Yep, the days of the superstation are over. And do you know why?
Advertisers.
Advertisers have insisted that their ads not be seen by anyone who is not in a position to use their product or service. So, you can't watch a Seattle CBS station -- via cable or satellite service -- if you're in the Portland Broadcast Area, even if you're physically closer to Seattle than to Portland.
Certain local ads are tolerated on setups like the Extra Innings package you can buy with your cable service, when they are run on a local sports network. For example, if you have the MLB Extra Innings package and watch a Cubs game that runs on NBC Sportsnet Chicago (formerly CSN-C), you can see Binney's ads. But if the same Binney's ad was running on a game being broadcast by WGN or WLS, it's blacked out in the Extra Innings feed. And BTW, MLB's own At-Bat service automatically blocks all ads in the stream, so the two services are somewhat different.
The same regulations that make the whole situation so muddy in terms of these sports packages are what changed the landscape to make superstations illegal. WGN America and WTBS are now cable channels, not superstations. They carry different programming, at different times, from their broadcast cousins. And only carry national commercials.
-Doug