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"I don't mind being called a liar when I'm lying, or am about to lie, or have just finished lying, but NOT WHEN I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!"--Homer Simpson.

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"Babies haven't any hair;
old men's heads are just as bare;
between the cradle and the grave
lies a haircut and a shave."

Samuel Hoffenstein
 

Mark

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"Why build one, when you can have two at twice the price?"

- Carl Sagan, "Contact"

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"I don't mind being called a liar when I'm lying, or am about to lie, or have just finished lying, but NOT WHEN I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!"--Homer Simpson.

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"Babies haven't any hair;
old men's heads are just as bare;
between the cradle and the grave
lies a haircut and a shave."

Samuel Hoffenstein
 

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"And as it is, it is cheaper than drinking."
-DT on arguing with Omega, April 30

 

Remember before Insurrection they had behind the scenes stuff during Voyager.

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Captain Archer: "Leap me out of here Al."
Transporter Chief: "Uh, captain, it's 'beam' not leap, and stop calling me Al."
This post sponsored by the Federation Starship Datalink.
 

It basically works on a two-tiered system: network (which is usually "broadcast" on the traditional "airwaves" from local stations, but often these days is more commonly piped to people on cable) and cable.

Network television consists of hundreds of individual "affiliate" stations that behave kind of like restaraunt franchises. They operate out of major cities and broadcast local material (usually limited to news shows) mixed in with the actual national programming beamed to them by the network via satellite and rebroadcast with advertising that is predominately local. Each station will have a three or four letter name known as "call letters", beginning with "W" in the Eastern US (don't ask me why), "K" in the Western US and "C" in Canada. There are seven American networks: three larger ones (ABC, CBS and NBC), FOX somewhere in the middle, the not-for-profit PBS, and two "netlets," UPN and WB.

(in addition to getting rebroadcasts of nearby American network stations in Canada, we have three additional networks of our own: the CBC [which, like the Beeb, is state-owned], and private nets CTV and Global. Our two private networks don't put out a lot of unique programming but instead buy a mishmash of programming off the American networks, so most nights the shows on CTV and NBC or Global and ABC might be identical. Independent channels tend to be more widespread up here, too.)

Most large cities have one TV station affiliated with each network, although in some smaller markets UPN affiliates have dropped out of the UPN fold, thus depriving people of Voyager. Additionally, most networks have a "flagship" station (WABC, WCBS, WNBC etc.) which pipes out a fairly region-nonspecific feeds to satellite subscribers, and would therefore be the only thing remotely close to a "central" station. UPN never got one of these set up, to my knowledge.

Cable is generally more like the European system, with homogenous broadcasting across the nation, although region-specific cable has begun to crop up for sports channels. Cable channels tend to exclusively contain specialized programming, like CNN or the Golf Channel or Home and Garden TV or the Disney Channel etc. While anyone can (theoretically) put up an antenna and get network TV, cable is exclusive to cable and cable companies will make you pay through the nose... they stick channels into tiers and force someone who wants to get the Sci-Fi channel to buy twenty other less obscure channels as well. Finally, there are strict regulations that keep most American cable stations from broadcasting in Canada (CNN, TBS, TNN, CNBC and A&E are pretty much the only ones that are allowed in as they appear in the States, IIRC), so we have our own clatter of cable unique to Canada.

It might make more sense if I showed off my rather unremarkable slate of channels I get at my parent's house. These are all piped in on cable, so I have no idea what one can actually get with an antenna around here:

Network:

KSPS (PBS from Spokane WA)
[to get the other American networks from Spokane, one must buy more cable. Oddly enough, my parents don't feel the need to get it. It's extortion, plain and simple ]