Fumbles occur in football, but they also occur, as a manner of speaking, in other walks of life. Channel 3 in Madison, our local CBS network, and the University of Wisconsin Research Park have fumbled the installation of a new antenna to handle change in digital signal and signal strength.
In the fall of last year announcements were made that those of us who still view television over the air would need to re-scan our televisions in the middle of October. My wife and I were out of town on the given date of the signal change and re-scanned the day after our return home. We quickly noticed a problem, channels 3 and 47 did not come in. Not that they ever came in well all the time, but here we could barely get pixels. We re-scanned and had the same problem. I then went to social media and noticed posts that the UW Research Park Tower, which was supposed to be completed in September, was still not completed and so these two, with other stations, were at lesser power. Over time we completed more scans, moved the antennae and thank goodness at least 47 (FOX, think NFL football) was able to come in better. Channel 3, CBS, is another matter. It is the station we mainly watch on week nights. The UW Research Park presaged the Badger football team in the Rose Bowl by fumbling away on project management of the tower project.
We have been following updates on the Channel 3000 web site, and little is noted about completion. Work, according to web site was supposed start again on December 2 and they said it would take two weeks to complete. Fast forward to January 1, and a news article in the Wisconsin State Journal stated that UW Research Park had pulled the company from the work, had no other contractor, and would not return calls to the news paper reporter. UW Research Park is basically an arm of the University of Wisconsin (the Research Park is built on the former UW farms on the west side of Madison), so I guess you could say this is a government project at its finest. This project has reached new levels of incompetence. Mr. Oliver, who leads the UW Research Park, will still get his extremely large salary, to use to pay his (likely) cable bill. He probably could care less for those of us who view the television using the airwaves. This makes me wonder if the advertisers on Channel 3 are getting a break since the reach of the station is not what it was, or is supposed to be, and hence viewership is likely down. My goodness, I would think we were in a third-world country not just because of the bad reception, but also due to no plan in place for correction. The UW Research Park seems to care little for the getting this project completed. As the article headline in the Jan 1, 2020 Wisconsin State Journal noted: "Broadcast tower work seems like 'empty promises' as project heads into the new year."
When it was not completed in September and later in October, they first blamed the weather. But, December weather, and the weather for the first ten days of January was mild and had little precipitation, so there is no excuse for why it was not completed. The two weeks turned to three, to four, and now more weeks and now no one knows a completion date. The incompetence on the part of the UW Research Park and its failure to properly manage the project and recognize what was occurring is either appalling or endemic to their business. December has come and gone, and we are now nearing mid-January with apparently no contractor or plan for completion.
To get a signal at times we have had to place the antennae in the middle of the floor, other times way up to the ceiling, and then there are times when we have to hold it, and of course times when were simply out of luck on the ability to get any reception for channel 3. For example, on the night of January 8, 2020 we had to move the antennae from its center floor position of the prior night, and found that we had to stand and hold it. It seemed as if an half-inch variation would affect the signal. In effect channel 3 has, with their lack of proper signal, boycotted us from the CBS network. Not only that, but we also found out that there are only certain places you can sit, and moving in the room will cause pixels or loss of signal, or loss of sound. I can be five feet from the antenna and move my leg and we get pixels--even though I am on the opposite side from where the signal comes. They well knew of the planned signal change in October, and Channel 3 and the UW Research Park had no play book for a two minute warning, to get into the end zone (ie tower completed). They fumbled the ball.
When we got back to town in October, we were hoping for better, not worse, television reception. I sent an email in mid-December to Channel 3, but have yet to hear a response. To get their attention, on January 1 I submitted to "News 3 Action" a request for an investigation into what is occurring, and when it will be corrected. I am not holding out hope that I will hear back and that they will investigate the matter and what went wrong at the UW Research Park and their fumbling of this antennae project. Channel 3 still seems to be in lala land saying, as of early January, that the project will be completed in about two weeks (although they did not say when it would start). Where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, their November update when final work was to start Dec 2 and be completed by Dec 18. A Madison resident quoted in the WSJ news article noted that there is no accountability at the UW Research Park. I agree with that assessment. Fumbling of this project has more consequences to area residents than the Badgers having fumbled away the 2020 Rose Bowl.
