Florida: Jacksonville (NE FL & SE GA)

[NickNixon]

Greetings!

Let's get going with a JAX HD Forum for all the HDers in the northeast Florida - southeast Georgia DMA.

Unfortunately (or fortunately ), being ~60 miles north of JAX in Brunswick, Georgia, and in an apartment as well, I pretty much have to get my locals in HD from the local Comcast (formerly Adelphia) cable franchise, which, BTW, is doing a pretty decent job with HD so far, except that they dropped the HDNets when they took over from Adelphia. Comcast recently added CBS HD and CW HD which now gives me six HD locals. Here are the JAX locals I currently get via cable.

1. WJXX-HD (ABC)
2. WTEV-HD (CBS)
3. WTLV-HD (NBC)
4. WAWS-HD (FOX)
5. WCWJ-HD (CW)
6. WJCT-HD (PBS)

Although OTA is not currently an option for me, I would like know if there are other JAX stations currently doing, or planning to do HD.

(Former Dish HD / VOOM subscriber.)

[NickNixon]

I hope I'm not posting in this thread too often...

I saw this today:

From Mark Basch, The Times-Union:

Jacksonville television stations WAWS TV-30 and WTEV TV-47 will undergo a major change this fall, when new ownership takes over operations of the Fox and CBS network affiliates.

But even before the new owners come in, the two stations are making changes to better compete with local news stalwarts WJXT TV-4 and WTLV TV-12 (which simulcasts many of its newscasts with WJXX TV-25 under the First Coast News banner).

The changes, which began this week, include a new lineup of anchors for the stations' evening newscasts, new graphics that the stations say will be clearer to viewers and more reporters and photographers to cover the news.

"There is a commitment to really put this news organization in a better position to win," said Jeff Whitson, who was brought in as the vice president and general manager of the two stations in April.

WAWS and WTEV are owned by Clear Channel Communications, but Clear Channel agreed in April to sell its group of 56 television stations in 24 cities to a private investment firm called Providence Equity Partners Inc. That deal is expected to be completed in the fall.

Providence has formed a company called Newport Television, which will be based in Kansas City, Mo., to run its television stations.

Whitson said he is making changes at the two Jacksonville stations without input from Newport, but Clear Channel executives are keeping Newport informed.

"They are communicating on a consistent basis," Whitson said.

Sandy DiPasquale, the president and chief executive of Newport Television, said he did not want to comment on the Jacksonville stations because his company does not yet own them.

"Sandy has been in the business a long time," said Whitson. He hasn't yet met with DiPasquale but Whitson is encouraged by what he's heard about the Newport executive from others in the industry. ...

More @ Jacksonville.com
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Although all BIG 4 network affiliates pass-through their respective networks' HD content, no word yet on when (any) JAX stations will begin broadcasting local news and other local content on a regular basis.

I'll soon be getting a third HD display for my home, probably a 65" Mitsu DLP, and I'm ready for the local affiliates to step up to the plate and help satisfy my HD addiction!
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Along the same lines, I'd like to know why the hell WTEV didn't b/c last night's pre-season game between the Jags and Redskins in HD -- talk about a lost opportunity -- and one lost viewer (I refuse to watch football in SD.)