receiving both types of transmission (or two antennas).

2. The more powerful and antenna is, the more directional it is. The more directional it is, the more critical it is to point it toward the transmitting antenna for the station they want to watch. Someone living in Lewiston will have to point their antenna in three directions; north for WCBB and WPFO, southwest for WCSH, WMTW and WMEA, and southeast for WGME, WPME and WPXT.

3. Consumers have to understand the need to manually enter all channels WHEN THEIR ANTENNA IS POINTED TOWARD THAT CHANNEL'S TRANSMITTING ANTENNA. Auto-scan is a waste of time and should be ignored or defeated. In the real world, a viewer will have a powerful, directional antenna. They will have to point it toward a specific station's transmitting antenna then enter that station's digital frequency (not the station's analog/marketing channel) to save the station. Then they will go to the next station, move the antenna, enter the digital number and save it. This process will be the only way to get the digital tuner to "see" all of the channels (assuming the viewer can actually get enough of a signal from each station to actually get the picture).

4. Rotors will allow one antenna to be aimed at all of the channels. Multiple antennas (with each one pointed in a specific direction) will also accomplish the same goal (getting the maximum signal from each station). But remember, in this market you're going to need both VHF and UHF receiving capability to get all of the stations!

As far as the cheap converter boxes are concerned, they are designed to downconvert digital signals to be displayed on an analog TV. The tuners are fine for doing that and all of the converter boxes are of equal quality and value. If by more expensive, you're talking about a $150+ box, you're not talking about a converter box, you're describing a digital tuner. There's a huge difference in price, quality and functionality. If you're just looking to buy a digital converter box to be used with an analog TV, buy the cheapest one you can find."

I asked some additional questions regarding whether or not existing TV stations would use continue to use their temporary UHF channel numbers or go back to their regular numbers (the ones the public knows them by). Here was Doug's response:

"Our digital channel is and will remain, 43. Stations will continue to market and refer to themselves by their old analog channel numbers as a way to reduce confusion to viewers. Our move with WPME from digital channel 28 to 35 (our old analog channel) was done for technical reasons (to allow us use the existing channel 35 antenna which is mounted at the highest point on the tower).

Several of the other area stations will be moving back to their analog frequencies (primarily for lower electric power costs), but most will not. This is going to be a confusing issue as viewers try to tune into specific stations and don't know the "real" channel numbers.

WCSH - Analog channel 6...digital channel 44. They will not be moving and even though the digital tuners will tell you that you are watching channel 6, it will actually be receiving that signal on channel 44.

WMTW - Analog channel 8...currently digital channel 45 but they will be
moving back to channel 8 for their digital broadcasting on February 17th.

WGME - Analog channel 13...digital channel 38. They will
not be moving and even though the digital tuners will tell you that you are
watching channel 13, it will actually be receiving that signal on channel 38.

WCBB - Analog channel 10...currently digital channel 17 but they will be
moving back to channel 10 for their digital broadcasting next week.

WPFO - Analog channel 23...they will switch from analog to digital broadcasting on
February 17th, but will remain on channel 23.

WMEA - Analog channel 26...they will switch to digital channel 45 (the current WMTW channel) on February 17th so the tuner will tell you that you're watching channel 26 but it will actually be receiving channel 45.

As viewers have to manually add and delete channels they will need to understand this concept and know the real channel numbers for each station."

Many thanks to Doug for all of his input. We appreciate that he has always been as passionate about getting information out to the public as those at the Maine HDTV Forum.

WCSH-6 responds to emeil and I respond back - Part 2

Thank you for writing back to me, I appreciate it. I must take issue with the following statement:

 

As to this week's SNL broadcast, NBC master control messaged our local master control just before 11PM on Saturday night to tell us that SNL would be sent as 4x3 centercut on the HD service. Apparently this particular show was shot in 4x3 (not 16x9) and up converted to HD in which case you would see pillars on each side. We do not know why this was the case but that really doesn't matter as it was not available to us in 16x9. 

