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Boston TV crisis: WHDH and WNEU


TheRolyPoly

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i would like to ask, what is his basis for appealing? or is he appealing because the "judge got it wrong" ?

 

Ansin's exact words were, in fact, "the judge got it all wrong." I assume the hope is that he gets in front of a judge less sympathetic to Comcast who will rule that the move to pull affiliation from WHDH is against "the public interest" (perhaps due OTA coverage issues).

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NBC is already having bad press in Boston, I don't think they'd want to give any more ammo by firing an entire news operation and other staffers.

 

You missed what I was trying to say: Ansin bought WLVI, shut down its news operation, and laid off its entire staff despite the bad press he got for it. What makes you think NBC will act differently?

Of course they can! The ownership would cease to exist, just like those who worked under Tribune at WLVI.

Doesn't matter. Contracts still have to be honored, and layoff notices need to be given a certain amount ahead of time before they can take effect. My point is, that NBC cannot go in on day 1 of new ownership and tell everyone they're fired and walk away without having to pay up one way or another. They need to follow the aforementioned protocol.

A bunch of people have been joining "NECN/NBC Boston" recently. Some big names are Phil Lipof, Shannon Mullaire, and Pete Bouchard. Are all of these people only on NECN for the time being? Will they ALL join NBC Boston in January? I was wondering if all these new hires are forming the NBC Boston team.

  • 3 weeks later...

My question is, do they have to have two different rate agreements on the new contracts, like one for NBC affiliation and one without? Certainly the cablecos aren't going to pay NBC rates for what will be a news heavy CW station and another station soon to be spectrum bait come January 1st.

Oh boy, good ol' Uncle Ed is having another (smaller) argument with a major corporation. This time it's a carriage dispute with AT&T owned DirecTV.

 

http://whdh.com/news/important-information-for-directv-customers/

 

At least we got Ed to stop chasing the ice cream truck...and barking at the mailman.

A bunch of people have been joining "NECN/NBC Boston" recently. Some big names are Phil Lipof, Shannon Mullaire, and Pete Bouchard. Are all of these people only on NECN for the time being? Will they ALL join NBC Boston in January? I was wondering if all these new hires are forming the NBC Boston team.

Check the local grocery stores come January. If any of those people are on the side of a milk carton, they must've joined NBC Boston Most of Manchester and Not Much Else.

Well, NBC can't just come in and start firing staff right away- especially those under contract.

Ed Ansin would have to honor the contracts and severance. Comcast only wants the license for WHDH and nothing else.

 

IF Ed cracks and sells the station, WHDH would assume the "NBC Boston" intellectual property. "7 News" would disappear (or move to WLVI, presuming that Ed retains it).

Mark, actually only a month and a half remains. Since all syndication contracts start in September, the station will go on the air as an independent station until the NBC affiliation officially moves over on January 1. But you are correct, information has been lacking.

Ed Ansin would have to honor the contracts and severance. Comcast only wants the license for WHDH and nothing else.

 

IF Ed cracks and sells the station, WHDH would assume the "NBC Boston" intellectual property. "7 News" would disappear (or move to WLVI, presuming that Ed retains it).

 

I wouldn't be so quick to say that. It's very likely NBC would just add the "7" to the brand as "NBC 7 Boston" and "NBC 7 News" if they acquire the intellectual property of WHDH. I doubt Comcast/NBC Universal are just going to skewer the branding since most viewers in that market connect the "7 News" brand with the NBC affiliation. At one point from the late 1990s through 2007, the station used to always have the red "Circle 7" logo with the NBC Peacock and the station ID "WHDH-TV Boston" along with the NBC chimes in the first few seconds of the news open.

At one point from the late 1990s through 2007, the station used to always have the red "Circle 7" logo with the NBC Peacock and the station ID "WHDH-TV Boston" along with the NBC chimes in the first few seconds of the news open.

That was more than likely an attempt to placate NBC by at least giving them some branding harmonization.

