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CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
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NoozDude
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CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by NoozDude » Wed Feb 08, 2017 11:48 am

From Central Michigan University Office of Communications: "Central Michigan University today outlined plans for its five public television and eight radio stations following the Federal Communications Commission’s landmark broadcast spectrum auction, which was conducted to gain spectrum for the nation’s cellular and digital services. CMU Public Broadcasting will continue to operate its radio stations and four TV stations across central and northern Michigan while selling its Flint station for $14 million."
Complete press release here: https://www.cmich.edu/news/article/Page ... nt-TV.aspx



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by Arthur Mometer » Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:05 pm

What would be the procedure be for a commercial TV company to buy it? Would they have to have the channel converted for commercial use? Even though nonbroadcast use wouldn't have to? Look at how all the full power and low power TVs have scrambled to the Southfield area. A TL move to Clarkston could serve both the City of License and the Detroit market well, like Goodwill stations wanted to do with WJRT. One of the proposed WJRT TLs was eight miles South of the 28 tower. The Clarkston area is at the terrain high point. Except for cable, PBS service will be toast without 28. The signal prediction method is no where near reality for 23, 19, and 56. WJRT had to carry Sesame Street before 28.

If you believed FCC F(50,90) signal prediction methods in reaching this decision, that decision is ill advised. Those methods do not take terrain variations and shadowing into account and their effect on UHF frequencies. And further channel packing will limit options for subchannel and main channel use in the future.


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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by jry » Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:44 pm

Wow. This is crazy. That signal could be sold to a commercial broadcaster as there is no "Educational Band" with TV. You plunk them, wherever. This should be the same with Radio, as is done in Canada. What would you do with it? Every major network is covered.
They must've really wanted the 14 large.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by Fingerboard Corners » Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:10 pm

jry wrote:Wow. This is crazy. That signal could be sold to a commercial broadcaster as there is no "Educational Band" with TV. You plunk them, wherever. This should be the same with Radio, as is done in Canada. What would you do with it? Every major network is covered.
They must've really wanted the 14 large.
Somehow, one would suspect that a one time 14 million will be either wasted or otherwise put into programs that are either counterproductive to society or unnecessary. Universities and other schools tend to be like lottery winners with windfall proceeds. A few years later, they are short again. Will the CMU President get a raise?

Don't know if the allotment will be treated differently. Last time I knew, individual allotments still had the noncommercial asterisk designation.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by NoozDude » Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:20 pm

Arthur Mometer wrote:What would be the procedure be for a commercial TV company to buy it?
My understanding is this is a done deal. FCC is desperate for spectrum space for non-broadcast use and CMU is willing to sell their "slice of space." Channel 28 as we once knew it, is going, going, gone.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by Arthur Mometer » Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:37 pm

NoozDude wrote:
Arthur Mometer wrote:What would be the procedure be for a commercial TV company to buy it?
My understanding is this is a done deal. FCC is desperate for spectrum space for non-broadcast use and CMU is willing to sell their "slice of space." Channel 28 as we once knew it, is going, going, gone.
Lower frequencies should be dedicated to broadcasting. I know, this is about money. But for frequencies for short range point to point line of sight communications, there is no upper limit except technological limitations. But since infrared and even visible light can be modulated and used that way, why bother with UHF?

People always dwell on Flint's problems and population decline, but don't look for a mass exodus from Genesee County any time soon. That's where the population loss has gone. Southern Genesee County will mysteriously be growing by leaps and bounds by the 2020 census. I think this is a short sighted view by CMU. There are still at least 10% more people in Genesee County than there were in 1960, when Flint's population reached a census maximum, and those people will have limited options on PBS compared to the past due to UHF propagation problems. OTA on UHF is unreliable at 20-25 miles except in very flat terrain or high local elevation. Before 28 came on the air, you at least had a snowy analog picture on 19, 23, and 56. Now you'll have virtually nothing DTV OTA in most of the County. Cable and Satellite costs are out of control. Portability as been lost, and multiple sets being connected are getting out of range economically. If you say TV as we know it is dead, and 28 is the canary in the mine, then maybe. 90% of viewing is cable and satellite for the simple reason that they've made it difficult and/or expensive to view it any other way. It's also difficult and unreliable to listen to an audio stream on the internet, let alone video.

U of M Flint at least had local programming, employees and student participation. It is CMU that made it just a satellite operation rebroadcasting WCMU-TV. It was at the point that CMU took over that those jobs and opportunities disappeared.
Last edited by Arthur Mometer on Wed Feb 08, 2017 3:17 pm, edited 4 times in total.


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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by audiophile » Wed Feb 08, 2017 3:01 pm

Arthur is right, it has *28 - so it is reserved for non-commercial use.


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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by HD74 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 4:08 pm

Likely the spectrum is needed for repacking stations as they are kicked off channel 37 and above.
There are several markets involved in the area, and quite a few currently above 36.
For the next 39 months it's going to be rescan, rescan, rescan...


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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by Bdl » Wed Feb 08, 2017 4:41 pm

Somehow, one would suspect that a one time 14 million will be either wasted or otherwise put into programs that are either counterproductive to society or unnecessary. Universities and other schools tend to be like lottery winners with windfall proceeds. A few years later, they are short again. Will the CMU President get a raise?

[/quote]

Part of the reason that Delta decided not to join in. If they were going to get (insert number) millions of dollars...then a lot of people wanted that to be used to offset the cost of tuition.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Feb 08, 2017 6:32 pm

How does the $14 million price tag compare to the FCC's outrageous pre-auction price estimates?

Arthur, I would also point out that WCMZ is carried on every cable system in Oakland County, a number of cable systems in Wayne, Livingston and Washtenaw Counties, and on Wide Open West in Macomb County. So, in addition to reaching southern Genesee (you made good points, I might add), the station has considerable reach into the Detroit DMA as well.

If WCMZ goes bye-bye, I suspect the Detroit DMA cable operators will drop "WCMU" programming completely.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by tvbobn » Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:54 pm

Opening Bid for the WCMU spectrum was $143,613,000

By the time we got to the end stage, it was down to $14,000,000?

What good was WCMU to Central Michigan College? It was way out of their main area and whatever they get for WCMU is now going to be used to improve their other broadcast stations all over Northern Michigan.

As a non-com it was only a money raiser anyway for them.


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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by ftballfan » Wed Feb 08, 2017 11:26 pm

If they were to dump (or move) a station in the auction, I thought WCMW would either go silent or move to VHF Low.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by organman95 » Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:48 am

CMU has something weird with the signals on WCMW and WCMV. I live in Manistee, which isn't fair from WCMW tower. I can't get the signal from WCMW. However, I can get WCMV with nearly 50% strength. Drive 17 miles to my Uncle's house in Wellston. He picks up WCMW with a near 80% signal, can't get WCMV.

I know terrain has a lot to do with how well one receives (if at all) a signal. But that is a bit ridiculous.



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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by audiophile » Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:13 am

It's all about terrain on UHF.


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Bdl
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Re: CMU Sells Flint WCMZ-TV In FCC Spectrum Auction

Post by Bdl » Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:31 am

organman95 wrote:CMU has something weird with the signals on WCMW and WCMV. I live in Manistee, which isn't fair from WCMW tower. I can't get the signal from WCMW. However, I can get WCMV with nearly 50% strength. Drive 17 miles to my Uncle's house in Wellston. He picks up WCMW with a near 80% signal, can't get WCMV.

I know terrain has a lot to do with how well one receives (if at all) a signal. But that is a bit ridiculous.
Such a thing as being TOO close. Maybe you fall into that realm.



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