Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

   re: 326.0 <PCBUOA::LPIERCE>

   >I'm very surprised that no one in here has mentioned the CBS take over
   >of the NBC, and how alot of our fav' shows are on another channel.

       Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that it is a WHOLE
   network take-over.  Rather the local Boston CBS affiliate (Ch 4) WBZ has
   switched it's affiliation to NBC.  This has forced the local Boston NBC
   affiliate (CH 7) Wxxx to either switch it's affiliation or compete directly
   with CH 4 on the same network.  So Ch 7 has switch to CBS.  Local news is
   produced by each local affiliate; therefore  WBZ news is still WBZ news
   with all the same people and Ch 7 news is still Ch 7 news will all the same
   people.

   Clear as mud, right?
   Tony

         <<< Note 326.0 by PCBUOA::LPIERCE "Do the watermelon crawl" >>>

>I'm very surprised that no one in here has mentioned the CBS take over
>of the NBC, and how alot of our fav' shows are on another channel.

  CBS did not take over NBC, what happened is that the Boston area affiliates
for CBS and NBC traded networks. WBZ channel 4 went from being the local
NBC affiliate to being the local CBS affiliate while WHDH channel 7 went
from being the local CBS affiliate to being the local NBC affiliate.

>So far the only thing that has bugged me was the Today show moving to
>CBS.  I am a channel 4 news loyal watcher, I love Jack, Bruce, Joyce
>and Liz.  I like to watch them at 6:00 - then at 7:00 Today comes on.

  The Today show is still on NBC. It is NBC that has moved to channel 7,
rather than the Today show moving to CBS.

>Will we still the peacock logo?

  Both networks still have the same logo. The CBS eye is now painted on
WBZ Channel 4's new satellite dish atop their building and the NBC peacock
can now be seen as WHDH Channel 7 picks up the NBC network feed.

>What kind of things are irking you about the switch?

  Nothing, a quick flip of the remote straightens it all out.

  George

re: 0
    
>> but have to feed the horses, and run around the house feeding cats, 
>> putting cats out, letting cats in, feeding the bird, feeding the dogs, 
>> putting the dish's away, vacuuming, dusting and then finding time to shower 
>>>and do my hair and get dressed 
    
	Well, at least some 'traditions' continue
    

    Boy, you guys had me really  confused!!  Here in Chicago, nothing
    has changed (I don't think) with the stations.  Its bad enough trying
    to keep track of what day Fraizer and Grace are on let alone what
    new station!!!
    
    Renee

    .0>  I love Jack, Bruce, Joyce and Liz.
    
    I love Bruce and Liz, like Joyce but don't always agree with her, and
    can't abide fatuous Jack... so I've alway's watched "Nat and Chetalie"
    (someone actually cut away to them that way once, so I can't refer to
    them otherwise!).  I had to change channels anyway to get to Jay Leno,
    so I don't mind if it's 7 instead of 4.
    
    But I doubt I'll ever really "grok" that 'BZ isn't NBC any more, and
    I've given up caring what the rationalizations are for 4 and 7 swapping
    networks.  (They did it, they're idiots, what's on tonight?)
    
    Leslie   

  The reason they switched had something to do with the ownership of WBZ's
parent corporation. 

  I forget exactly how it went but I think that WBZ's parent corporation got
bought by CBS (or something like that) so CBS decided to dump WHDH Channel 7
and make WBZ Channel 4 their Boston affiliate. I don't think either station had
a choice.

  Once that happened, WHDH Channel 7 was free to offer it's services around.
ABC was not interested because they have a good relationship with WCVB Channel
5 which is a popular station. So Channel 7 could go after NBC who was now
without an affiliate in the Boston area or FOX who uses the weaker UHF
affiliate channel 25 and would dump them in a heart beat for a VHF station.
They could also have gone with the new Paramount network.

  Channel 7 decided on NBC. FOX is staying with Channel 25 and the new Paramount
network will go with TV 38. 

  All this happened last summer. WBZ Channel 4 delayed the switch to Jan 2 so
that they could keep the Patriots games. The Patriots are the Boston area
entry in the NFL (American Football).

  NBC controls Patriots broadcasts due to the contract they have with the NFL's
National Football Conference in which the Patriots play. For some reason Jan 2
was the latest that WBZ could delay the switch. 

  George 

    I seem to remember something about a network not being able to
    (legally) affiliate with two channels in the same city.  Or some such
    thing (thus preventing Channel 7 AND Channel 4 from being both CBS
    affiliates, or NBC affiliates).  Perhaps some sort of monopoly
    prevention.
    
    
    kim

>     a quick flip of the remote straightens it all out.
    
    That's for sure. I don't see that it makes any difference at all,
    unless you have to get off your duff and change the channels by hand.
    
    It doesn't matter which channel anything's on. The idea of channels or
    even networks having a particular identity is obsolete, I think. With a
    remote, you're just in hyper-TV space where one channel is as
    accessible as another.
    
    Letterman is now on 4. Tomorrow he could be on 6! Max nix.

> It doesn't matter which channel anything's on.

	Well it does make some difference.  As far as Leno vs. Letterman
	goes, before the switch WBZ would every so often have their
	11pm news run past 11:35pm and then they would join the
	Tonight Show "already in progress".  Ch. 7 however I've never
	seen them start airing Letterman "already in progress" (either
	they don't run over on the news, or they tape delay Letterman).

	Those who used to watch ST:TNG the first couple of years will
	remember how often Ch. 5 used to air new espisodes of the
	show "already in progress" due to some sports game running over
	(after enough complaints over a long period of time they cleaned
	up their act and started running the show from the beginning).

