Channel 25 might go blank for Massachusetts Fios customers next week

I could just pay the $14/month for regional sports and be done with it

But then a 'local station' wouldn't really be one.

The whole point of the local station is for the broadcasting. If they go to online only, the FCC would take away their license or force them to sell it. And their afflilation with a network would be at stake.

I mean look at WYCN/WBTS or otherwise known as "NBC Boston" or "NBC10" even though neither of their broadcast channels are that number. It was more of a move to align them on the cable tv dial as channel 10. Yeah they are a NBC, thus Comcast owned station and channel 10 is their Comcast channel position, but also because most of their viewers come from cable.

Look at the shenanigans NBC did at the begining. They purchased a tiny low power station with a license. They were forced by the FCC to fix their broadcasting issues.. or lack there of. Hence them multiplexing and PSIP with NBC-owned Telemundo's signal.

Its clear NBC/Comcast only cared about having just enough precense to satisfy the FCC requirements but really are just "NECN Local, NBC Edition". I mean NBC10 uses the same facility that NECN uses in Newton.

It would take alot of re-working of the FCC for anything to change anytime soon.

I do agree tho that stations are pushing the online content because it has become a source of revenue, enough to offset the loss of OTA and cable viewers. The good news is, this is saving local TV news desks. (WHDH is a good example of how this is working well).

There's just something about local tv news that online just hasn't been able to master yet. Print yes like *ahem* Gaffin here. But local news-like things that dont have a local precense.. not so much. But then again, I dont look for it cuz I watch online or via my Antenna.

And I think what NBC did in Boston, as there's a push for more "owned & operated" network stations will be come the norm. Just enough of a precense to have a license and seperate them from the rest to establish them as a 'local station'.

Now with shared studio space & production staff and the fact that most TV stations in our area (or in most areas) all now share tower space with each other. When everything went HD, stations realized it was more cost effective to team up & have facilities together. Most of our stations come from Needham (2,4,5,25,38,44), Merrimack Valley (NBC, 60) or Rhode Island. And for many smaller stations (i.e. 56) they are now duplex off some other tower and just PSIP'd into their channel. Its not even its own broadcast signal anymore.. the absolute bare minimum to keep its license.

Anyways my point is moving to internet only might work but still would take alot of movement, and then there's the local news aspect, focusing on the word local... and that has to work for them to seperate themselves from some start up media company that is 'local news' (i.e. "Local" or Newsy, etc)

I mean I don't know about anyone else but I value local news. Gotta know what's going on. And yeah I like the local tv news aspect, it's important. These people live here & grow with our community. I just don't see that level or whatever it is in anything I've seen by an online only source for local news. And so many have tried. And local TV stations know that. People love their talent and severely local reporting.

I'm also old too so I may be just apart of a dying group of people who like local news.