EchoStar seeks to phase out need for 2nd dish

[Scott Greczkowski]

EchoStar seeks to phase out need for 2nd dish
Reuters, 05.04.04, 6:00 PM ET

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Satellite television provider EchoStar Communications Corp. (nasdaq: DISH - news - people) hopes to move within four years to a single dish that will include local television channels, Chief Executive Charlie Ergen said on Tuesday.

Customers in 38 markets out of 119 where EchoStar offers local channels must currently use a second satellite dish, EchoStar says, because of capacity constraints.

Satellite providers that offer a single local station in a market are required by federal law to offer to carry all local channels that want to be aired, often straining capacity.

Read the rest at http://www.forbes.com/newswire/2004/05/04/rtr1358945.html

 

[IndyMichael]

They are required by federal law to carry all local channels that want to be aired, or just the major one's? Hard to imagine the other local channels in Indy, wouldn't want to be on Dish.

 

[DBX]

If you want more detail on the Forbes story, here's the link to the Senate hearing where this was discussed on Tuesday. These are the written statements that were submitted for the hearing, and not the actual transcript.

http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1174

 

[MikeD-C05]

What happens to the 4 year plan if the Shiva renewal calls for a one dish solution within one year for all locals? It looks like Charlie is stalling with this little bit of p. r. .
Charlie needs to buy Voom or sub contract with them to get hd content and then launch some more satellites to help with that bandwith constraints. If not it looks like Directv will get ahead of old Charlie. Directv hopes to soon start converting all the analog locals in the top 30 markets to digital feeds of the same channels. This will give superior picture quality.

Charlie better get a move on with his plans before he is forced to by the competition and Congress with the Shiva regulations.

 

[mattb]

Well they could move HD off 110 and move international off 121? that would buy some space (well very little space).. ofcourse that means the "one dish" solution for some people would be the SD that some hate (much as I find it a beautiful piece of techology)

Ultimately they need to launch another bird that has better spot beam techology.

 

[jrbdmb]

EchoStar seeks to phase out need for 2nd dish
Reuters, 05.04.04, 6:00 PM ET

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Satellite television provider EchoStar Communications Corp. (nasdaq: DISH - news - people) hopes to move within four years to a single dish that will include local television channels, Chief Executive Charlie Ergen said on Tuesday.

And Congress will reply: " I bet you can do it in one year!" And he will. I don't see any way that Congress, the NAB, or D* will buy into a four year plan to get all locals for a DMA on one dish.

Now if Charlie is saying that all locals / core programming / HD / internationals will be on a single dish, that will be impressive. But it still won't prevent Congress from forcing Dish to fix the minor-locals-on-wing-slots issue.

 

[cameron119]

What happens to the 4 year plan if the Shiva renewal calls for a one dish solution within one year for all locals? It looks like Charlie is stalling with this little bit of p. r. .
Charlie needs to buy Voom or sub contract with them to get hd content and then launch some more satellites to help with that bandwith constraints. If not it looks like Directv will get ahead of old Charlie. Directv hopes to soon start converting all the analog locals in the top 30 markets to digital feeds of the same channels. This will give superior picture quality.

Charlie better get a move on with his plans before he is forced to by the competition and Congress with the Shiva regulations.

In my market, D* has already gone to the digital feeds. When I'm watching NBC, rather than WBIR-TV it now refers to itself as WBIR-DT on all promotional ads and callsign adverts. This is right on with my OTA digitals I receive.

WEMT-TV's station identifications now show as WEMT-DT (just like OTA via 8VSB)
WATE-TV, now WATE-DT (until midnight when they shutoff the digital broadcast, like many other ABC affiliates)
W---(whatever the cbs affiliate is)-TV is now W----DT.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

It's funny seeing Charlie trying to put a spin on this like hes the good guy (he IS the good guys isn't he?)

Charlie has not choice in the matter, all locals much be received off of one satellite dish. Charlie is just trying to milk things by saying its going to take 4 years to move all locals on a single dish solution.

