Superstations No Longer Offered A La Carte Effective 9/19

JTBenson

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Dec 4, 2006
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I had them a long time ago, but dropped them when they I was able to get CW channels over antenna. I now have two CW channels (one in my DMA and one in the neighboring DMA) that I can get. I don't really watch either that much.
 

renegade734

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Aug 10, 2010
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I imagine at some point Dish will raise the price of them to $10/month for all five Superstations. I might have to say bye-bye to them if they get that expensive. Still holding out hope that someday they will be HD, or at the very least, widescreen-SD.

I wonder at what point a subscriber would no longer be considered 'grandfathered.' Would changing a programming package make you ineligible for the Superstations? Inquiring minds want to know ...
 

Tampa8

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No, that kind of Grandfathering ends when you drop them, or no longer subscribe to DISH. Changing packages or equipment has no effect.
 

drwatson618

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Apr 10, 2007
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The Superstation Package was the original reason I chose Dish over Direct. That was back when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on the WB. I cancelled the package a few years ago. I still watch a few shows on the CW but I just watch them on Hulu in HD.


Sent from my iPad
 

cbjbs

SatelliteGuys Family
Sep 13, 2007
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cambridge,ohio
i moved to direct this past spring because of the dish price increase. i was with them for many years but direct gave me such a deal for 3 years. but i do miss the super stations. i like to watch the local news in other parts of the country.
 

Link

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Mar 20, 2004
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I liked it better when it was the WB and used to watch several shows back in the late 90s/early 2000s, but now I hardly watch The CW at all and haven't for several years. I might add WSBK Boston because its basically an independent station only carrying My Network TV which is just a syndicated rerun package. It is hardly worth stations branding as "My 38" for it. But I do like some of the syndicated programming WSBK airs.
 

MikeD-C05

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Nov 25, 2003
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My Beaumont/Pt.Arthur,Tx home town still doesn't have CW on the satellite in hd or sd. My local ota station shows it on a sub channel in crappy blurry SD. Luckily I "moved" years ago to get Houston locals and they have the CW in hd . IF DISH had done HD versions of the Cw and Mynetwork tv I am sure that there would of been a lot of takers. But losing SD versions of them is no great loss. The funniest thing was the whole reason why I chose DISH over DIRECTV over 16 and 1/2 years ago ,was because of Superstations. THey had WB and UPN back then and Star Trek Voyager ,which we had been watching ota and on cable till they dropped it. DISH had the supers and network N.Y. & L.A. locals for only around $8.00- $10.00 a month, if I remember right. IF DISH hadn't had those supers I would of been a DIRECTV sub all these years instead.:eek:
 

DishSubLA

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Apr 9, 2006
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Guess I'll take KTLA. Don't have it now but get in spells where I like to watch LA news, wildfire news breaks and Raiders preseason games. There goes another $2 to DISH. :)


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Yes, nothing like our local news with storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, high-speed car chases, out of control Hollywood Blvd. (what mini-riot or stabbing tonight?), bombastic politicians who sometimes get into "tit for tat" exchanges at public meetings, scandals at the County jails, sappy human interest stories, innovation in twisted crimes, horrid freeway accidents, and stupid "news" about celebrities because their stupid, violent, behavior occurs at LAX or arrested on our streets for DUI that almost can't be ignored because it is a "local" story. Lots of drama on those newscasts that is often far superior to the fictional TV shows that plays before and after them :).
 

DishSubLA

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Apr 9, 2006
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We forget that the primary reason for the Superstations was because satellite didn't/couldn't provide any local into local. This was the only way for most of us to watch then WB and UPN TV shows that were pretty popular like "Buffy" and Star Trek franchises, and some major league sports teams were aired on those channels as just a few examples. Once satellite was able to provide LiL's for nearly the entire county, there value really decreased and those Supers lost their rights to air those local major league teams, and those of us who kept them or even ordered back then used them to take pressure off our DVR's if we were in western parts of the country because we could record the entire CW or UPN block hours earlier allowing us to use our timers for the big 4 local nets. Then in the era of HD, the Supers seemed to lose further value. I used the Supers A LOT in the SD days, and would today if they were in HD, but they have almost no value to me in SD.

