WTOV 9.2 now retro TV

[genlock]

Classic TV Coming To WTOV9
WTOV9’s Retro Television Network (RTN), a channel featuring classic television hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s is coming to the Ohio Valley.

Viewers will enjoy traveling back in time by watching their favorite episodes of such all-time great shows as “Leave it to Beaver,” “ McHale’s Navy,” “Magnum P.I.,” “Dragnet,” and others. And, a whole new generation of children will enjoy “The Incredible Hulk,” “Knight Rider” and “The A-Team.” WTOV9 Vice President & General Manager said, “We are excited and pleased to bring Retro Television Network’s classic television programs to the viewers of the Ohio Valley. We fondly remember these great shows while growing up and now we can relive those special memories and introduce these wonderful classic TV programs to a younger audience for them to enjoy. WTOV9 has always been a leader in our community and RTN will now enhance that leadership.”

[genlock]

I suspect this is some sort of a barter arrangement.
Why can't brain dead WOWK or WCHS do this?
It would give their dooless salesmen something to do.

[fearpeddler]

CHS tried the .2 a couple years ago and failed at it miserably. WOWK seems too cheap to try to undertake the effort of adding a .2 to their station...

[genlock]

The WCHS dot 2 was a music channel that was said to be very good.
There was some sort of rights problem and Sinclair dropped the channel
on all owned stations. At least they tried. WOWK has not even tried for
a second revenue stream (in Huntington anyway). I guess Bray has not
thought of it and everybody is afraid to mention it.

[David Paleg]

I guess Bray has not thought of it and everybody is afraid to mention it.

Maybe they don't want to pull viewers away from their main channel.

[genlock]

Viewers is viewers.
Channel 13 has trouble attracting them by doing the same thing as everybody else,
so why not do something different. Retro TV might play better in this aging
market than the rather urban MyZ TV of WSAZ.

[Mr. Tom Jones]

WTOV 9.2 becoming RTV is really a case of "nothing to see here, move along." Why doesn't Cox just call the station "WPXI-West", at least internally, anyway?

As for Chairman Bray -- well, lets just say he's got other problems on his mind besides WOWK 13.2. Like, for instance, how to roll over the note he used to assemble the group. 2009 will be a really interesting one for the WVMH empire -- especially if coal prices drop.

Keep also in mind the WVMH empire has moved quite aggressively with digital subchannels, in stark contrast to everyone else around. WTRF has CBS, Fox, and ABC (and broadcasts My Network on a delay basis). WVNS has CBS and Fox. WBOY has NBC and ABC. WSAZ picked up My Network, FWIW. Sinclair has both ABC and Fox sewn up in H-C. So what the heck does one program on a WOWK digital subchannel in H-C? The CW? Yah, right.

RTV -- that's a thought. Perhaps the price isn't right for the Chairman, however. What the heck else can one program? The Chairman needs another revenue stream out of H-C, no question. Can he get one at the level he wants? Could some sort of switcheroonie happen in WV, given all the connections the WVMH empire has with all the nets? That's why I'm saying 2009's gonna be a real interesting year for the WVMH empire.

[JustWinBaby]

And here I thought WTRF had the market cornered on "retro TV." Hasn't anybody seen their 80's-style newscasts since Parkervision crashed under the watchful eye of their crack engineering staff? I don't know about you, but nothing compliments a crappy transmitter like single camera shots, glitchy tapes and bad audio.

I actually like the Retro TV addition to the local line-up. I know I'll watch it.

[Mr. Tom Jones]

And here I thought WTRF had the market cornered on "retro TV." Hasn't anybody seen their 80's-style newscasts since Parkervision crashed under the watchful eye of their crack engineering staff? I don't know about you, but nothing compliments a crappy transmitter like single camera shots, glitchy tapes and bad audio.

Dude,

If boss-man doesn't give the engineers the cash to replace stuff that's obsolete, I don't care how watchful the engineering staff is. Stuff will break. Sometimes Stuff will break and it cannot be fixed. Back in the day before assorted MBA-types told engineers they didn't need most of the redundant bits of the physical plant, things such as what WTRF is going through now only happened rarely. When technical decisions are made by non-technical people (or by technical staff incapable of asking the right questions) -- disaster inevitably follows. The Chairman got what he paid for.

In any event, most of the engineers I've worked with over the years don't enjoy schadenfreude. What goes around comes around.

As for the crappy transmitter at WTRF, it's gonna be turned off February 17th.

[Dave Loudin]

The Arkansas-based parent company for RTN is headed for bankruptcy.

[JustWinBaby]

Dude,

If boss-man doesn't give the engineers the cash to replace stuff that's obsolete, I don't care how watchful the engineering staff is. Stuff will break. Sometimes Stuff will break and it cannot be fixed. Back in the day before assorted MBA-types told engineers they didn't need most of the redundant bits of the physical plant, things such as what WTRF is going through now only happened rarely. When technical decisions are made by non-technical people (or by technical staff incapable of asking the right questions) -- disaster inevitably follows. The Chairman got what he paid for.

In any event, most of the engineers I've worked with over the years don't enjoy schadenfreude. What goes around comes around.

As for the crappy transmitter at WTRF, it's gonna be turned off February 17th.Mr. Tom Jones
Member


Posts: 606
Joined: Fri May 03, 2002 9:46 am
Location: West Virginia
Private message

You're right Kurt. When I think of the great technical minds of our time, John Green instantly comes to mind. He probably still thinks "Head Cleaner" is a porno title.

I'd say your best hope is that when Bray's divorce is final, his wife ends up owning your station instead.

[Mr. Jones]

From DCRTV:

RTN Signs Off - 1/4 - The Retro TV Network, which carries nostalgic TV shows from the 1950s through the 1980s, has apparently gone belly-up due to obvious cash flow problems resulting from sluggish ad sales. It was carried on the digital subchannels of many TV stations across the country, including DC's Channel 7/WJLA. No word on whether WJLA plans to put something else on "7.3," which is carried by Comcast in the DC area on channel 205. WJLA started carrying RTN in July, after terminating its locally-produced public access-type service, Local Point TV.....

Can anyone confirm this?

[Lester]

I'll check next time I'm downstairs (WRAL runs it as a subchannel... it was there yesterday.)

[Lester]

Old time shows are running, but it appears to be out of sync with what the channel guide says should be on... and there is no RTN bug in the corner. (Not sure if I remember one from before though.) There are one, sometimes two commercials per break... and right back to programming... no promos, liners, nothing. (Hour ID did display as a graphic near the top of the hour.)

So... still a maybe... but it's not looking too good.