Direct TV and Aroostook County (Bangor, Presque Isle: real estate, lease, how much)

[JLynn35]

Hi Folks,
Has anyone heard anything about Aroostook County getting local channels coming in the next couple of months?

I had a real estate agent tell me this weekend that local channels are in the works to be approved...

Thanks.

[atardie]

I haven't heard anything, we have local digital with WAGM noe with a roof top ant. No locals with Dishnetwork.

[SailorGirl2001]

Can't tell you for sure what will happen in Aroostook County, but this past month I just began service with Direct TV in Bremen (mid-coast). When they first hooked me up I could not receive the local chanels and they had to switch me to a HD receiver to pick up the local chanels (even though I do not have a HD tv). The reason being is that currently the satellite that transmits the local channels is at a 30 degree angle in the sky, which is causing a big problem in Maine due to the topography and trees. The HD satellite is higher in the sky.

I was told by the Direct TV installer that Direct TV is going to be ending their lease on the current local channel satellite and switch to a satallite that is higher in the sky. This change will take place by the end of the year. So hopefully local channels will soon be in your future in Aroostook.

[droobie]

I'm surprised that Aroostook doesn't get Bangor market locals on Dish Network and DirecTV. Aside from WAGMs CBS (and I think they have a fox subchannel), that still leaves ABC, NBC, etc.

[kellysmith]

All of Aroostook County is in the Presque Isle market area according to the FCC. Even though Presque Isle has no ABC or NBC affiliate and the FOX channel in PI is FOX light if you ask me. You can't even get the distant networks for CBS in Aroostook any more. WAGM has to agree to sign a waiver for you to get them and they deny all applications for the waiver from what I can see. As long as Susan Collins is a US Senator from Maine I don't see the FCC changing the market areas. She is too protective of anything in the Presque Isle-Caribou area and I'm pretty sure she's not too interested in having Bangor locals available on either Dish or DirectTV in the County. I've written to her several times about this and have yet to even get a reply.
So either DirectTv is going to pick up WAGM or the FCC is changing the market area designations. I don't see a huge interest for PI locals, folks in the County that I talk to want Bangor locals, but that's not legal the way the FCC has written the law.

[droobie]

That stinks. I believe Bangor locals are available in that market via Time Warner too. It's strange that the cable companies can provide out of market TV channels yet the satellite carriers cannot provide those same channels.

[atardie]

You are correct, cable subscribers can get Bangor stations and Wagm, sat customers are left to recieve WAGM CBS ans FOX via roof top... Welcome to Northern Maine!!!

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by atardie

You are correct, cable subscribers can get Bangor stations and Wagm, sat customers are left to recieve WAGM CBS ans FOX via roof top... Welcome to Northern Maine!!!

Over the air reception of Presque Isle is possible in areas close to Presque Isle, but not all of Aroostook. Down in Sherman it would be impossible to get an antenna that would pick up WAGM no matter how much money you wanted to spend. All of Aroostook is just not within the reception area for Presque Isle...and therefore should not be in the PI market area. If anyone is talking to our Senators, make sure to mention that!

[JLynn35]

Thanks everyone for your comments and input. I guess over the winter if we want to watch the Patriots we will pay to view.

[Maineah]

We had our Directv antenna replaced last week. I was talking to the technician about service in Maine. He used to work in The County and said due to how far north Aroostook county lies (above the 45th parrallel) they have a hard time hitting the satellite sitting 23,000 miles above Texas as it is so low on the horizon up there. The sattellite for local channels is even lower on the horizon so that makes it next to impossible for Directv to send that signal to The County. Here in Freeport he had to "split the difference" between the main satellite and the one that carries local channels. I get the regular HD satellite channels fine but on the local ones I only get channel WMTW (ABC) and WGME (CBS) clearly. I have trouble with WCSH (NBC). The County may be just too far north for the second "local" satellite.