    
    
    
    I happened to be watching Channel 5 last night (ABC affiliate here in
    Boston area) just before Prime Time Live. There were two spots shown,
    one with Chet and Nat stating how NOTHING has changed, etc, etc. Then
    a spot came up with Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs, same type of
    verbage..NOTHING has changed, everything is the same..blah blah.
    Now, cut to Diane Sawyer..Welcome to Prime Time on our NEW night!

    It's true, it doesn't matter what channel is on.  The channel number
    itself means nothing to anyone except you, the remote holder.  In Los
    Angeles, there are so many different cable companies and regions that
    it doesn't do any good to tell someone the channel that something
    was/is on.  You have to tell them the network or the "channel name"
    i.e. ABC, NBC, MTV, Nickelodeon, etc......
    
    Channel 2, 3, 4, etc. are different all over the planet.
    
    MJ

    
    There is a woman here at work today with a home made button on her
    suit.  It's an eye (CBS logo) with a line though it! I thought it
    was super and so did everyone else in the cafe'.
    
    This really has nothing to do w/ just switching the channel via
    remote.  The thing is "change"  alot of folks don't take well to
    change.  The TV channels have been a certin way for the past
    unteen years - alot of our fav shows have been on the same channel
    for 2-7yrs (was 7rs the longest running show....anyway) - then to
    wake up one day and have it all different - it's kinda werid and it
    takes some time adapting.
    
    Alot of TV folks have preprogramed VCRs (for when they are at work -
    day and night) and I've heard from alot who just can't seem to remember
    "yet" to put the VCR on the new channel.
    
    I know in time this will all be fine (cept for Today being on ch7) :-)
    but at first - it takes some getting use to.
    
    Lou  

Re: .11

	It's the same here, cable channel assignments of broadcast stations
	don't always match the broadcast channel number (especially for
	UHF stations), but around here (Boston viewing area) if you say
	Channel 2, 4, 5, 7, 25, 38, 56, etc, people know which station you
	are talking about because they know you are talking broadcast channel
	number.

	Even in LA the station's logo often includes the broadcast channel
	number (from what I've seen the times I've visited that area).

	In fact around here if you said a show was on WGBH alot of
	people wouldn't know which channel you were talking about, but
	if you said "channel 7" most would .....

    This is the third time a similar thing happened in Boston. Both other 
    times were so long ago I can't remember which stations switched with 
    which. It took some adjustment for a while, but then it seemed like 
    the way it always had been. 
    
    Now to decide: do I like the channel 4 news team enough to change
    channels for Today, or do I switch to the channel 7 news team and 
    avoid changing channels? 
    
    Linda
    
    

RE                      <<< Note 326.14 by MAGEE::GIBSON >>>

>    Now to decide: do I like the channel 4 news team enough to change
>    channels for Today, or do I switch to the channel 7 news team and 
>    avoid changing channels? 
    
  I guess it depends on what you like. This is a generalization with some
crossover but I find that WBZ Channel 4 tends to be the sensitive touchy
feeley news team, WCVB Channel 5 is the goofball "happy family" news team, and
WHDH Channel 7 is the wacko tabloid news team. 

  For me, WBZ seems to be the lesser evil. Also, if you are tired you can
watch the WBZ crew at 10PM on TV38 and pack it in early.

  George

    I'm kinda happy with the switch because, for some reason, Channel 7
    stopped showing CBS This Morning and did their own local morning show. 
    Well, I like Harry Smith and Company best among the bright n perky
    morning folks, so I had to grudgingly pick between Good Morning,
    America and Today.  Or CNN and the Weather Channel (the Weather Channel
    was winning the whole fight :). 
    
    
    Channel 4 shows "CBS This Morning" so I can go back to watching that
    while I ready myself for work.  
    
    :)
    
    
    kim

    
    I feel the same way about ch 7 news.. they are not warm-touchie
    feelie people, and they tend to be more tabloidish to catch interest.
    Ch5 is very warm and so if 4.
    
    Lou

    
    > This is the third time a similar thing happened in Boston. Both other 
    > times were so long ago I can't remember which stations switched with 
    > which.
    
    More recently in Providence (15 years?) when 6 and 12 switched
    affiliates (CBS/ABC)
        
    >     This really has nothing to do w/ just switching the channel via
    > remote.  The thing is "change"  alot of folks don't take well to
    > change.  The TV channels have been a certin way for the past
    > unteen years - alot of our fav shows have been on the same channel
    > for 2-7yrs (was 7rs the longest running show....anyway) - then to
    > wake up one day and have it all different - it's kinda werid and it
    > takes some time adapting.
    
    I must be really missing something.  Pressing 7 vs. 4 is that big a change? 
    
    With all the other life changes in the past decade, I really have to rank
    this down in the noise....  somewhere around calling "manhole" covers
    "personhole" covers.
    
    - Sean

    It must be kind of strange for the WBZ people because they've been NBC
    for 47 years. I find it interesting that now the switch has happened
    that the stations are 'discovering' shows. I believe it was last night
    that Channel 7 news was doing a 'behind the scene at ER' which is
    something that channel 4 did a few months ago.
    
    In our house, we will continue to watch channel 4 news at 11:00. We
    have never liked channel 7's news and it seems like they change the
    anchors every 4 months or so.
    
    FWIW

	Hi Lou!

	I have to respond to this note!  I agree with Lou.  I am a faithful
	WBZ news watcher and today show fan.  Now it is a pain to switch
	channels back and forth  (where is that remote?!!).  I like Ed
	Carroll and Suzanne Bates they are great.  Now if I watch them
	then switch at 7am to the today show I have to watch Channel 7
	news team cut in every 15minutes!   What will probably happen is
	I will just watch channel 7 and forget about channel 4.

	The other thing which is new is NBC nightly news is on at 6:30
	and not 7.  Now I watch connie chung  (ughh), I guess I'll just
	watch star trek repeats at 7....

	Lynne