Welcome to TV Garth!

Ever since I was a kid, I loved antennas and TV reception. It was always a thrill to hook up an antenna and see what stations I could get, and see if I could pick up anything from a far distance. With the transition to digital broadcasting happening, my love for OTA (over the air) reception came back and this blog will focus on what channels I'm able to receive via antenna from my home just outside of Toronto, Canada. Plus there may be occasional commentaries on shows that I see while adjusting my reception.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Reception Reports: June 2012 (Part 3)

Greetings TV Garth readers! My trilogy concludes with the final installment covering the outrageous reception in June! Stay tuned for a healthy dose of Cleveland, Detroit, Erie, Utica & Rochester and more!

June 28, 2012

I love the fun banter and laughter seen on Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) with Marty Snyder, Jennifer Johnson and Norma Holland!

2012-06-28

I also love the lively energy Rebecca Leclair brings to the morning newscasts on Rochester's WHEC (RF10)! Leclair reported on Karen Klein (bullied bus monitor) meeting up with Max Sidorov, the Toronto man who started the fundraiser in her honor.

2012-06-28

I declair that Rebecca and Nikki Rudd make a Divalicious duo on WHEC's News 10 NBC Today! It even looks like Rebecca's about to say "Can I get an Amen on that?" to Nikki Rudd's "Mmm hmm!"

2012-06-28

Erie, PA's WJET (RF24) featured a nice promo with Traci Teudhope!

2012-06-28

Many Nexstar stations begin their newscasts with a "Forecast First" segment, including WJET with meteorologist Tom DiVecchio!

2012-06-28

It was time for WJET to say Good Morning Erie that day!

2012-06-28

There was an awesome WJET promo with the Erie Seawolves mascots C. Wolf and the relatively new addition Perry. (After a wonderfully punny name for C. Wolf, I wish the newer mascot would be named Kay T. Perry or something...)

2012-06-28

Cleveland, OH also began floating in with WQHS (RF34) and a great Univision network ID!

2012-06-28

Cleveland's WKYC (RF17) featured Amanda Barren all of the important facts during her report that morning.

2012-06-28

It was neat to see fellow Canadian Matt Granite doing his Ways 2 Save segment on WKYC with a gorgeous view of Cleveland behind him! I first saw Ways 2 Save a couple of years back on Buffalo's WGRZ (hence the "2" in the title) and while Granite relocated to Ohio, he still does the segments for both stations.

2012-06-28

I can assure you that Matt Granite's deals are never shady. Granite wears his Sunglasses At Daybreak with WKYC anchors Erin Kennedy and Chris Tye!

2012-06-28

Bruce Kalinowski was on weather duties for WKYC that morning!

2012-06-28

I flipped over the glam hairstyle worn by a Univision anchor during the Noticias on WQHS (RF34.)

2012-06-28

Cleveland's WEWS (RF15) featured Mike Dunston and former WGRZ reporter Josh Boose discussing Jobs In Jeopardy. Alex Trebek was said to be looking for folks to jazz up the new season...oops...wrong Jeopardy...

2012-06-28

Longtime anchor Leon Bibb appeared in a great promo for WEWS!

2012-06-28

Meteorologist Christine Ferreira (with Mike Dunston) looks relieved after weathering the many storms that WEWS' Good Morning Cleveland went through in the past year and a half!

2012-06-28

I really wish that WKYC's Pat Butler would end his segments with the line "I'm Pat Butler, and your traffic has been served!"

2012-06-28

I was very happy to catch Erie, PA's WICU (RF12) for the first time since touring the station back in March! Kara Coleman and Mark Soliday hold down the fort on 12 News Today!

2012-06-28

I also got to see WICU's handsome new addition Ed Russo, who was new to me on NBC!

2012-06-28

Meanwhile, Erie, PA's WSEE (RF12-3) tossed me a sports report from Jay Puskar!

2012-06-28

Ed Russo really drove the traffic report home that morning on WICU!

2012-06-28

I was lucky enough to meet Gary Drapcho of Erie's WSEE (RF12-3) this past March! Drapcho has been the Sports Director at WSEE for over 25 years!

2012-06-28

Though I don't catch Erie's morning shows as often as I'd like, I have to say WSEE's Eva Mastromatteo has a great presence and energy during Mornings Live!

2012-06-28

There was a great ad promoting the town of North East, PA sponsored by WSEE!

2012-06-28

Reporter Josh Boose was always an intoxicating part of Buffalo, NY's WGRZ, so it was neat to see him land at Cleveland, OH's WEWS (RF15.)

2012-06-28

Here we have two NBC stations, one sultry expression! I caught Stephanie Coueignoux (of Cleveland, OH's WKYC, RF17) and Bill Kardas (of Utica, NY's WKTV, RF29) sharing similar glances in the AM!

2012-06-28
2012-06-28

I had Hope that I would someday catch Cleveland's WJW on RF8, so it was appropriate that an ad for Obama was on when the station came in! I caught the station only once before on their pre-transition frequency RF31, but since moving to RF8 it's reportedly been hard to pick up even in Cleveland. (Check out Ohio Media Watch for more details.)

