For some cable subscribers and viewers who depend on over-the-air to get their channels, WICU must be a real frustration. This weekend WICU again had major disruptions of signal. Now all stations experience outages at sometime and sometimes they are intentional for critical maintenance, usually overnight. However, at WICU this has been happening in daytime regularly for at least 3 years. Something is wrong in the state of SJL land.
You might blame engineering for this, but I don't believe that is the problem. It has been my experience that engineers are a very fussy lot. They are the first ones to scream in managements ear if even there is a hint a malfunction could possible occur in any piece of equipment. They also don't like to make extra work for themselves so preventive maintenance is usually the rule rather than the exception. WICU's John Wilkosz is a good chief engineer as was the grand daddy of WICU engineers, Mike Csop. But even John's miracle bag is limited if you are not given the m-o-n-e-y to do the job that needs to be done.
In my opinion, the problem at WICU is an analog transmitter that engineers have not been allowed to service properly or replace vital parts unless absolutely necessary. Why is this? I believe it is a management bent on squeezing every dollar out of the property and restricting necessary re-investment to a minimum. To my mind, that is false savings and short range thinking.
When I was in advertising and saw a technical problem at the station that prevented my clients' commercials from airing properly, I would call the engineer on duty and tell him to file my call and a discrepancy. I hope the clients who missed commercials will get their make-goods, and if not, they should demand them.
To be sure, analog will disappear on February 17, 2009 and digital will take over. (You know I would find a way to get that in there.) But WICU's digital 52 signal, as reported by others, barely makes it out of Green Township. In the last few weeks, the FCC granted SJL's request to power up the digital to a whooping .95 kilowatts. You saw the decimal point correct....less than one kilowatt of power. I would have better luck getting digital 52 with two beer cans and a string. When you get into broadcasting, you know you will have higher expenses. That is just the cost of doing business in TV land. You got to know it is going to happen.
The bottom line is that, in almost every SJL market, their reputation is soured by its drastic cost cutting of operations. If you don't believe me, just ask our friends in the "Aloha" state at KHON.
"Congress passed a law on February 1, 2006, setting a final deadline for the DTV transition of February 17, 2009. Most television stations will continue broadcasting both analog and digital programming until February 17, 2009, when all analog broadcasting will stop.” FCC www.dtv.gov
Just 11 Days To Go Before WSEE DT Channel 16 Construction Permit Expires.
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It seems that WICU is now having money troubles. The station management (Brian Lilly) has directed no Sunday 11pm newscasts after NBC NFL Preseason and Regular season games.
It looks like Erie has just one strong news station (WJET) to depend on. Thank God for Action News 24!
It has become a reoccurring theme on this blog, but here goes anyway...
Corporate ownership of Erie television stations has become the bane of broadcasting. Blame it on the FCC if you must and their decision to deregulate the industry. (If you talk to anyone in the banking industry, they will tell you that the same thing happened first in the financial arena; a handful of very powerful players who own everything.)
In Television the problem has not yet reached the proportions of radio where Clear Channel owns it all, with a few minor players for good measure.
When pioneer engineering gurus like Mike Csop and John Kansius were at the helm, you didn't have a single light bulb burn out at Erie stations.
I've said it once and will continue to say it, local ownership means local pride. Do you really think that the CEOs at SJL and Nextstar give a rip about the quality of TV in Erie?
Now, I will simply wait for the "20 something company cheerleaders to log onto the site and tell me that I am a dinosaur, a throw back to the good old days of the 1980s! This coming from those "young bucks" in the business who still think that euthanasia means...teenagers in China!
Gee Jack, you should know what you're talking about before you keep ripping on SJL (whom I have no particular love for) about the flea power of Channel 52.
All TV above Channel 50 will disappear on
2/17/09 (the date you quote oh so frequently). Why would any business invest in a full power digital transmitter that they will have to throw away after 2/17/09, when they can just delay and invest in one that will be on their final digital channel?
Of course, we won't let any facts get in the way of your rants. (Ah... salesmen- what a bunch of maroons....)