 

And yes, NBC could change the branding of "NBC Boston" to "NBC 7 Boston" if they buy the WHDH license. But it would be run as an O&O, under O&O management, out of the NECN complex with no signs of "7 News." (And why would they even bother with the current "7 News?" TBH, Ed runs WHDH as much of an anti-O&O as possible, and would be neutered/bowdlerised under NBC's watch anyway.)

 

That's really why NBC had been lowballing Ed. They only wanted the license, and wouldn't have bothered buying the intellectual property or taking up a lease to WHDH's studios... which reside in a building Ed owns.

 

It's all about money and pride. Money and pride.

That was more than likely an attempt to placate NBC by at least giving them some branding harmonization.

 

And yes, NBC could change the branding of "NBC Boston" to "NBC 7 Boston" if they buy the WHDH license. But it would be run as an O&O, under O&O management, out of the NECN complex with no signs of "7 News." (And why would they even bother with the current "7 News?" TBH, Ed runs WHDH as much of an anti-O&O as possible, and would be neutered/bowdlerised under NBC's watch anyway.)

 

That's really why NBC had been lowballing Ed. They only wanted the license, and wouldn't have bothered buying the intellectual property or taking up a lease to WHDH's studios... which reside in a building Ed owns.

 

It's all about money and pride. Money and pride.

 

Just in case if Ed does not want to sell WHDH to NBC (mainly of fears of NBC "destroying" the tabloid look in favor of traditional and standardized ones), would NBCUniversal still make a play to put its affiliation on WNEU and boost the power?

NBC Boston's worst kept secret is confirmed it seems. It will broadcast on WNEU. Harry Connick Jr.'s show "Harry" which was previously announced to be airing on NBC Boston daytime is now listed on the show's website as airing on WNEU-60 at 3pm.

Just in case if Ed does not want to sell WHDH to NBC (mainly of fears of NBC "destroying" the tabloid look in favor of traditional and standardized ones), would NBCUniversal still make a play to put its affiliation on WNEU and boost the power?

"Boosting the power" of WNEU is impossible. It's locked in as a Manchester, NH station and will be forever.

 

This is amounting to nothing more than a spite move on NBC's part, regardless of the hash marks for ratings the NECN newscasts will yield or the gobs of money that will be burned on this quixotic venture. There is no path to success for "NBC Boston," and everyone knows it.

 

NBC Boston's worst kept secret is confirmed it seems. It will broadcast on WNEU. Harry Connick Jr.'s show "Harry" which was previously announced to be airing on NBC Boston daytime is now listed on the show's website as airing on WNEU-60 at 3pm.

Good luck to the tens of people in Manchester who will be fortunate to see "Harry."

At least we got Ed to stop chasing the ice cream truck...and barking at the mailman.
We didn't do much else unfortunately.

 

"Boosting the power" of WNEU is impossible. It's locked in as a Manchester, NH station and will be forever.

 

This is amounting to nothing more than a spite move on NBC's part, regardless of the hash marks for ratings the NECN newscasts will yield or the gobs of money that will be burned on this quixotic venture. There is no path to success for "NBC Boston," and everyone knows it.

 

 

Good luck to the tens of people in Manchester who will be fortunate to see "Harry."

There is a path to success for it, but its purely on luck like the lottery or even gambling in the sin city. Otherwise, yeah, there is none.

 

Worse yet, we couldnt, or if we could didnt, do anything about this to prevent to from happening. But I think there's still time left to solve it, and I think maybe we can make a difference.

We didn't do much else unfortunately.

 

There is a path to success for it, but its purely on luck like the lottery or even gambling in the sin city. Otherwise, yeah, there is none.

 

Worse yet, we couldnt, or if we could didnt, do anything about this to prevent to from happening. But I think there's still time left to solve it, and I think maybe we can make a difference.

 

UNITY!

And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough... [thinks hard] the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go! What the fuck happened to the TVNT I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Mardek1995, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Ansin, he's a dead man! , Ailes dead! Redstone -

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