 

Do you get your NBC HD feed from a different place than WHDH Channel 7 in Boston?  I am lucky enough to receive NBC on both WCSH-DT and WHDH-DT.  Saturday Night Live was in High Definition on WHDH.  So I don't believe that SNL was shot in 4:3 and upconverted.  Either someone fed you a line or you are feeding me a line.  And let me state once again that I have absolutely no background in television or broadcasting.  I am just an average consumer who does my own research.  I will call and email TV stations around New England or around the country (and have on occastion) if it will help me figure some things out.

 

When I toured another television station in Portland that was having similar issues, I was invited to that TV Station to talk to them and see their setup.  On their master control panel, I saw the "button" that had to be toggled to switch over their broadcast from SD to HD. Unless your setup is extremely different from theirs, I just don't understand what process you go through, for example, after the 11:00 pm news when an HD program come on (Whether it be The Tonight Show on weekdays or SNL on Saturday night).

 

So why exactly would WHDH have SNL in HD and WCSH would not?

 

You have to understand why I am, and why others are, skeptical about whether or not we are getting honest answers or the run-around.  I have called WCSH on several occasions.  I would have to estimate that in the past year and a half (it took me a few months after buying my HDTV to figure things out) I have called WCSH at least 25 times or more to say "Hey, you're not in HD and you are supposed to be".   I tell my friends about it and they say "Oh boy, not again, tell us what happened".  On one hand I get frustrated that I have to call, and on the other I feel it is my duty, for some reason.  Maybe it's because a lot of people rely on my research that gets posted on my web site.  When I call I am very nice and professional; I am usually questioned as to my intentions, nobody ever asks for my name or phone number, and as soon as I call, the problem is magically fixed regardless of what is perceived to be some uncontrollable issue.   I usually get hung up on as fast as possible.  Ask some of the folks who are there if they get phone calls about programs not being in HD when they should be.  If you have an honest bunch, they will tell you the truth.

 

While I understand completely that your email was meant to put a fire out, all I really received was 1) an excuse that doesn't make sense, 2) somebody else to call or direct my questions to, and 3) the standard thanks for being a customer.

 

Of all the TV stations in Portland that I have dealt with, I must say that WCSH has been the worst in responding, and only a few minor points behind WMTW.  For some reason, both Doug Finck from WPME/WPXT, and Terry Cole from WPME are supportive of my web site and the work I am doing.  They are open and honest about their deficiencies and achievements and are willing to openly discuss them.  

 

I don't think I know how to get through to you folks, I don't think I ever will.  Television stations are used to answering to advertisers, not the public.  Right now, there are a lot of frustrated people out there and where there is frustration, there are people looking for someone to blame.  Right now, the targets are the FCC and local TV stations.  That is where you come in.  I have contacted the FCC and the Maine Association of Broadcasters.  They were somewhat helpful but to be honest, from the public's perspective, the faces and voices of the local TV station is what the public sees first.  I would think the last thing you want is a bad reputation in the eyes of the public.

 

I will put it right on the table.  I wish that WCSH was more willing to be transparent about the transition to Digital, and the issues around High Definition.  Any programming that is not a simple passthrough from NBC won't be in HD.  You local news isn't in HD. And even the simple passthroughs (and let's not make them more complicated than they are, let's be honest, it is the simplest part of HD broadcasting) seem to still be difficult for your station.

 

I apologize if what I have written comes off too strong, but I am at my whit's end about these issues.  I don't want to be slinging mud; I have better things to do.  I can only hope that you take these issues more seriously than you are right now.

 

I know this email is long-winded but I will end with the following comment regarding this statement in your email response to me:

 

Please know that the conversion to digital is fraught with details, high in expense and difficult to manage as we run both analog and DT services

  

The details are what you pay your staff to take care of.  There is no reason at all that you have to continue hour analog signal.  As far as the FCC is concerned you can stop any time beginning November 15, 2008 and even earlier if you ask them (and they have said they will not refuse anybody if asked).  Based on your response to me you can't possibly be all that concerned with what the public thinks so why not just pull the plug on analog and wipe that off of your to-do list.  And as for the expense, digital TV and the conversion to it has been around for more than 10 years.  I would think that somebody should have budgeted for some capital expenditures a long time ago.  Did you think that viewers just wouldn't care, or just wouldn't notice?