Anonymous #2 - The FCC REQUIRED ALL TV stations with a Digital Channel to be at full power by July 31, 2006! It didn't matter that all Channels above 50 will disappear. These are the rules the FCC made. The fact of the matter is that SJL is a notoriously cheap broadcasting company.
It is all moot anyway, SJL/Lilly will have NO choice but to be at full power and have their digital channels up and running by 2009 or they will lose their license. WSEE is in real jeopardy of this because of their delaying tactics (multiple last-minute extensions) and the FCC is getting sick and tired of it.
I can ASSURE you that Jack knows what he is talking about. There are a lot of behind-the-scene dynamics going on that you know nothing about.
Bottom line, stay tuned! If you miss a little you miss a lot!
The current transmitter may not be capable of full power and it is not their final frequency. (Looks like channel 12 digital) It is capable of more than point 9-5 KW ERP.
Jack, you sound pretty familiar with WICU-DT's current setup. What is the manufacturer & model # of WICU-DT's Ch 52 xmtr ? I didn't see it in any of the FCC documents (although I probably just overlooked it).
Also, even though the transmitter can be operated at higher power does not necessarily mean that the associated transmission line & antenna are capable of handling it. Once again, I don't know the details of their engineering but it sounds like you do.
Finally, is it possible that they are running at such a low power due to some interference concerns with Canada or other regulatory reason ? I don't think this is the case but it's always a possibility I suppose.
What is with you Jack? You got money invested in digital transmitter manufacturers?? To listen to you, tv is all about digital....well theres a lot more to it than that! But this is the one sided view I would expect from someone in sales. I am not be any stretch of the imagination a youngster. I have been in Erie tv for a long time, both at WJET and WSEE and I can tell you that YES Nexstar does indeed care about quality tv. Maybe not as much as a family owned group but they do care. They also care about getting a return on investment just like any other business owner. Yes you are from the old school where they didnt care about such things and that is one of the major reasons that those old owners are NO LONGER owners...they couldnt turn a profit. You need to see the writing on the wall dude, this aint to 70s anymore. If a station aint a cash cow for an owner, then it gets dumped, just like any other business.
I am not familiar with the current set up of DT 52 but I know there is no current Canadian channel problem as currently exisits with channel 54. In their filing with the FCC regarding a waiver from the full power rule of July 6th, 2006, they made no mention of either a a Canadian conflict, a Meadville Christian stations conflict. They just mentioned that their credit line was tapped. In short... no money. Hard to believe that they would lay a line that only could carry one KW. If you know more about their capability, feel free to post it.
I am not familiar with the current set up of DT 52 but I know there is no current Canadian channel problem as currently exisits with channel 54. In their filing with the FCC regarding a waiver from the full power rule of July 6th, 2006, they made no mention of either a a Canadian conflict, a Meadville Christian stations conflict. They just mentioned that their credit line was tapped. In short... no money. Hard to believe that they would lay a line that only could carry one KW. If you know more about their capability, feel free to post it.
Steve...you got to get with it. TV is all about digital and will be only digital. Get with it or you will be watching white noise.
Steve, you obviously are NOT in TV. There is this governmental agency (the FCC) and they have decided that ALL TV WILL BE DIGITAL! Jack has no axe to grind he is merely stating FACT!
The drop-dead date for ALL analog OTA transmission is February 2009 at which point everything WILL become Digital!
IF you were in TV you would know this. You might be in TV but if you are I don't see how you could miss all the talk about Analog TV ceasing to exist and everything being Digital???
Jack has been extremely fair and balanced in his commentary regarding this matter. If you would like to make a guest posting perhaps Jack could work something out. The purpose of this blog is for a constructive discussion of Erie broadcasting. There is room for all opinions....but NOT a distortion of the truth!
Thanks
Steve...One more point I do think we agree on. You said that "if a station ain't a cash cow for an owner, then it gets dumped." WSEE is the current candidate that fits your description. Maybe dreams do come true.
Anonymous #1 wrote: "When pioneer engineering gurus like Mike Csop and John Kansius were at the helm, you didn't have a single light bulb burn out at Erie stations."
Are you sure we're talking about the same John Kanzius (note spelling) here ? For many years, Channel 24's technical plant was hardly considered a textbook example of broadcast engineering worthy of emulation. Talk about chewing gum and baling wire ! You may be confusing it with John's amateur radio setup at his home which was indeed a world-class setup.
