WPBF petitioned the FCC and won exclusivity rights against WPLG in Belle Glade, Delray Beach, Greenacres City, Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach, Wellington and West Palm Beach to carry the ABC network.
WPLG was available in those markets on the Comcast system (on channels between 20-30) alongside WPBF but WPBF sought a waiver from the FCC that prevented cable operators from deleting duplicate programming of “significantly viewed” stations. The FCC granted the waiver because no opposition to the petition was received (did any one out there even know of it?) and because it found that WPLG was no longer “significantly viewed” over the air.
According to FCC rules for a TV station be considered significantly viewed it must have 3% share of total weekly viewing hours in the market and 25% net weekly circulation share. Hears-owned WPBF submitted a special Nielsen survey that showed WPLG had 1.861% of total viewing hours and 29.66% net weekly circulation share.
What is baffling to me is that nobody knew of this so that they could comment if they wanted to, and the data they used to decide WPLG over-the-air viewership was sometimes based on as few as 2 households! The most households they sampled were 17 – in West Palm Beach, in 2008
And to think they did none of this when they yanked WSVN off cable a few years ago and they did have 1000s of viewers who did protest, but concede didn’t care and the FCC did nothing.
Ugh I meant comcast not concede
WPLG-DT is on channel 9 and doesn’t get into Palm Beach county very well. Neither does WSVN-DT, on channel 8. OTA viewers with DTV receivers typically use a UHF antenna. WPEC-DT on 13 and WPTV-DT on 12 squeeze by but 8 and 9 on a UHF antenna is really pushing it.
it is ridiculous that stations have to mark their territory like this. They (WPBF) has to use the FCC to force people to watch only them and win rather then good old competition (which they would have trouble winning). WSVN and WPLG (WSVN more so thus why it disappeared sooner) were what so many in Palm Beach County who had cable tend to watch thus viewed as the largest threat. It’s pathetic. WPB News sucks bottom line. They lead with stories about Water Heaters and how to see electricity back to FPL. PA THET IC!!!!
Get At&t U-verse. They carry all miami/wpb local affiliates. I agree with Jay. WPLG is a better ABC affiliate and WPBF knows it. It’s all about money. WPLG grossed over 45 mil last year. Almost twice what WPBF made. However, I’m surprised WPLG let this slip under their fingers being that Post News Week is a bigger owner than Hearst. It sounds like Hearst slithered like a serpent and did it quietly under the table.
You know they do only give us the SD version of WPLG, so while WPLG may be better, we only get WPBF in HD, not WPLG. And, having lived here 22 years I really cant recall too many times where people chose to watch WPLG. I do remember EVERYONE watched WSVN when it was available here, NOBODY watched WFLX, but at Raycom Media, WFLX’s owners, request a few years ago Comcast snatched that one away upon their purchase of Adelphia down here.
Also for a brief time while WTVX CW West Palm was still owed by CBS and controlled at WFORs facility in Doral, they use to broadcast that CBS 4 NEws at 10 on my33. But, it has been a long time since WFOR and WTVJ have appeared on our cable here, those may have been removed around 1999 or 2000. We do still get things like all the Spanish stations, and WPBT has primary PBS rights for Palm Beach county as well as broward and dade, since WXEL can only air secondary PBS programming. We also still get WSFL, and im sure the Sun Sentinel wont let that one go.