One of my readers said a local family member's television was picking up over-the-air digital channels out of Philadelphia. I asked if the TV was new (made within the last three years) and a popular model such as Sony, Samsung or LG. The answer was yes to both questions.
Newer brand-name TVs have QAM tuners that pick up extra digital and high-definition channels without cable, a set-top box or an antenna, as I've noted here before.
I had a friend in Adamstown who could pick up A&E in high definition without cable, so receiving the digital offerings from Philadelphia stations such as WPVI-TV ABC 6 is not an unrealistic prospect for a high-end TV. A good tuner will pick up channels and HD signals, some outside our area.
Most TVs sold after 2006 include QAM tuners, but some less-expensive models do not allow QAM tuning. With TVs, you get what you pay for.
A QAM tuner allows free reception of unscrambled digital programming sent "in the clear," or unencrypted, by cable providers, usually local broadcast stations. Which channels are scrambled varies, and acquiring extra channels may depend on where you live. Most digital channels are scrambled because the providers do not consider them "basic cable." Your local channels, considered "essential channels," aren't allowed to be scrambled.
So it's in your best interest to rescan your TV and allow the QAM tuner to locate any hidden gems.
Olympics ratings: The Winter Olympics ruled TV ratings during its first week, giving NBC an average audience roughly three times the size of its nearest rival, Fox.
NBC's coverage of the Winter Games held seven of the top eight spots for the week of Feb. 14-21, according to the Nielsen Co.
Overall, NBC beat its competition with an average of 24.8 million viewers in its first full week of Olympics coverage; Fox had 8.7 million. Through the first seven days, 152 million people watched some part of the games in Vancouver. NBC Sports said the telecasts averaged the most viewers since the 1994 Winter Games.
NBC's "Nightly News" won the evening newscast race for the same week with an average of 8.26 million viewers. "ABC World News" was runner-up with 6.2 million.
This is great news for NBC, but I don't think its affiliates were thrilled about having to air their 11 p.m. newscasts after midnight. That has happened several times during the Olympics.
The popularity of these games is part of an increase in live-event viewing. The Super Bowl earlier this month was the most watched television program of all time, and the Grammy, Golden Globe and Emmy awards shows all had higher ratings than the previous year.
WLPA: The local sports-talk show that WLPA-AM 1490 aired from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday is off the air. The station plans to have the show return March 15.
Reporter changes: A reader asked what happened to WGAL-TV 8 reporter George Lettis. WGAL says Lettis has relocated to the Washington, D.C., area for family reasons. Matt Barcaro moved into the Cumberland County beat reporter position, and Porcha Johnson took over Barcaro's evening assignment reporter position.
Staff writer Eric Stark discusses trends and tidbits in broadcast media each week in the Sunday News. He can be reached at estark@lnpnews.com.