Rules Force Loss of Fort Wayne TV on Warsaw Cable

Starting today, Cable T-V customers in Warsaw can no longer watch three Fort Wayne stations. Hear Comcast Public Affairs Director Deb Piscola explain how the change was necessary in order to comply with federal regulations. Piscola says federal regulations require Comcast to give exclusive display to the CBS, NBC and PBS stations in South Bend, because Kosciusko County is in the South Bend designated market area (DMA). Piscola says Fort Wayne ABC affiliate WPTA will remain on the Warsaw cable system, because South Bend’s ABC affiliate is a low-power station. It therefore doesn’t get the same rights. The general manager of Fort Wayne’s CBS affiliate says he has looked into an exception to the federal rules. Hear WANE TV General Manager Alan Riebe talk about how he has heard from Warsaw viewers and how he hates to lose that audience. Riebe says that if WANE TV could prove that a significant number of Warsaw households watch his station; federal regulations would allow Comcast to carry it. But Riebe says the latest ratings figures show that WANE TV doesn’t have enough viewers for that exception to apply. If Kosciusko County could move to from the South Bend DMA to the Fort Wayne DMA, Comcast would have to show the Fort Wayne stations. TV ratings company Nielsen Media Research decides what DMA every county is in. Hear Nielsen spokesman Matt Tatham explain how Nielsen uses only viewship figures to determine to what DMA a county belongs. Tatham says Nielsen does not consider public input or information like where residents do their out-of-town shopping. Kosciusko County residents have voted with their TV tuners to stay in the South Bend DMA. Warsaw Comcast cable customers who are upset that they can’t watch Fort Wayne’s CBS, NBC and PBS stations any more might be thinking about switching to a satellite service, like Dish Network or Direct TV. Hear Direct TV spokesman Robert Mercer explain how his company is bound by the same federal regulations as are cable TV companies. Mercer says that means if a customer’s dish is in Kosciusko County, the company can only send local stations from South Bend to that dish. Warsaw Comcast cable TV customers who are unhappy about channel changes or other issues can’t get much help from city government. Mayor Ernie Wiggins says the city has a contract with Comcast that allows the cable company to put its equipment in public rights of way. But there are only a few reasons the city can rescind that agreement. Hear Wiggins list the types of issues that could lead to recision of the city's contract with Comcast. Mayor Wiggins says programming, service and billing issues don’t give the city the right to terminate Comcast’s franchise. The city can only relay such complaints to its contact at Comcast. Some Comcast customers have complained to the city about today’s removal of some Fort Wayne stations and about other issues.