I have to say, just when I think I'm gonna save some money and cancel my Supers (I get all the supers today), mom is tuned to one of them watching some of her favorite shows. So, I keep them. Again, I would watch them A LOT more if they were in HD. Hearing this news, I will keep all my Supers, but it really is for whom the bell tolls. Dish is getting some money from them now (subs paying for the Supers, that is), but we should all expect the next bit of news coming in the future: Dish may just stop providing them at all. Dish, provide the Supers in HD; we'll pay to get them?
 

JimWH

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Aug 19, 2007
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The Superstation channels are nice for people who formerly lived in one of the cities available in the package who want to see some ‘back home’ TV, but can’t or won’t ‘move’. For example WWOR and WPIX give expat NYers a chance to see some Met and Yankee games. I live in the Tampa area now, but I’m from NYC. My wife likes to watch NY news and weather. I think she gloats in the winter.
 

Tampa8

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In earlier posts A couple of you sound like dictators and selfish. Grandfathering has been part of DISH satellite programming for years. I still have other grandfathered programming, and apparently Superstations will now be too. Something you care nothing about, you want no one to have.
 

jerryez

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Dish is infamous for cutting out a package and later doing away with the package altogether. Remember the HD only package. So, we shall see.
 

Peter Parker

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Woa! What happened there? Is this only a Dish decision, or will Superstations cease to be distributed nationwide by all carriers? Anyone know if this affects Canadian satellite providers as well?

Canada has different laws. As for other uS carriers----who else has been offering them? But this appears to be a DISH situation. I see nothing that indicates there was a change in law or regulation that would affect anyone else.
 

Peter Parker

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the first legitimate threat to the superstations on DISH. Ironically I have been toying with dropping them. I am on the fence on this one.
 

bloomer88

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Aug 18, 2008
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Have they done something like this years ago with superstations? The reason why I ask is because many years ago, I thought I paid extra for CW(WB at the time). At some point, I noticed I wasn't getting charged for it, but I still had it. It is WPIX now. Could I have maybe gotten grandfathered in with this station, and should that stay the same, or should I be worried I'll lose it on the 19th? If I'll lose it, I would pay the extra $2 for that channel to make sure I keep it, but I hate to pay an extra $2 a month for nothing, if I'd still have it anyway. I can't miss Supernatural!!!!
 

Tampa8

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My suggestion - if you even think you want any of the Superstations, just get it now. Should you find you no longer want it, just drop it.
 

GaryPen

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The Superstation channels are nice for people who formerly lived in one of the cities available in the package who want to see some ‘back home’ TV, but can’t or won’t ‘move’. For example WWOR and WPIX give expat NYers a chance to see some Met and Yankee games. I live in the Tampa area now, but I’m from NYC. My wife likes to watch NY news and weather. I think she gloats in the winter.

Yeah. But, it's still weird seeing the Mets on WPIX and the Yankees on WOR.
 

Darrell S

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Jul 13, 2004
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Have they done something like this years ago with superstations? The reason why I ask is because many years ago, I thought I paid extra for CW(WB at the time). At some point, I noticed I wasn't getting charged for it, but I still had it. It is WPIX now. Could I have maybe gotten grandfathered in with this station, and should that stay the same, or should I be worried I'll lose it on the 19th? If I'll lose it, I would pay the extra $2 for that channel to make sure I keep it, but I hate to pay an extra $2 a month for nothing, if I'd still have it anyway. I can't miss Supernatural!!!!
Some markets where Dish doesn't carry a local, they sub. one of the supers instead. My small market in Tx. gets WPIX on channel 916 instead of in the 230s' if you sub to the SS.
 

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