 

Thanks for your time

WCSH-6 responds to email, and I respond back - Part 1

WCSH's response:

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with our HD service on Saturday night and appreciate your email and comments. Please know that the conversion to digital is fraught with details, high in expense and difficult to manage as we run both analog and DT services. I suspect we'll continue to have issues because it is far more complex than simply flipping a switch. Typically, each transmission incident or failure has multiple issues surrounding it. When these happen outside of regular business hours it is even harder for the few people who are on duty to respond.

First, thanks for noticing the phone message problem. Our telephone vendor is now aware of it and they are working on it. The use of the "5" prompt is intended exactly for people like you who have questions, comments or problems outside of our M-F business hours. It has been worked on unsuccessfully over the past week and was thought to be solved.

As to this week's SNL broadcast, NBC master control messaged our local master control just before 11PM on Saturday night to tell us that SNL would be sent as 4x3 centercut on the HD service. Apparently this particular show was shot in 4x3 (not 16x9) and up converted to HD in which case you would see pillars on each side. We do not know why this was the case but that really doesn't matter as it was not available to us in 16x9. 

For future reference, our point person on our DTV conversion is VP of programming and marketing, Mike Marshall. He usually responds to voice mail or email regarding DTV issues but is on vacation. You can reach him at this email address mike.marshall@wcsh6.com or you can leave him a voice mail in box #214, or in the "5" prompt as he'll be the one checking on those messages. In late night hours there is not usually more than one or two news staffers on duty, sometimes in edit booths working on the morning newscasts.

Thanks for the communications. I hope you notice improvements, albeit slow, in our various HD offerings in the coming months.

 

Steve Thaxton

President/General Manager

WCSH 6

One Congress Square

Portland, ME 04101

direct: 207-828-6605

station: 207-828-6666 ext. 301 - with voice mail

fax: 207-828-6653

cell:207-653-6666

email: steve.thaxton@wcsh6.com 

--read next post for my response to this email

WCSH 6 Portland, Still get get High Definition right

This is yet another example of how Portland's TV stations are so far behind the curve of even basic HD administration.  I wrote this letter on Saturday Night 9/20/08 an sent it to customer realtions at WCSH6.

I have sent emails to WCSH, I have called the station directly, and to be honest I am so frustrated with trying to get some answers.

Once again, yet another television show that is supposed to be in High Definition is not.  Today is Saturday, September 20.  at 11:30 pm I tuned to WCSH 6 to watch Saturday Night Live.  While I realized the show was not being broadcast in HD, I gave it a few moments to see if it would kick in (in other words, maybe somebody would notice and "flip the switch", literally), but to no avail.

So once again I called the station and played the automated attendant guessing game trying to talk to someone.  I noticed there was a new phone option (that shows how often I call) called the "Digital and HD Hotline Mailbox" or something like that, and "Press 5".  Well I tried that, twice, and all I ever heard after pressing 5 was "I'm sorry I didn't hear your response" from the nice lady that does the voice overs for your telephone system.  I also called and tried the news desk.  Usually somebody is there since news happens all the time.  I guess WCSH decided ahead of time there wouldn't be any news overnight so why have somebody there.

In any case after several phone calls and several attempts at the voice mail system, I never got a chance to tell anyone that Saturday Night Live, which should be in HD, was not HD.  I know for a fact after touring another TV station in Portland that it is literally a flip of a switch - a monkey could it.  I am assuming whoever was supposed to be manning the control room needed a Red Bull and a Kit Kat bar or something like that.

Frankly, I am exhausted.  I am so fed up with calling WCSH and WMTW and WGME to inform them their HD programming isn't in HD.  Each and every time I have made one of these phone calls and talked to someone, the problem was fixed immediately, most times while I was on the phone and before I even finished explaining the issue.  Whoever would answer knew quite well what the problem was as soon as the words started coming out of my mouth.

But if there is no way to contact you, how will the problem ever get fixed.  The hot line was installed to deal with people using digital converter boxes and people complaining about shows not being in HD, I assume.  What other reason could there be?

