Subchannels in Connecticut (Hartford/New Haven market)

[AmesNewington]

I'm very disappointed with the selection of digital subchannels available in the Hartford/New Haven market. We have Antenna TV, Cozi TV, This TV and several others, yet we don't have MeTV, Decades, Buzzr, and Create TV for example. Instead, we have plenty of crime/drama networks. Why does this market not have access to the well known subchannels? Maybe its my taste.

[giantsfan2016]

CPTV dropped Create and launched CPTV 4U a secondary programming service of their PBS Shows. They also launched CPTV Sports a joint service between them and WFSB that showed a lot of crap no one wanted to watch such as high school sports and the Nutmeg Games. The only time I ever watched CPTV Sports was on the rare occasion they carried a Rockcats Game. I guess it was okay when they showed Wolfpack Hockey too. They discontinued CPTV Sprots and it was rebranded CPTV Spirit. Most PBS stations also have a PBS Kids Subchannel too that CPTV does not carry. After CPTV dropped Create Comcast/Xfinity picked up Create via WGBY PBS 57/Springfield. They also picked up PBS Kids via WGBY.

ME-TV used to be available, though not statewide via WZME Channel 43 in Bridgeport. (Their offices and antenna are in Seymour). Bridgeport is technically part of the NYC market. And WZME branded as ME-TV New York. When WJLP Channel 3 in New York City (licensed to a town in New Jersey) signed on they forced WZME to drop ME-TV and they switched to ME-TV's sister network Heroes & Icons. As on January 1, 2017 WZME became affiliated with the religious network SBN. SBN is paying NRJ to air on Channel 43 and several other NRJ owned channels. I used to know WZME General Manager and Chief Engineer from when I interned at WNTY AM 990 in Southington. He was WNTY's engineer too. He told me Comcast/Xfinity refused to add WZME to their channel line-up in the greater Hartford Area. WZME offered to run a fiber feed directly to Comcast's head-end.

WZME is available on two of the three COX systems in the state. One that serves Meriden, Southington, and Cheshire. And the other that serves Rocky Hill, Newington, and Wethersfield along with Manchester and Glastonbury.


WFSB should pick up ME-TV. Channel 3.4 is going to waste as WFSB Fairfield County. It's the same exact programming as WFSB except for commercials targeting Fairfield County. It's available on cable systems in Fairfield County. It's greed on the part of the Merideth Corporation. There aren't really any local commercials on WFSB Fairfield County either. Most commercials are either PSAs or promos for shows on CBS and WFSB.

FOX 61 and WCCT/20 are both owned by Tribune soon to be Sinclair. Except for Justice Network on Channel 61.4 the sub channels they carry are affiliated with Tribune or Sinclair.

WCTX Channel 59 is going off the air. They will be channel sharing with their sister station WTNH. Hence why Justice moved from 59.3 to 61.4. WCTX will eventually be on 8.2 sending Bounce TV to 8.3 and I think Grit (currently 59.2) to 8.4

[AmesNewington]

CPTV dropped Create and launched CPTV 4U a secondary programming service of their PBS Shows. They also launched CPTV Sports a joint service between them and WFSB that showed a lot of crap no one wanted to watch such as high school sports and the Nutmeg Games. The only time I ever watched CPTV Sports was on the rare occasion they carried a Rockcats Game. I guess it was okay when they showed Wolfpack Hockey too. They discontinued CPTV Sprots and it was rebranded CPTV Spirit. Most PBS stations also have a PBS Kids Subchannel too that CPTV does not carry. After CPTV dropped Create Comcast/Xfinity picked up Create via WGBY PBS 57/Springfield. They also picked up PBS Kids via WGBY.

ME-TV used to be available, though not statewide via WZME Channel 43 in Bridgeport. (Their offices and antenna are in Seymour). Bridgeport is technically part of the NYC market. And WZME branded as ME-TV New York. When WJLP Channel 3 in New York City (licensed to a town in New Jersey) signed on they forced WZME to drop ME-TV and they switched to ME-TV's sister network Heroes & Icons. As on January 1, 2017 WZME became affiliated with the religious network SBN. SBN is paying NRJ to air on Channel 43 and several other NRJ owned channels. I used to know WZME General Manager and Chief Engineer from when I interned at WNTY AM 990 in Southington. He was WNTY's engineer too. He told me Comcast/Xfinity refused to add WZME to their channel line-up in the greater Hartford Area. WZME offered to run a fiber feed directly to Comcast's head-end.

WZME is available on two of the three COX systems in the state. One that serves Meriden, Southington, and Cheshire. And the other that serves Rocky Hill, Newington, and Wethersfield along with Manchester and Glastonbury.


WFSB should pick up ME-TV. Channel 3.4 is going to waste as WFSB Fairfield County. It's the same exact programming as WFSB except for commercials targeting Fairfield County. It's available on cable systems in Fairfield County. It's greed on the part of the Merideth Corporation. There aren't really any local commercials on WFSB Fairfield County either. Most commercials are either PSAs or promos for shows on CBS and WFSB.

FOX 61 and WCCT/20 are both owned by Tribune soon to be Sinclair. Except for Justice Network on Channel 61.4 the sub channels they carry are affiliated with Tribune or Sinclair.

WCTX Channel 59 is going off the air. They will be channel sharing with their sister station WTNH. Hence why Justice moved from 59.3 to 61.4. WCTX will eventually be on 8.2 sending Bounce TV to 8.3 and I think Grit (currently 59.2) to 8.4

I knew about CPTV's history with subchannels. Except CPTV4U was around during Create's short run on CPTV. It was the launch of CPTV Sports that ended Create TV on CPTV. As far as WGBY is concerned, I can only get an occasional signal with my antenna (a 35 mile and 50 mile one). It came in great only during the deep freeze around the start of 2018. I have Frontier for cable and they carry WNET out of New York and WNJN/NJTV out of New Jersey, but not WGBY. (WPIX, WCBS, WABC and WNBC have a channel placement on the system but are blacked out in the Hartford area while WWOR is now available non-HD). I prefer WGBY of all PBS stations in the area. The signal for WGGB in Springfield comes in more often than WGBY and WGBY has told me in emails that WGGB's signal is stronger than theirs, but they are trying to increase their signal this year. We shall wait and see. Still can't understand why I get WGBY in only freezing cold weather.

I DIDN'T know about WCTX. I wonder if they will increase their signal for Channel 8 once they cease operations of Channel 59. It would be nice to get WTNH via antenna.

I get ME TV on Frontier but it would be nice to receive it via antenna. Not sure where it would fit. I'd really like CPTV to get Create back one day and I'd love to see Decades which would be a perfect fit on WFSB 3.4. Buzzr is something I'd also like to see. Not sure where that could go. I just don't care for what Tribune has to offer except for Antenna TV. TBD, Justice, Comet, and Stadium are of no interest to me. Escape and This TV are good for a few things, but I wouldn't mind if something else replaced them.