Small Markets Await Satellite TV Salvation

By Andrew Gauthier 

TVNewsCheck

In 2007 when a devastating tornado ripped through the Jonesboro, Ark., region, some residents couldn’t watch their local TV weather and get news on when to take cover.

That’s because in Jonesboro (DMA 181) neither of the satellite TV operators, Dish Network and DirecTV, delivers local TV signals.

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“These are areas where [the satellite subscribers] don’t get Amber alerts and severe weather information,” says Tim Ingram, general manager of KAIT, the ABC affiliate.

Cable service is limited in the mostly rural Jonesboro area, forcing many TV viewers to depend on satellite, explains the Raycom broadcaster. More…

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