Just like I told you yesterday, my friend Lori told us in Kentucky she was unable to get Smackdown.

Posted on Fri, Oct. 10, 2008

By Scott Sloan

[email protected]

A low-power, low-profile television station in Lexington has one of television's most vocal audiences — professional wrestling fans — feeling powerless.

World Wrestling Entertainment's Friday Night SmackDown program moved last Friday from The CW network to the smaller MyNetworkTV.

In Lexington, the MyNetworkTV affiliate, in theory, is WBLU-62. The only problem: people can't view the station. With its low power, WBLU cannot be picked up by many television households around Central Kentucky, and it's not part of a cable system.

One distressed wrestling fan purchased a classified advertisement in the Herald-Leader urging fellow fans to call WBLU's out-of-state owner, Equity Broadcasting Corporation.

Equity Broadcasting officials have not returned multiple messages left by the Herald-Leader this week. Claudia Russo, a spokeswoman for MyNetworkTV, said the network is aware of the technical issues and is looking into it.

In August 2007, Equity Broadcasting executive James Hearnsberger told the Herald-Leader that the Arkansas-based company, which bought WBLU in 2006, planned to upgrade its signal. At that time, the station's only presence in Lexington was a contract engineer. Hearnsberger said Equity intended to hire staff once its signal was increased; however, it appears that has not happened — much to the disappointment of SmackDown fans.

"That's my son's thing on Friday nights," said Herbie West of Lexington. Kyle Verdi, 10, of Lexington said he watched some of the wrestling matches on WWE's Web site, www.wwe.com, but "you get all the details on TV."

WWE spokesman Kevin Hennessy said the company shows only some matches and not the entire show on its Web site. Hennessy said fans have complained of similar experiences in different parts of the country.

MyNetworkTV is the least-watched of the broadcast TV networks. The network's low-profile came about because it was formed mostly by affiliates that lost either the WB or UPN when the two merged to form The CW. The network is owned by Fox.

SmackDown was the CW's highest-rated program, but network officials said they were never successful in getting its viewers to tune into other CW shows, and decided to drop it.

On its first showing on MyNetworkTV, SmackDown attracted 3.2 million viewers, down from 4.4 million viewers on Sept. 26, SmackDown's last appearance on the CW, according to a Nielsen report in USA Today. Still, more than 70 percent of WWE fans found the new program.

Lexington fans aren't ready to give up. "I'm a big wrestling fan. I watch it on Monday night, Tuesday night and I watch the fights on Wednesday, watch wrestling on Thursday night and used to watch it on Friday nights," said John Veatch of Lexington. "I guess it's not going to kill me to not watch it one night, but I would really like to watch it."

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Letter from one of our readers:

Georgie,

I saw your article about the WBLU issue. I live in Lexington, KY and here is a copy of an email I sent the author of the article. Feel free to use it.  I also , amongst a few friends of mine who live in the city are affected by this issue:


My name is Terri Bey. I also live in Lexington, KY.  I am also very upset about the switch to My Network TV. What is upsetting is that WWE has the nerve to bring a show to Lexington, KY where they must know we do not get this station.  They list Lexington, KY as "getting" this station, but I do not think they are aware that we really don't if you have cable like I do.  I am upset because several of my favorite wrestlers are on Smackdown and I can't see them.  What is upsetting is that according to your article, the owner of WBLU in Arkansas, evidently has not fixed this issue.  Well, I plan to contact them and see what can be done.  I don't understand why Louisville, KY, Paducah, KY, and I believe Bowling Green, KY gets to see Smackdown, but Lexington does NOT. 

It is not our faults that the CW Network dropped Smackdown which is the reason for the switch.  CW Network is probably sorry because their Friday Night ratings tanked.  Their reason was they wanted a female demographic and males largely watched Smackdown.  What I didn't understand about the switch to My Network TV, was that WWE is already on USA which is owned by NBC I believe.  I didn't understand why WWE could not have made a deal with NBC themselves, or another station they owned like Sci Fi, or Bravo or whatever.  I don't understand why they went with a small station like My Network TV. 

I do hope that someday, Lexington wrestling fans will get to see Smackdown on their televisions again. It is not fair that we, and other cities who do not have this station only get to watch 1/2 or 2/3 of the company.

Sincerely,
Terri Bey
Lexington, KY