[PRCo] Re: WP -- TV

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I have no evidence that West Penn cited TV in its abandonment petitions
(don't know where Fred got that).  They cited dollars.  No petition was
filed in 1948; a corporate decision was made.  Those who would be called
upon to finance the power company's expansion did not like the subsidies to
the railway company...and don't think for a second that anyone else counted.
The average person did not know (or really care) who owned the light and
railway companies...the average person was not a shareholder in anything in
those days.

Quality of signal varies all over the place with the undulations of the land
surface.  I live only 15 miles from Pittsburgh but because I'm on the
backside of a small hill, reception of the stations that transmit from the
north was never good before cable.  Never got Johnstown here, but when I
lived on a hill overlooking Route 88 in Bethel Park, channel 6 came in as
well as any of the locals.  We got our first TV in 1952, and yes, it was an
attention-getter.  But you still got tired of watching the fuzzy picture
after a while.  And I recall one day getting a station break from WTVJ,
Miami's channel 4.

The point is that the TV issue has been greatly exaggerated, and compared to
automobile ownership was minuscule.  Journalists like commonly understood
things, regardless of validity, in their ramblings, and the idea of TV
affecting something sounded sexy.  I don't think journalism has improved
much since then.

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Jim
Holland
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 12:19 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] WP -- TV



And as Bob indicates below, he received Johnstown stations in
Pittsburgh.  Simple matter is that the signals, although line of sight,
are still reflected from many different items whether man made or
nature.  The resulting signal is weak and produces snow, but it is still
discernible.  I use rabbit ears (n-e-v-e-r  e-v-e-r  had
cable//satellite//whatever)  and have my TV programmed to pick up
channel 36 out of San Jose and I have as many hills if not more between
SJ and SF as there were between Jtown and Pgh!!<G>  Certain times of
year and evenings are usually best for reception - twisting the ears
helps as well.

	And if West Penn said in their petition (quote included below) that
they were abandoning because of TV and IF CERA puts this in their book,
then even CERA must have done their homework!  How can we fault CERA for
this?  And even if the original petition was filed by WP in 1948, it
doesn't mean that WP can't update it as times goes on.

	And why wouldn't the average person be aware that the power companies
who owned street railways were subsidizing the latter?  Political
cartoons in newspapers then were quite common  --  and even more
viscious  --  than those of today.  I believe the people were just as
informed then as they are today.

> Fred W. Schneider III wrote:

> Suggest reading Ed Lyberger's note about TV receiption in Fayette
> County.  Also remember that TV and FM radio frequencies, like those used
> by FAA, are line of sight ... if you can't see the tower due to
> mountains or the curvature of the earth (yes, it is round), you don't
> receive the signal.

>> Bob Rathke wrote:

>> I never lived in Fayette County, but in Pittsburgh in the 1950's we
received TV
>> stations in Johnstown and Wheeling (60 miles away) with just a rabbit
ears antenna.
>> Also got the Altoona station (100 miles), but the picture was snowy.  TV
and FM
>> transmissions are line of sight for near-perfect recenption, but
transmissions are
>> still viewable well beyond the visible horizon.

>> Bob 4/16/01

> "Fred W. Schneider III" wrote:

> It was easy to believe and West Penn said so in their abandonment
> petitition.

--
James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
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