2012-06-28

Slight pixellation was in the forecast that day, but I was still glad to see WJW's meteorologist Scott Sabol!

2012-06-28

I did a double take when I realized that Patty Harken was now doing traffic reports for WJW! I Harkened back to when she was on WEWS' Good Morning Cleveland and was glad to see her again, since Patty sizzles on air!

2012-06-28

I was also catching Global's The Morning Show with the fabulous Kris Reyes on Paris, ON's CIII repeater (RF6)!

2012-06-28

Anchor Wayne Dawson has been with WJW since the late 1970s! That's gr8 to hear!

2012-06-28

I thought I'd stumbled onto an old ep of X-Factor with Nicole Scherzinger, but in reality the glam Diva on screen was WJW's Kristi Capel! (She should host a music talent search called "A-Capel-a.")

2012-06-28

Someone call a doctor because I marveled at WJW's awesomely named segment "Kickin' It With Kenny."

2012-06-28

My eyes were as big as Kenny Crumpton's upon seeing so much of WJW this day!

2012-06-28

It took the "big guns" for me to catch WJW! I hooked up my Channel Master 3016 to snag the VHF-hi signal on RF8, since I had success using the CM3016 to bag E-skip earlier in June!

2012-06-28

This WJW bumper was totally appropriate, as I gleefully thought "Are you kiddin'?" when I finally got to see news from Cleveland's FOX 8!

2012-06-28

I had high expectations of the story on Detroit, MI's WDIV (RF45) about Snoop Dogg getting busted by a dog for marijuana. Apparently the constant snooping by authorities led to the bust...

2012-06-28

WDIV's Andrew Humphrey got a kick out of the report, but Guy Gordon seems less amused!

2012-06-28

Although America's Funniest Home Videos was airing, the signal strength from Detroit, MI's WMYD (RF21) was no laughing matter!

2012-06-28

June 29, 2012

I should have been sleeping in anticipation of Gay Pride weekend, but I couldn't help wanting to see more Local 4 News on Detroit, MI's WDIV (RF45.)

2012-06-29

Much like Toronto, there was a Heat Wave hitting Detroit around the same time!

2012-06-29

Andrew Humphrey, Guy Gordon, Bisi Onile-Ere and Ashlee Baracy were all on board for WDIV's Local 4 News!

2012-06-29

I caught a great bumper for Detroit, MI's WMYD (RF21) just before an infomercial aired.

2012-06-29

No one sits around during the 4th Of July sales event at Joe Tahan's Furniture, except maybe the customers who buy couches! (Seen via Utica, NY's WKTV, RF29.)

2012-06-29

Utica, NY's WKTV (RF29) was sponsoring an event hosted by GreenScapes called Pink Days which was running from Friday through Sunday! I would be experiencing my own Pink Days in downtown Toronto as Gay Pride took place that same weekend!

2012-06-29

WKTV's Jenel Boston was leveling with Bill Kardas about the temperatures she wanted to see for the days ahead!

2012-06-29

There was a great promo on WKTV for the local competition New Hartford Shopping Center's Got Talent!

2012-06-29

Don Shipman looked a bit iffy about all the Adele songs that would potentially be massacred at the event... However, Rumour Has It that Jenel Boston was more hopeful about the contestants!

2012-06-29

It had been awhile since Carl had shaken his money at me, so I loved seeing this ad for Carl's Furniture City on Utica, NY's WKTV (RF29.)

2012-06-29

And then I was headed downtown that same day for Toronto's big Gay Pride Weekend, where I continued the over-the-air madness in my hotel room! Check out my full Pride Recap for more Utica, Syracuse & Rochester. Stay tuned to TV Garth for more reception mayhem coming soon!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Reception Reports: June 2012 (Part 2)

Greetings TV Garth readers! My journey through June continues with appearances from Rochester and Syracuse, NY plus Detroit, MI and Cleveland, OH! The biggest surprise was the appearance of Syracuse, NY's WSYT which slipped through on a night when Toronto's TV Ontario was off the air for transmitter work! I also enjoyed seeing Detroit, since my reception from the Motor City was pretty scarce in 2011!

June 23, 2012

I was really Psych'ed to see Syracuse, NY's ION outlet WSPX show up briefly on RF15!

2012-06-23

Springville, NY's WBBZ (RF7) was also speeding through with some retro action on Car 54 Where Are You?

2012-06-23

June 26, 2012

Longtime anchor Victoria Hong left Buffalo, NY's WIVB (RF39) in late June for a communications job at Delaware North Companies! Check out Alan Pergament's article about Hong's big move!

2012-06-26

I had a super time watching the hunky George Stroumboulopoulos talk about the influx of gay characters in comics on Toronto, ON's CBLT (RF20.)

2012-06-26

Things got even more super when I picked up Syracuse, NY's WSYT (RF19) for the first time digitally! (I remember catching it back in the day in analog on Channel 68!) Toronto, ON's TVO transmitter was off the air overnight, allowing shows like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia to sneak through!