In the fall of last year announcements were made that those of us who still view television over the air would need to re-scan our televisions in the middle of October. My wife and I were out of town on the given date of the signal change and re-scanned the day after our return home. We quickly noticed a problem, channels 3 and 47 did not come in. Not that they ever came in well all the time, but here we could barely get pixels. We re-scanned and had the same problem. I then went to social media and noticed posts that the UW Research Park Tower, which was supposed to be completed in September, was still not completed and so these two, with other stations, were at lesser power. Over time we completed more scans, moved the antennae and thank goodness at least 47 (FOX, think NFL football) was able to come in better. Channel 3, CBS, is another matter. It is the station we mainly watch on week nights. The UW Research Park presaged the Badger football team in the Rose Bowl by fumbling away on project management of the tower project.
We have been following updates on the Channel 3000 web site, and little is noted about completion. Work, according to web site was supposed start again on December 2 and they said it would take two weeks to complete. Fast forward to January 1, and a news article in the Wisconsin State Journal stated that UW Research Park had pulled the company from the work, had no other contractor, and would not return calls to the news paper reporter. UW Research Park is basically an arm of the University of Wisconsin (the Research Park is built on the former UW farms on the west side of Madison), so I guess you could say this is a government project at its finest. This project has reached new levels of incompetence. Mr. Oliver, who leads the UW Research Park, will still get his extremely large salary, to use to pay his (likely) cable bill. He probably could care less for those of us who view the television using the airwaves. This makes me wonder if the advertisers on Channel 3 are getting a break since the reach of the station is not what it was, or is supposed to be, and hence viewership is likely down. My goodness, I would think we were in a third-world country not just because of the bad reception, but also due to no plan in place for correction. The UW Research Park seems to care little for the getting this project completed. As the article headline in the Jan 1, 2020 Wisconsin State Journal noted: "Broadcast tower work seems like 'empty promises' as project heads into the new year."
When it was not completed in September and later in October, they first blamed the weather. But, December weather, and the weather for the first ten days of January was mild and had little precipitation, so there is no excuse for why it was not completed. The two weeks turned to three, to four, and now more weeks and now no one knows a completion date. The incompetence on the part of the UW Research Park and its failure to properly manage the project and recognize what was occurring is either appalling or endemic to their business. December has come and gone, and we are now nearing mid-January with apparently no contractor or plan for completion.
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| Jan 7 night, location of antennae in middle of floor On Jan 8 we had to hold it by the window |
To get a signal at times we have had to place the antennae in the middle of the floor, other times way up to the ceiling, and then there are times when we have to hold it, and of course times when were simply out of luck on the ability to get any reception for channel 3. For example, on the night of January 8, 2020 we had to move the antennae from its center floor position of the prior night, and found that we had to stand and hold it. It seemed as if an half-inch variation would affect the signal. In effect channel 3 has, with their lack of proper signal, boycotted us from the CBS network. Not only that, but we also found out that there are only certain places you can sit, and moving in the room will cause pixels or loss of signal, or loss of sound. I can be five feet from the antenna and move my leg and we get pixels--even though I am on the opposite side from where the signal comes. They well knew of the planned signal change in October, and Channel 3 and the UW Research Park had no play book for a two minute warning, to get into the end zone (ie tower completed). They fumbled the ball.
When we got back to town in October, we were hoping for better, not worse, television reception. I sent an email in mid-December to Channel 3, but have yet to hear a response. To get their attention, on January 1 I submitted to "News 3 Action" a request for an investigation into what is occurring, and when it will be corrected. I am not holding out hope that I will hear back and that they will investigate the matter and what went wrong at the UW Research Park and their fumbling of this antennae project. Channel 3 still seems to be in lala land saying, as of early January, that the project will be completed in about two weeks (although they did not say when it would start). Where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, their November update when final work was to start Dec 2 and be completed by Dec 18. A Madison resident quoted in the WSJ news article noted that there is no accountability at the UW Research Park. I agree with that assessment. Fumbling of this project has more consequences to area residents than the Badgers having fumbled away the 2020 Rose Bowl.
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