For over two years, since the day I bought my HDTV and bought an antenna that would receive digital/HD programming over the air for free, this exact same issue has been haunting me.  I don't understand.  Why does it take an average consumer to oversee what is going on at the network affiliates in my area.  And If I am overseeing it, why can't I get through to talk to somebody about the problem.

At this point isn't anybody at WCSH 6 ashamed of their own station?  They can't seem to keep up with the most menial of tasks that come along with high definition, like flipping the switch.  And is nobody watching their own TV station to ensure that the public is getting the HD they are entitled to?

I run a Blog about high definition TV and media in general.  This, along with the pile of other situations just like this, will go on the blog and feed the fire that is already smoldering out there.  The public is angry, the digital conversion is a mess.  There are people out there who have bought and installed their digital converter boxes and have lost your signal.  Digital is nowhere near as strong as analog so by these simple facts you are already losing thousand of viewers, which in turn leads to lower ratings, which in turn leads to fewer revenue dollars.  I would think that you don't want to add more fuel to the fire for the people who are already disappointed and frustrated already.

Sincerely,

Ron Caron

http://mainehdtv.blogspot.com

WCSH 6 - NBC NIghtly News not in HD

September 4, 2008, I called WCSH 6 in Portland, ME, to let them know that the NBC Nightly News, which has been in HD for a long time now, was not being broadcast in HD.

I was asked by "Rob" if Time-Warner was my cable provider because there were "some problems" with that carrier.

When I told him I received his HD signal via antenna and that I checked on WHDH, NBC from Boston which was not having any problems so it wasn't a network feed issue, he told me he would check.

By the time I hung up the phone and looked at the TV, it had been fixed.

So many TV stations just can not get this HD thing right. Channel after channel, night after night, some station somewhere in my TV market isn't broadcasting in HD when they should be. WMTW out of Portland, ME still isn't broadcasting Nightline (ABC) in HD even though that show started being produced in HD a few weeks ago. ABC from Boston does but my local Portland stations doesn't, or should I say won't.

How to get more HD Programming in Maine

First of all, if you live in Southern Maine, your cable company may carry the Boston network channels as well as the Portland network channels. Watch the Boston ones. Most are in High Definition for their local news broadcasts, some are producing their own HD programming locally, and some can record and playback High Definition programming apart from the Network Feed.

Not ONE Portland Network Channel can do any of this. In my dealings with the many network affiliates in Portland (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CW, MyNetwork, FOX), none of them are even close to the technical capabilities of the Boston channels and to make it worse, I have received communicates from some affiliates General Managers who have said things like "we are only mandated to switch to digital, we are not required to do anything more than that".

Translation: They will do the very least to be in compliance with the laws set forth by the FCC, no more, no less. So if you are waiting to put your new HDTV to the real test, don't look for it in Portland. If you can get the Boston stations, do that. If not, get Satellite and if you can, just try to get the national network feeds, not your local network feeds. You can use you PC or the newspaper to check the news if it's important to you. It's all about ratings which means it's all about revenue. Money talks. If nobody is watching their channels because they are not in HD, then they will have no choice but to change their attitude.

In a recent communication with the NBC affiliate in Portland, I was told that they don't have the capability to broadcast, for example, reruns of HD television shows, in HD. For example, WCSH airs reruns of Law and Order in the afternoon. Law and Order is (and was) originally produced in High Definition. But WCSH doesn't have the equipment to record it and play it back in High Definition. They can only air High Definition programming that is being fed to them from the network during prime time (8 - 11 pm). I was also told that they have no plans to change this through 2009 and beyond. It's not even on their radar screen.

These TV stations don't care about providing the public with an excellent product; they are trying to skate by, doing the least amount of work possible. And there you have it, the new American Dream. Do as little as possible to get by. No wonder we are failing in this global economy.

There are a few exception. My personal opinion is that WPME and WPXT, managed by the same people, are doing as much as possible within their budet constraints to provide an excellent product to the public. They are self-producing a television program aimed at visitors to the state of Maine. The program is broadcast to hotels in the Portland area but anyone with a Digital TV and an antenna (forget cable or satellite) can receive this programming as well. They are thinking outside the box and that's what you need to be successful.

