TWIDW - DirecTV/Dish Network - A Request Of The Readers
(posted 31st Dec 2001, 8:58pm - TWIDW post #0063)

(Apologies to Doctor Who fans outside the United States. As soon as one of your countries does something similarly convoluted that affects in a positive or negative way your ability to watch Doctor Who, I will give it a similar amount of time and attention.)

January 1, 2002 - The date Satellite Must Carry comes into effect. If a satellite provider carries at least one station for a local market, it must carry all the full power stations that asked to be carried by the deadline, provide an adequate signal, don't repeat another signal in the same market, don't repeat a major national network already offered by the satellite provider, and don't ask for any compensation to be carried. (In practice, there are probably hard to see loop holes that let providers ignore a few stations beyond that.) If you've been remembering to read This Week In Doctor Who the last few weeks, you know that a Federal Appeals Court rejected an appeal by DirecTV and Dish Network to prevent Satellite Must Carry from going into effect.

Some of you out there might be DirecTV or Dish Network subscribers in areas where stations that air Doctor Who are now eligible to be part of the local station packages. Or you might have friends who are in those areas. I'd be very curious to hear how DirecTV and Dish Network are doing. Which markets did one provider or another meet its promised date to get channels up/how did the channel look/is it still not up/did something bizarre happen?

For example: early reports on DirecTV in the DC-Hagerstown, MD-Northern Virginia market are that DirecTV is trying to claim that Maryland Public TV is not a local station (the e-mail stating that Maryland Public TV was actually a Miami, Florida station was a classic). At last word, MPT was back on the satellite in the DC area, but will it continue? Dish Network doesn't have a channel number for Maryland Public TV yet, so no one knows if they are really picking it up.

Obviously, the providers are scrambling, and will do better in some markets than others. It is almost inevitable that DirecTV will do a better job getting stations up in some markets while Dish Network will be better in others. If people are considering picking up the satellite local channel coverage, either to replace a worn-out antenna or due to the local cable provider offering poor service, it will be useful to know which service is better in which area. So if you have adventures with the satellite companies regarding Doctor Who affiliates, good or bad, bfelliott@... is ready and waiting to collect the info and get it into the next TWIDW.

Below is the most up to date information I have on what channels should be available where, so you can determine if the sattelite must carry affects your ability to watch Doctor Who or not.

DirecTV provides local service in 41 markets, 13 of which have full power stations airing Doctor Who (12 Doctor Who affiliates - Maryland Public TV handles both the DC and Baltimore markets). DirecTV promised to get the must carry channels up by December 27, 2001. Old DirecTV systems show "local" stations in the 800s and 900s, new DirecTV systems show "local" stations in the 2 to 99 channel range.

Dish Network provides local service in 36 markets, 12 of which have full power stations airing Doctor Who (Dish Network does not service the Baltimore market at this time). Dish Network promised to get the must carry channels up by January 1, 2002. All Dish Network locals are moving to the 8000 channel block. Locals currently in the 700s and 800s (none of whom were airing Doctor Who) will shortly only be in the 8000 channel block. Be advised that in many cases you have to get another receiver to pull in some of these channels, as they are being split among multiple satellites - check http://www.dishnetwork.com/ , http://echostar.swiki.net/52 , and your own setup to figure out if you need additional equipment for stations.

2 of the US affiliates airing Doctor Who (Iowa Public TV and WILL 12 Urbana, Illinois) do not service any markets that DirecTV and Dish Network currently offer locals for, so they will not go on the satellite. Also, some of these stations overlap into smaller markets not covered by DirecTV or Dish Network - in the smaller markets, these stations will not become available.

DirecTV:

Chicago, IL - WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL)
reportedly not carried

Philadelphia, PA - WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA
909 old receivers / 35 new receivers

SF/Oakland/SJ, CA - KTEH 54 San Jose, CA
903 old receivers / 54 new receivers

Boston, MA-Manchester, NH - WENH 11 Durham, NH (New Hampshire Public TV)
reportedly not carried

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX - KERA 13 Dallas, TX
889 old receivers / 13 new receivers

Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD (and the Northern Virginia suburbs) - WFPT 62
Frederick, MD (Maryland Public TV)
980 old receivers / 22 new receivers (DirecTV is disputing whether they should have to carry this station in this market)

Seattle/Tacoma, WA - KBTC 28 Tacoma, WA
970 old receivers / 28 new receivers

Denver, CO - KBDI 12 Denver, CO
910 old receivers / 12 new receivers

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - KTCA 2 St. Paul, MN
891 old receivers / 2 new receivers

Pittsburgh, PA - WQED 13 Pittsburgh, PA
947 old receivers / 13 new receivers

Baltimore, MD - WMPT 22 Annapolis, MD (Maryland Public TV)
980 old receivers / 22 new receivers

Cincinnati, OH - WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH
909 old receivers / 48 new receivers

Salt Lake City, UT - KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT
982 old receivers / 7 new receivers

Dish Network:

Chicago, IL - WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL)
channel 8502 at 61.5 degrees (listed as coming soon on
http://echostar.swiki.net/52)

Philadelphia, PA - WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA
channel 8162 at 129 degrees

SF/Oakland/SJ, CA - KTEH 54 San Jose, CA
channel 8234 at 148 degrees

Boston, MA-Manchester, NH - WENH 11 Durham, NH (New Hampshire Public TV)
not listed as being offered - could turn up on 8781 at 61.5 degrees, or nowhere

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX - KERA 13 Dallas, TX
channel 8415 at 148 degrees

Washington,DC-Hagerstown, MD (and the Northern Virginia suburbs) - WFPT 62
Frederick, MD (Maryland Public TV)
not listed as being offered - could turn up on 8082, 8083, 8085, or 8086 on 61.5 degrees, or nowhere

Seattle/Tacoma, WA - KBTC 28 Tacoma, WA
channel 8620 at 148 degrees

Denver, CO - KBDI 12 Denver, CO
channel 8211 at 148 degrees

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - KTCA 2 St. Paul, MN
channel 8576 at 110 degrees

Pittsburgh, PA - WQED 13 Pittsburgh, PA
channel 8136 at 110 degrees

Cincinnati, OH - WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH
channel 8356 at 110 degrees

Salt Lake City, UT - KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT
channel 8536 at 110 degrees

Happy New Year,
Benjamin F. Elliott