This website has a long-running side project in the Annex, charting the coverage areas of TV stations in Iowa and how they change periodically. It goes back to before the digital era. Today, network channels can still be received via an antenna — the TV has to be new enough — but through cable or satellite, you’re limited to what the provider offers.
Two weeks ago, Mediacom stopped the dual offering of central and eastern Iowa stations in the Tama-Toledo area. Mediacom says it’s a cost issue, and the company is technically correct.
Owners of local affiliates have been demanding more money from cable and satellite companies to carry the stations. The most notorious owner around these parts is Sinclair Broadcasting, which has repeatedly held KGAN and KDSM hostage. At the beginning of this year, my bill went up nearly $5 “to reflect changes in the rates we are charged by local broadcast stations.”
Because Tama County is officially in the eastern Iowa market, the central Iowa stations were a convenience that was no longer worth the price. To watch TV from Des Moines — like “SoundOff,” which had its 1000th episode Sunday — the TV input has to be switched to antenna, assuming it comes in.
I presume the same situation is happening in other border areas served by Mediacom across Iowa. It’s a sign of both the changing television era and the hidden prices we pay for so many things.