Local Portland Broadcasters finally putting digital technology to good use

A while back, WPME launched the Maine Visitors Channel (on their digital sub channel), a separate, locally produced set of programs targeted at visitors to the Portland area.

Other than that, WCSH6 and WMTW have used their digital sub channels for replays and repackages of news and weather (yawn!).

Now, WCSH, during the Olympics, finally put their sub channel to good use, and in my mind, what sub channels are meant for; at least one of the the things they are meant for.

During the Olympics, if the NBC Network decides to broadcast right through the local 12:00 noon news hour, WCSH 6 will broadcast the news on its sub channel. That's Channel 6.2 to you and me, over the air. Some cable providers carry Channel 6.2 as part of their regular line-up, usually on channel 207.

So for those of us using over the air antennas to receive free digital and high definition broadcasts, it's easy, and WCSH actually announced they were going to do this. I saw something flash on the TV screen there at about 11:45 am today. On my TV I just have to surf one channel up from 6.1 to 6.2 and receive their Noon News Broadcast.

It's nice to see someone is finally thinking about this and leveraging the advantages of digital broadcasting.

What's going on with Subchannels in Portland, Maine

I recently received an email from Dave who asked the following:

"I was just wondering if there was any news out there of what the stations are gonna do. I heard about these DTV only networks like RTN and .2 and so on. Any news if any Maine stations are gonna pick those up or anything else?" After a few exchanges, I wrote the following (which has been aggregated) and thought it would be a great addition to this blog.

As far as I know there is not anything new official going on for subchannels with the exception of things I already know about like Weather Plus on NBC (Channel 6 Portland), and News Now on ABC (Channel 8 Portland) and the Maine Visitors Channel on MyNetowork (Channel 35 Portland - actually a pretty cool self-produced subchannel). Only Channel 13 (CBS Portland WGME) hasn't decided what to do. They were supposed to run a Music Channel on 13.2 but that deal fell through. They, along with Fox 23, and CW (Channel 51) would have space for a subchannel like RTN, but I haven't heard anything yet. I'm going to ask my contacts though, because I like the idea. It's better than those Maine Auto King infomercials which drive me CRAZY. Channels already using at least one subchannel won't have enough bandwidth to operate an a third channel. Thanks for bringing it to my attention as something I need to follow up on. I'm going to poke around and see if I can some up with any inside track "news".

I checked with one source I have at one of the network affiliate stations in Portland. He told me something that, after he said it, made perfect sense. The decision as to what is going to be done with their subchannel is dependent solely upon what their parent company and the network says. Due to issues of branding and making sure their affiliates are basically clones of each other, it would be in their best interest to decide on subchannel programming at the corporate level. For example, on WCSH Channel 6 they use Weather Plus on their subchannel. The same is true for Channel 7 in Boston, Channel 30 in Hartford, etc, All of the NBC affiliates are doing the same thing with their subchannel.

Keep in mind that most channels are using their primary channel for digital and/or high definition programming which, because of bandwidth issues, only leaves them with enough room for one other standard definition broadcast. Technically, each station could broadcast up to 4 programs simultaneously, but if they did, each would have to be in standard definition. There is one station I know in my area that is part of the ION network (see Wikipedia) that does this but very, very few Cable companies would even carry the primary channel let alone the subchannels. In addition, the same problem exists for all TV stations using subchannels; they still have to get the cable channels to carry it if they really want to get a return on their investment. Unless there is a revolution where consumers all convert back to "over the air" broadcasting (no cable or satellite), most of these subchannels will never be seen.

Now, when it comes to networks like the CW or MyNetwork, they operate more independently. As I mentioned Channel 35, part of the MyNetwork network, produces and broadcasts their own original programming on channel 35.2 called Maine Visitors Channel (MVC). RTN would be great for someone like the CW Channel 51 or even Fox 23 who may not have finalized plans yet for their subchannel(s). Or if MyNetwork Channel 35 doesn't get the revenue they expect from MVC. MVC was designed to be broadcast to all of the hotels in the Portland area. Channel 35 actually invested in, and installed, digital receivers in the hotels with whom they have agreements so that guests of the hotel could receive MVC in their rooms (which probably all have old analog sets).

