The day FOX 17 came out to do a story about watching the Pistons on TV, I met them in a house with no TV. You can see the bare studs behind me in the segment. That was David and Mary Esther’s new place in Allendale, and I was there doing a Transition TV antenna evaluation.
It was a good place to start. When a house is still going up, you get to think about where the antenna and cable should go before there’s a couch to move or a finished wall to work around. I could walk FOX 17 through that part of the job right there. To show what happens once everything is hooked up, we needed somebody with a TV. That’s where Brad came in.
Brad had the TV. I brought the meter.
I’d installed Brad Jansen’s antenna that spring, and he was kind enough to let the crew and me come by. He told FOX 17 reporter Giselle Valentin that the price of basic TV had gone up and there were only a few things his family watched live. One of them was basketball. He and his son had gone to see the Pistons play the Lakers the previous season, but at home they mostly caught whatever games happened to be on.
Brad joked that with more Pistons games on TV, he hoped his son would still get his homework done. You can hear what the broadcast deal means to Brad in that little joke. He and his son have more nights to watch their team together.
We headed into Brad’s utility room, where the cables come together. I hooked my meter up to the antenna line and showed Giselle and Brad what I check before calling an installation done. The TV can tell you it found a station. The meter helps me see how much room that signal has before you start seeing the picture break up. I spend a lot of my time at Transition TV in spots like that, so I was glad FOX 17 showed that part of the job.
Where to find the game at home
Here’s what Brad and his son gained from the new season. The Pistons’ deal with Scripps Sports makes local broadcast TV the team’s main local home for the first time since 2005. In West Michigan, The Spot Grand Rapids scheduled 71 regular-season games. If your antenna picks up 17.2, those games are free to watch without a TV subscription.
If you already have an antenna, try 17.2 now so you know it comes in before game night. If it’s missing, run a channel scan with the TV set to Antenna or Air. Transition TV’s local channel search can give you an idea of what’s available in your area. I’d keep The Spot’s Pistons schedule handy since some games are on national broadcasts. We also have a Pistons and Lions viewing guide if you’re making plans for both teams.
Back where we started
I went back to Allendale on November 11 and installed David and Mary Esther’s antenna. It felt good to finish the job in the same place where we started telling the story. David and Mary Esther, thank you for welcoming the crew in while your home was still taking shape. Brad, thanks for opening your door and letting us take a TV camera into your utility room. And thanks to Giselle and the FOX 17 crew for bringing Transition TV along and showing West Michigan fans how to find the games.
If you watch the segment, I’m the guy in the black cap standing between the studs. And Brad, if you’re reading this, I hope there’s time for homework and the fourth quarter.