2012-06-26

Catching the rare WSYT made me feel like I had tiger blood running through my veins, especially when a Two and a Half Men promo came on!

2012-06-26

There was a great FOX 68 logo on screen during their Seinfeld ad!

2012-06-26

This ad for Brzostek's Auction Service looked like something I might have seen back in the day on WSYT, which is why I loved it! Their website also has links to lots of cool stories about their auctions!

2012-06-26

FOX 68 cares, y'all! This promo made prominent use of WSYT's web address!

2012-06-26

In Syracuse, it was semi-scandalous that Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune were moving to WSYT away from rival WTVH! Check out this article on CNY Radio's blog for more info!

2012-06-26

June 27, 2012

Today In CNY's Lisa Spitz was excited to hear that I was picking up WSYT! (Seen via Syracuse, NY's WSTM, RF24.)

2012-06-27

It felt like there was a Syracuse Festival taking place in my house with WSTM and WSYT blasting in!

2012-06-27

I looked as puzzled as Julia Louis-Dreyfus when I saw how strong the signal was on Syracuse's WSYT (RF19) that morning!

2012-06-27

Toronto, ON's TVO (RF19) came back on the air a little after 5:30am, but as you can see, WSYT was still cutting into its signal!

2012-06-27

As much as I wanted more WSYT, I have to give props to TVO's Steve Paikin who hosts the awesome current affairs program The Agenda. Paikin does a great job covering a wide range of topics and viewpoints with his guests!

2012-06-27

Rochester, NY's WHEC (RF10) was also in that morning with Nikki Rudd wearing a fab striped top!

2012-06-27

A bit later, I was excited to see Detroit, MI's WDIV (RF45) arrive with Local 4 News featuring Guy Gordon and Bisi Onile-Ere talking to Today's Natalie Morales.

2012-06-27

WDIV's meteorologist Andrew Humphrey had the temperatures right at his fingertips that morning!

2012-06-27

London, ON's CFMT translator (RF48) also came in with Clara Abreu anchoring OMNI News: Portuguese Edition! Abreu has been with CFMT since 1985!

2012-06-27

Woodstock, ON's CITY repeater (RF31) was in with the awesome Kevin Frankish anchoring Breakfast Television!

2012-06-27

Detroit, MI's WMYD (RF21) arrived with a promo for News at Ten featuring Jorge Avellan. I heart that their newscast is "Straight To The Point!"

2012-06-27
2012-06-27

It wasn't Payne-ful to see this promo for a Tyler Perry comedy on WMYD!

2012-06-27

WDIV's Paula Tutman was reporting from Detroit's West Side that day about an 11 year old's death defying joyride! I'm not at all 4 that type of behavior.

2012-06-27

Cleveland, OH's WEWS (RF15) also showed up briefly with Christine Ferreira, Mike Dunston and Macie Jepson anchoring!

2012-06-27

Meteorologist Christine Ferreira is always a fabulous part of the WEWS morning news!

2012-06-27

Also fabulous in the AM? Breakfast Television's parade of scantily clad models on Toronto, ON's CITY (RF44.)

2012-06-27

The children of Faithville recoiled in horror at the nearly naked folks on display above! Well, at least one kid recoiled and the other looks sorta fascinated... (Seen via Rochester, NY's W42CO Family subchannel, RF42-3.)

2012-06-27

Rochester, NY's W42CO (RF42) was showing an extended trailer for the film Escape From Hell. I'm resisting the urge to declare it a hot film with an underground following...

2012-06-27

Also escaping from hell that day was NBC's Ann Curry (seen via Rochester, NY's WHEC, RF10.) Curry's departure from the Today Show was marred by leaks to the press about her exit, as well as unflattering comments from NBC brass. Curry is a great reporter and anchor and deserved better...

2012-06-27

Rich Caniglia was all too aware of the stormy situation at NBC as he delivered his weather report on WHEC's subchannel!

2012-06-27

Later that day, WROC (RF45) had Maureen McGuire talking to Mark Gruba about the Rochester Jazz Festival, one of the few events where tooting your own horn is a good thing!

2012-06-27

There was also a story on WROC about the bullied bus monitor Karen Klein meeting up with Toronto's Max Sidorov, who started the online fundraiser to send Klein on a vacation!

2012-06-27

WROC also covered National HIV Testing Day and featured an interview with Ernest Wilson, who was encouraging people to get tested.

2012-06-27
2012-06-27

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" could be my ode to tropo reception, so it felt appropriate seeing Diana Ross on WROC's Bounce subchannel!

2012-06-27

I love Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) so it felt great to see that they love their viewers right back! The "13 Loves You!" promo also used the classic "Hello Rochester" jingle heard on the station back in the 1980s!

2012-06-27

That wraps up Part 2 of the reception captured in June! Stay tuned for Part 3 with more Detroit, more Cleveland, more Erie and of course, more Rochester!