So, that's my take on Subchannels in the Portland/Lewiston/Auburn television market. I'd love to hear from anyone who has more info or questions on this topic.

WPME, Portland Channel 35 launches Visitor's Channel

The digital age of television is finally doing what it was designed to do. And it is happening here in Portland, Maine, for the very first time in the country. Portland, Maine, has a new TV channel and I am so excited.

WPME, Channel 35, has two digital broadcasts. The first is channel 35.1 which is their regular WPME channel. The second, allowed now by the introduction of digital television, is channel 35.2, the Maine Visitors Channel.

The first of its kind in the country, WPME has an agreement with several hotels in Portland and more are being added. WPME put converter boxes in these hotels to ensure that each television in the guest rooms would be able to receive the channel 35.2 signal. This doesn't mean you can't receive the channel. Digital broadcasts by network affiliates (in the case MyNetwork) are free and over the air. Most hotels have not installed digital TVs in all of their room, ergo the reason why WPME had to provide the converter boxes.

If you have a Digital TV with an antenna, or an Analog TV with an antenna and a converter box, you will be able to pick up this channel. I get it at my house in Springvale, about 30 or so miles from Portland. Cable TV and Satellite TV don't carry the channel so over the air is the only way to get it.

Produced in Portland, Maine, by WPME, they have designed a new network for tourists or visitors, but it can be just as valuable to Mainers themselves. They highlight everything from current events like festivals, tours, art exhibits, and even the weather forecast; all kinds of things in that genre for people looking for things to do while they are in Portland, or looking for new things to do if you already live here. I just watched a segment on Portland Head Light in Casco Bay, a great destination for visitors and locals with a great view of the bay and classic Maine vistas. It is something that I have never done in the 8 years that I have lived here. Local businesses are also highlighted.

Having separate broadcasts on the same channel (or sub-channel) from one station is part of what digital TV is all about. Most broadcast television stations around the country use their primary channel for digital, high definition programming and their sub-channel for "something else". In this case, a first of its kind, and locally produced, a local visitors network. I think it is pretty cool and WPME is a trail blazer in this respect.

Channel 8, WMTW in Portland already use their sub-channel for an endless loop of news/sports/weather updates. WMTW updates this loop several times a day.

Channel 6, WCSH, was first to use its sub-channel for 24 hour Weather Plus, an NBC owned subsidiary. Weather Plus is carried by many, or most, NBC affiliates on their respective digital sub-channels.

While both WMTW and WCSH got there first, what they did wasn't special. Producing original programming for a niche market is new and different and I respect WPME for really showing what can be done in the new age of digital television. I wish them the best of luck.

Suzanne Goucher urges consumers to buy a High Definition TV, Why?

I saw Suzanne Goucher, President and CEO of the Maine Association of Broadcasters, on WCSH 6 during the 6:00pm newscast on Sunday, February 17.

She said the while there are ways that consumers can buy just a digital TV or get a converter box and keep their analog TV, the best choice really is to go out an buy an HDTV because the prices were so reasonable now, and the resolution was so good on a High Def TV, you can "see the little hairs on Tom Brady's adorable little chin".

You're kidding me, right? This is what the president of the Maine Association of Broadcasters uses as a reasonable argument for purchasing a high definition television. High Definition is a subset of digital television. HDTV is in a wide-screen (16:9 ratio as opposed to 4:3) format, and has much better sound quality.

The reality is that yes, HDTVs are cheaper than they were. But the investment to the consumer is still several hundred dollars. The "affordable" HDTVs that you can get at Wal-Mart are inferior in quality; for example at my local Wal-Mart I could not find ONE HDTV that could handle resolutions higher than 720p. Most broadcast networks are providing programming in 1080i.

Further, with the possible exception of PBS in Maine, not one local broadcaster can record HDTV programs from their respective networks and play them back in HDTV.

