Recently in Hannah Declerk Category

Recently I have stumbled upon many articles regarding WHDH-NBC Battle over Leno.  Some say that everyone involved in the battle should take a deep breathe and give Leno a chance, while others say what WHDH is doing is pure geneous.  For those who do not know what is going on, let me give you the quick run through. 
Ed Ansin, owner of WHBH in Boston has recently made an anouncement to not allow Jay Leno to take the place of local news at 10 P.M.  This, of course, made affiliates at NBC very angry, and has caused quite the national stir.  I think an important implication of the battle should be the history Ansin and NBC have.

According to a recent article published in TVNEWSDAY.com by Harry Jessell, "Ed Ansin and NBC have some history-- not the good kind."
About two decades ago NBC pulled it affiliation from WSVN Miami, then Ansin's only station.  Ansin, obviously made it out pretty well but was still taught a lesson in loyalty of the business.  Ansin continued to hold a grudge against NBC proven in 2006 when the Tribune put its CW affiliate in Boston on the market and he snatched it up.

Back to the conflict- there are two sides that a person could take on the protest.
The first is to support Ansil.  The future of local television depends on strong owners making the best decisions for their audiences.
The second is that the Leno hour will give NBC what it has lacked for years- a solid core of strong programming.
I honestly can see myself with the second for two reasons.  The first is that NBC is airing a host who can work at primetime, being that Leno is a likeable/enjoyable character.  He is a hard worker, and will be able to keep up with the five night a week showing.  The second, although some see as negative, is the revenue brought in.  NBC will produce more money then they ever made airing dramas.

I recently encountered the repetitive news that the TV converter coupons are now flowing again.  Hurray.  The agency that mails out the converter coupons has said that it is supposed to eliminate its weight list in two and a half weeks.

$650 million from the stimilus package is going toward the 2.3 million households that do not own cable boxes.

 

I completely agree with the importance of conversion, especially when it comes down to the safety of United States citizens.  It will free up valuable parts of the broadcast system, especially with police, fire departments and rescue squads.

However, do we really need to spend this much money in order for everyone to recieve an equally awesome HD picture?  Is this really going to benefit the broadcast system?

Well for one, people really have no choice since congress already passed a bill for full-power television companies to broadcast in complete analogue on June 12, 2009.

The real question that rattles my mind is just how beneficial all this money and hard work really is.  I came up with three levels of an accurate answer.

Easy Answer: Why?  Because it is better than before!

Medium Answer: Because everything needs an upgrade, just like upgrading from records to C.D.s, or VHS to DVD.

Hard/Boring Answer: There is a spectrum of signals available for companies to distribute information.  The spectrums have various signals in the levels of capacity, thus enabling a much better technical quality than analogue.  So, the signal will not interfere with public safety networks and will be beneficial to wireless internet services.  Also, as mentioned before, everyone will have an equally great HD picture!

 

Anyway, back to the main point.  The coupons.  The fund that pays for the $40 coupons reached it's spending limit back in January.  The NTIA was still able to send out coupons, as long as they did not expire in 90 days.  Now the rules have changed to if the coupons run out then the people can apply for new ones.

Now, because of the entire "coupon fiasco", the deadline has been switched to June 12th.  I find it funny that regardless, some stations still turned off the analogue signals on February 17th.  Whoops. 

I just hope that this is the absolute set date.  I also hope that this is not an absolute waste of money.  I also hope that everyones rabbit ears will be recycled to help stop global warming.  Maybe if that happens then Obama will not have to spend billions on cleaning up the environment.  Doubtful.

 

Sirius radio seems to be going through a downward spiral.  Now $175 million dollars in debt, and nowhere to run, CEO Mel Karmazin must either file for bankruptcy or throw himself at the lions.  That is, if Karmazin does not come up with a strategic plan by tomorrow (2/17) or receive control from John Malone's Liberty media (which is highly unlikely) then a Chapter 11 must be issued.  However, Malone has offered up a senior secure loan that would allow Malone to make a financial investment, and not a complete takeover.  On the other hand, Charlie Ergen is also in the running to help out in the crisis.  Ergen, counter from Malone, does want complete control and nothing to do with the satelite business.  Karmazin is aware of the opposition of the two parties and strategically brought Malone in after Ergen in order to play the two after each other.  Sounds pretty messy.  Either way Karmazin is going to have to pair with one of these two players or settle for bankruptcy.  If I were Karmazin I would go with Malone.  Not only will Karmazin then get to keep his company, but will hopefully be able to pay his way out of debt over time.