Stations Build Virtual Duopolies

STATIONS BUILD VIRTUAL DUOPOLIES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano ]
When The CW and My Network TV debut Sept. 5, stations in about two dozen small and midsize markets will distribute the networks differently from their big-city brethren. Both The CW and My Network TV have signed affiliation deals with “digital affiliates,” stations that will carry their feed on a secondary broadcast channel. When viewers in these markets—such as Augusta, Ga., and Duluth, Minn.—tune in to The CW or My Network TV, they will get the same product as any other affiliate. For local broadcasters, however, these deals represent significant opportunities to build new businesses. As TV stations upgrade to government-mandated digital broadcast, they gain additional spectrum that allows them to carry multiple programming feeds. So far, most are just simulcasting their standard channel and a high-definition feed. But a growing number of stations are experimenting with “multicasting” second and third services, such as NBC's local weather service, NBC Weather Plus. For these broadcasters, a single station becomes a virtual duopoly. “This is an opportunity to reach different audiences and cross-promote,” says Jeff Marks, president/general manager of WAGT Augusta, an NBC affiliate that will multicast The CW on digital TV. “It also provides more exposure for our advertisers and public service.”
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