Let me state it more clearly. A network like ABC sends a feed of a high definition broadcast, live, up to a satellite, at which time, the local station (in our case WMTW) can send that same feed out to the public. They can't record it and play it back later, if they don't send it out in HD format them, they never will. That doesn't even mean that they have to, they have the option to.

Also, not one Maine television station has the ability to broadcast its own local news in High Definition. Now keep in mind that the "rule" is that as of 2/17/09, the FCC has mandated that all broadcast television must be in Digital format. Digital format is a clearer, crisper format than the old analog style TV but just because something is in Digital does not mean it is in High Definition. The rule does not apply to cable channels (or satellite channels if you have something like Dish network or Direct TV). Only broadcast television. That means ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, MyNetowk, and the CW.

While I agree that if you are going to buy a new TV you should buy an HDTV. But don't buy one thinking that now, or even as of 2/17/09, every TV broadcast will be in high definition. The TV broadcasting industry is simply changing from analog to digital. You TV will either be OK, or not, depending on how you get your signal; either via cable, satellite, or over the air.

High Definition is the next logical thing you need to think about. However, other than the national morning new shows (Today Show, GMA), one soap opera, SOME prime time network shows between 8pm and 11pm, The Tonight Show, Letterman, and Conan, that's it. The broadcast network and all other programming coming from your local TV stations is NOT in high definition. So if you like watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, you're out of luck. The local TV station will stretch the picture out, or you can do it yourself with your shiny new HDTV, but Raymond was never produced in HD and will never be in HD.

There are several cable stations that are supposedly in HD. Many of them have the same problem I describe above in that most of the shows aren't produced in HD so they obviously can't show them in HD; they can just stretch out the picture to fit the 16:9 ration of your HDTV. Some of these same channels do have real High Definition programming.

So there is a lot of misinformation out there. You need to be careful and ask some questions before you buy anything else you will be very disappointed.

In my humble opinion Suzanne Goucher should be spending her time convincing the local Maine television stations to invest in high definition equipment so they can broadcast their local programming in HD, to invest in equipment that will allow them to play back network television shows that were originally in HD, in HD at a later time, and all of the other things they need to do in order to be considered up to date with current technology. This seems like a better use of time than convincing consumers to spend money to see Tom Brady's scruff, only to find out they may never see it.

Portland Television Stations have a problem with HD broadcasts

I have written about this subject many times. I have written to my local television stations, posted articles on this blog just to unload how discouraged I am. I don't know who to write to any more.

If you read through this blog you will find many articles describing many versions of the same problem. I receive all over-the-air broadcasts for the Portland, Maine televison market for free. I don't have cable or satellite but I do have an HDTV, and an antenna. So I receive all High Definiton programming broadcast from my local stations for free as well. When I flip through my digital channels, I know based on the day, and the time, what should be in high definition, as opposed to just regular digital (or standard definition). When I know a program should be in High Definition but is not, I call the local TV station in question, I let them know the problem (which boils down to the control room flipping a switch) and move on with my life. My call to the station is not usually well-received. I don't know if it is because they are embarassed that an average viewer with no background in broadcasting and no affiliation with broadcasting is calling them to let them know they dropped the ball, or what.

I have in the last week alone called WMTW, ABC Channel 8 in Portland, WCSH, NBC Channel 6 in Portland, and WGME, CBS Channel 13 in Portland to inform them that their prime time broadcast or a particular program which is supposed to be in High Definition, indeed is not.

I know that if I didn't call, they wouldn't notice. And since I spent a lot of money for a good quality HDTV, I feel I am entitled to as much HD programming as possible. I used to PAY for cable and High Definition. Due to financial contraints, I got rid of all the equipment and services I was paying for and went with the old rabbit ears setup. It works fine and I am fine with getting only the major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CW, MYNETWORK) in digital, and therefore HD when available. In my area, we can not get FOX in HD until 2/17/09 but that's another story and you can find information on this subject elsewhere on this blog.

I would be far more upset if I was paying a cable or satellite company a premium to receive High Definition through their services and was not receiving what I paid for. I don't know how the cable or satllite companies would handle a phone call from a customer complaining that the customer wasn't receiving an HD broadcast even though they were paying for it. Would the cable/satellite company call the local station? Well, actually, I do know the answer.

