Fox won't air Cowboys games in HD
Local affiliate to air Dallas 10 times this season
By Loretta Fulton
Don't be too quick to blame Tony Romo if his passes look crisp and sharp one game but not the next.
It just might be the fault of the network that's broadcasting the Dallas Cowboys game that day. Fox will carry 10 of the Cowboys' 16 regular season games -- and it won't be in high definition, with its sharp, crisp, high-resolution image.
Five of the other six games will be televised by CBS, NBC or ESPN, which broadcast locally in HD.
One game, on Dec. 20, will be televised by the NFL Network, which is available only to DirecTV satellite subscribers. Some NFL Network games are broadcast in HD, but others are not.
Local sports fans had a breath of hope that Fox would be broadcasting in high definition by the beginning of the football season. In January, Fox officials said HD broadcasts might be available locally by midyear -- but this is not to be.
In fact, DuJuan McCoy, president and chief executive officer of Bayou City Broadcasting, which owns the local Fox affiliate, said it might be February before high definition programming comes to this area.
"I'm giving you the worst-case scenario," McCoy said, adding that HD programming might arrive sooner.
Earlier this year, Bayou City Broadcasting bought KIDY-TV/Fox 6 San Angelo and KXVA-TV/Fox 15 Abilene from Sage Broadcasting.
One thing is for certain -- Fox will be broadcasting locally in HD by Feb. 17. That's the date mandated by federal law for all television stations to cease broadcasting in the older analog format, which is used by the local Fox affiliate. All stations are required to convert to digital broadcasts by Feb. 17.
Digital doesn't necessarily mean "high definition," but Fox officials said earlier this year that HD broadcasting would come when the local affiliates switched to digital.
The fact that all stations will be required to switch to digital by Feb. 17 is causing the delay in bringing HD programming to this area, McCoy said. A limited number of businesses sell and install the necessary equipment, he said, meaning stations have to wait their turn. The limited number causes another problem, too.
"It's pretty costly," McCoy said.
Local football fans got a taste of the future when Fox transmitted the 2008 Super Bowl locally in high definition via Suddenlink cable. The HD programming was for one day only.
This year Fox will not televise the Super Bowl, but it will broadcast the collegiate national championship game Jan. 8. McCoy said Fox might broadcast that one game in HD, like it did for this year's Super Bowl.
Fox also will broadcast the NFL playoff games that Cowboys fans will be interested in. The National Football League consists of two conferences -- National and American. Dallas plays in the national conference, or NFC.
Fox will broadcast the NFC playoff games. If the Cowboys make the playoffs, local fans will just have to suffer through a standard broadcast.
Fox HD will be not be available by any means -- not via satellite or cable or even by wrapping a coat hanger around an antennae. The only way the programming would be available locally in HD is if Fox makes an exception like it did for this year's Super Bowl.
Otherwise, sports fans, you're out of luck.
"If we're not broadcasting it, you can't get it," McCoy said.
By Loretta Fulton
Don't be too quick to blame Tony Romo if his passes look crisp and sharp one game but not the next.
It just might be the fault of the network that's broadcasting the Dallas Cowboys game that day. Fox will carry 10 of the Cowboys' 16 regular season games -- and it won't be in high definition, with its sharp, crisp, high-resolution image.
Five of the other six games will be televised by CBS, NBC or ESPN, which broadcast locally in HD.
One game, on Dec. 20, will be televised by the NFL Network, which is available only to DirecTV satellite subscribers. Some NFL Network games are broadcast in HD, but others are not.
Local sports fans had a breath of hope that Fox would be broadcasting in high definition by the beginning of the football season. In January, Fox officials said HD broadcasts might be available locally by midyear -- but this is not to be.
In fact, DuJuan McCoy, president and chief executive officer of Bayou City Broadcasting, which owns the local Fox affiliate, said it might be February before high definition programming comes to this area.
"I'm giving you the worst-case scenario," McCoy said, adding that HD programming might arrive sooner.
Earlier this year, Bayou City Broadcasting bought KIDY-TV/Fox 6 San Angelo and KXVA-TV/Fox 15 Abilene from Sage Broadcasting.
One thing is for certain -- Fox will be broadcasting locally in HD by Feb. 17. That's the date mandated by federal law for all television stations to cease broadcasting in the older analog format, which is used by the local Fox affiliate. All stations are required to convert to digital broadcasts by Feb. 17.
Digital doesn't necessarily mean "high definition," but Fox officials said earlier this year that HD broadcasting would come when the local affiliates switched to digital.
The fact that all stations will be required to switch to digital by Feb. 17 is causing the delay in bringing HD programming to this area, McCoy said. A limited number of businesses sell and install the necessary equipment, he said, meaning stations have to wait their turn. The limited number causes another problem, too.
"It's pretty costly," McCoy said.
Local football fans got a taste of the future when Fox transmitted the 2008 Super Bowl locally in high definition via Suddenlink cable. The HD programming was for one day only.
This year Fox will not televise the Super Bowl, but it will broadcast the collegiate national championship game Jan. 8. McCoy said Fox might broadcast that one game in HD, like it did for this year's Super Bowl.
Fox also will broadcast the NFL playoff games that Cowboys fans will be interested in. The National Football League consists of two conferences -- National and American. Dallas plays in the national conference, or NFC.
Fox will broadcast the NFC playoff games. If the Cowboys make the playoffs, local fans will just have to suffer through a standard broadcast.
Fox HD will be not be available by any means -- not via satellite or cable or even by wrapping a coat hanger around an antennae. The only way the programming would be available locally in HD is if Fox makes an exception like it did for this year's Super Bowl.
Otherwise, sports fans, you're out of luck.
"If we're not broadcasting it, you can't get it," McCoy said.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:49 AM
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