DTVTom AnthonyPortFolio Weekly September 1-7 1998 Like or not, the way we all watch television is about to change. Some say DTV, or Digital Television will be as big a milestone to our generation as the popular use of radio was to our grandparents. “There is one important difference,” says Keith O’Malley, Director of Engineering for WTKR TV, “The government didn’t come out with a law that would turn all books into blanks.” That’s what local television broadcasters are faced with in the immediate future. The federal Communications Commission has mandated that all television stations, public and commercial, begin digital broadcasting no later than 2003. Local stations will begin digital…

This is the Family Channel… Signing OffTom AnthonyPort Folio Weekly August 18-24 1998 There is no more Family Channel. At least not the way you knew it. Master Control at the CBN complex in Virginia Beach ended the satellite uplink of programs from here to the world at large last week. Only the 700 club will continue to emanate from CBN land. Scores of local people have received – or very quickly will receive pink slips from the company Pat Robinson built and just sold to Fox for over one Billion dollars. That’s Billion, with a capitol B. Outside of the income related upheaval for hundreds of your newly unemployed…

Port Folio Weekly Cover Story August 11-17 1998Adventures in TV LandTom Anthony There are five big TV sets in the office of Ed Munson, the President and General Manager of WAVY TV 10. They are installed right in the wall so that just the screens show. On the top are two sets side-by-side with WVEC – channel 13, and WTKR – channel 3 – blinking out at the world. Just below are monitors showing WAVY – channel 10, WVBT – channel 43, and the Local Weather Station – or LWS, which originates from the channel ten studios but is not a true broadcast. Like LNC, which is the WVEC and…

Note: All of this archive came from my personal notes and not everything I wrote for PortFolio Weekly was published as is.  The extra bit at the bottom (marked Hewitt) looks like it included extended quotes I originally sent to the Editor. PortFolio Weekly August 4-10 1998 Issue“News at 11…errr.. At 10”Tom Anthony Shows like Ally McBeal and the X-files are not the only thing that will begin on August 31st at Channel 43. As a basic part of their agreement with Fox, WVBT will begin broadcasting live local news for the first time. “The late news early.” says Chris Nesbitt, WVBT general Manager.“There is going to be a Fox 43…