I remember having this problem when I had HD through my cable company. They simply told me that it wasn't their problem, it was a problem at the station and left it at that. So it was still up to me to call the television station. Before I knew the real deal, the television station would just blame the cable company. So I was stuck in the finger-pointing loop and didn't know any better. So in the end, I suspect that the cable or satellite companies would not go to bat for the consumer. I think this is a problem to which there is no answer, except adequate techical ability at the local television station.

My problem is how do I prevent or stop the problem of these local stations not broadcasting in HD when they should be. How can I prevent the situation of me having to call my local stations on a regular basis to first, tell them there is a problem, and second, ask them to FLIP THE SWITCH for HD? Each and every one of these TV stations is an in-state toll call. So it costs me money on top of it. Do I ask for reimbursement? You know as well as I do that asking for that isn't going to get me too far.

I have presented this problem via email to WGME, WMTW, and WCSH to no avail. The problem still happens. I can't believe it is that difficult for them to control. If I, as an average viewer, can figure out in a matter of seconds that there is a problem at the station, why can't they?

Hey, I"m out of work and looking for a job. I'd be happy if they wanted to hire me to sit there and make sure programming was in HD when it was supposed to be. I would even agree to stop writing this blog and stop exposing the problem, if they would just fix the problem.

WCSH6 doesn't know if they are in High Definition or not

On Saturday night, February 2, 2008, I had to call WCSH6 in Portland to let them know that their broadcast of Saturday Night Live was not being broadcast in high definition. I asked for the control room when somebody answered. I was asked if I know someone in the control room. I said no, but I wanted to let someone know that SNL was not in high definition. He said thanks and he would let them know. He never asked my name or any contact information whatsoever.

I waited for while and the show was never switched over to HD. I realized that this particular episode could be old enough to not to have been recorded in HD originally. Since they people at WCSH who answered phone rushed me off, and never took my name or any contact information they couldn't contact me to let me know that this episode of SNL wasn't recorded in HD.

So there you go. That's the typical exchange between forum members and WCSH6. I have never been asked for my name in the numerous times I have called them about HD issues. They just say "OK" and hang up the phone.

WCSH Makes some noticeable changes- Brian Yocono, Todd Gutner

I think WCSH-6 finally got it right this time. Brian Yocono recently took over the weekend morning spot. He does a great job and seems very comfortable and natural in front of the camera.

I don't want to offend anyone but let's suffice it to say that WCSH has not made the best choices at times when it comes to anchors.

Brian Yocono was an overnight success. He started as a field reporter and it was only a matter of months before WCSH gave him his shot at the anchor desk on the weekends.

Now I don't know if this was a calculated choice or if they just needed someone to fill in. Whatever the reason, it worked. For the first time in years, I actually enjoy the WCSH 6 newscast. Brian has that young, vibrant, professional, handsome look about him that an anchor should have.

I congratulate him on his success and wish him much more.

I also noticed that Todd Gutner, our favorite weatherman is gone. Well, not really gone. He's on WBZ, the CBS affiliate in Boston. Thank god our local cable provider gives us all three of the big three networks out of Boston. I happen to see him last night. He looks happy and health and we wish him all the best as well. It is a shame that someone as passionate and knowledgeable about the weather like Todd is gone but the only weatherman I know of without an AMS designation is still around. Oh well, we like Kevin too.

Who is watching WCSH 6, WMTW 8, or WGME 13?

I know that my viewing habits have changed since I moved to Maine back in 2001. The station or stations I watched then are not necessarily the ones I watch now. And how I feel about the local news definitely affects what I watch in general on that particular station. In other words, which local station do I turn to first to see what’s on in Southern Maine and Southeastern New Hampshire?

I’d like to get some unscientific feedback on this. Tell me what local news you watch, what local station is your favorite and has this changed at all over the years. If so, what specific opinions do you have that have made you change your mind about what station is your favorite in Southern Maine/NH, or what has kept you loyal.

Just leave me a comment and I’ll compile the data.