Since you mentioned the legendary Mike Csop, I would add that Jim Penna --CE at WSEE-- always ran a pretty tight ship. How things have changed !
Nothing against John and Myron, of course. Much like SJL, Nexstar, and so forth, they all had a business to run and did what it took.
It's just that, like fishing stories, one's impression of the past frequently improves with age. Or rather "events in the rear view mirror seem better than they were at the time". The good old days weren't always that good.
Look, this is a hard business to be in right now. Broadcasters are in major transition. There's never been more competition for eyes and ears than before, but there's also never been more opportunity to make money than before, with the multiple streams, websites, strategic alliances with other media, etc. Tried and true business axioms are still in force, however; like the one "you've got to spend money to make money." Broadcasting is a capital intensive business. Management and stock holders have to see that new digital transmitter as a license to print cash, as opposed to a asset transfer that has to be depreciated. Owners always have cared about making money, its just that the old school ones were willing to live with a little less cash so that they could invest in their people and their plants. Today's realities, especially in small markets don't warrent that investment. Understand, that the Top 50 are getting everything they need, because the investment/reward cycle is so much faster. In Erie, they're still trying to make back what they spent on the live trucks a few years back.
Mike Csop was one of the FINEST gentlemen to ever grace Erie TV. Mike always treated his employees with respect, even when he yelled at them for doing something wrong. I don't think I ever heard an unkind work uttered about Mr. Csop from any of his engineers. Mike was that rarest of Chief Engineers in that he was pretty much allowed to do whatever he wanted. Mike always purchased what he believed to be the best equipment. Mike also had an owner (Mr. Lamb) that allowed him to spend whatever necessary to put on a technically superior product.
WJET was a different story. Myron was a good owner but John kept things together by using bailing wire and twine. Sometimes I marvel that they were even able to put a picture on the air. I don't want to go into specifics but lets just say John wasn't the wizard you make him out to be.
Jim Penna, WOW! I haven't heard that name uttered in quite some time. He also ran a tight ship. Jim was like Mike Csop, he believed in preventative maintenance.
The current Chief's do the best they can: Lorne Earle at WJET might be the closest to Mike Csop. He is a good engineer who treats his staff with respect. John Wilkosz at WICU is OK. He's no Mike Csop but John does know his stuff and does the best with what he can. Dan Nungesser at WSEE is the Chief I feel most sorry for. He doesn't have a pot to piss in but he tries and I have to give him credit for that!
How is Mike Csop doing? I used to work for him years ago. What a super guy! One time we all went out drinking, shit! I tried to keep up with Mike and was hungover for 3 days!
Good Times! Good Times!
I worked at Channel 12 around the time Mike retired. I couldn't get him to listen to me when I told him the piece of s*it transmitter needed replaced!
In my opinion Mike was good in the beginning but at the end he was lazy and getting fat off a pension. Mike Csop is one of the reasons Channel 12 has such a weak transmitter. Mike Csop is not an engineering god!
PJ. I see you have some catching up on reading to do on Erie Media-Go-Round. The FCC doesn't make anything simple anymore.
Channel 52 is the actual frequency of WICU's current digital channel. Your digital set or converter box sound like it changes the designation to 12.1. That is a special signal that WICU sends that changes they way your box reads and reports channel 52. It is so that they keep their identity of channel 12. Fox 66 (DT 22) and WJET 24 (DT 58)do the same thing respectively. WQLN does not.
As for the reception of your 12.1 or (channel 52) WICU is broadcasting on very low power. There have been some other comments regarding how difficult it is to get it. I am only 5 miles from the transmitter and have a large rotor antenna and I can't hold it.
Now to make things even more confusion or perhaps easier. WICU and WJET have both asked the FCC to reassign them a new frequency. (DT 12 and DT 24 respectively. The FCC has done so. So by the time of the digital transition, the DT 52 and the DT 58 will be gone. But it is likely your set or converter box will still show it as 12.1 and 24.1.
I hope that helps. I know it can be confusing. That is why I have been urging the stations and the newspaper to start educating the public.
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