I would bet dollars to donuts that if they told him he had 60 days to move everything, he would be able to do so without blinking and eye.

4 years..... I wonder why the delay tactic?

 

[GaryPen]

Like Scotty on Star Trek...Tell the Captain you need two days, fix it in four hours, and look like a miracle worker.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Like Scotty on Star Trek...Tell the Captain you need two days, fix it in four hours, and look like a miracle worker.

"But Captain the engines can't stand the strain!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[bcshields]

Does this affect wing international channels at all?

 

[silversurfer]

EchoStar: One-dish rule may cut service

EchoStar Communications Corp. may have to cancel local television programs in as many as 30 markets if Congress bars it from making customers use two dish antennas, EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen said.

For the entire article click here

 

[David_Levin]

4 years..... I wonder why the delay tactic?

The longer he pushes it out, the more markets he can add sooner.

Hasn't another spot sat for 110 been purchased? When is it due for launch?

 

[Chris Freeland]

The longer he pushes it out, the more markets he can add sooner.

Hasn't another spot sat for 110 been purchased? When is it due for launch?

Both the 4 year phase in for one dish for all locals and the if we need to do one dish now it will mean lost locals and interruptions for locals press releases are both just ploys to buy more time in the new SVHA. E* knows they are going to be forced to do the one dish for all locals in the market, but if they can get the time extended a little in the final wording of the new SVHA bill, it will buy them some breathing room. I suspect once E10 is up and operating and the addition of a 3rd up-link center that E* will need to use to make the best use of this better spotbeam satellite, they will have plenty of space to not only do a one dish solution for all locals but also for all 210 DMA's too, the problem is that this dish is not scheduled to launch until next year even if nothing goes wrong. If this new SVHA only allows for a 1 year phase in of a all locals on 1 dish solution, it may not give E* enough time to get E10 up and operating and if they can not it could cause some interruptions in some locals, this is why E* may need a little more time then just 1 year.

 

[El_Cu_Guy]

Charlie needs to buy Voom or sub contract with them to get hd content and then launch some more satellites to help with that bandwith constraints.

Last time I checked there were 6 sats. Why would we sub with VOOM or DirectTV? DirectTv subs from US! The sat the point at, 119, is own by Echostar, the parent company of Dish Network. And I believe Voom points at our freaking international satellite 61.5.

Well they could move HD off 110 and move international off 121?

International is also on 61.5 and 148. I believe 121 is only used for SuperDishes. That content is already being moved to 105.

4 years..... I wonder why the delay tactic?

We have almost 10 million customer. That's a lot of time to re-peak the customer dishes.

Does this affect wing international channels at all?

International are being moved to 105. You'll still get them on the wings though for quite a while.

 

[Mr Tony]

Why would they move them to 105 when right now it doesnt cover the whole US??

Or better yet....make people get SD 121, only to piss them off in 6 months and say "now we need you to get a SD 105"

highly unlikely

 

[El_Cu_Guy]

Why would they move them to 105 when right now it doesnt cover the whole US??

???
That's what they told us in the Wednesday meeting not too long ago. The internationals would be moving over to 105. Not all at once mind you. First will be Arabic channels. No date specified.

 

[James Long]

Last time I checked there were 6 sats. Why would we sub with VOOM or DirectTV? DirectTv subs from US! The sat the point at, 119, is own by Echostar, the parent company of Dish Network. And I believe Voom points at our freaking international satellite 61.5.

There are currently 9 E* satellites, 7 are in active use. Plus E* is renting space on an AMC satellite. The 7 active satellites are E1 and E2 at 148, E3 at 61.5, E6 and E8 at 110, E7 at 119, and E9 at 121 (FSS). E* leases AMC-2 at 105 (FSS) which will be replaced by AMC-15 this August. E10 is scheduled to be launched next year.

E4 is at 157 with three licensed transponders --- not yet serving customers.
E5 is parked in orbit as a spare.

Voom owns their own satellite at 61.5 (Rainbow1). E* does NOT provide Voom satellite space. The permission for Voom to transmit from that location came from the FCC, not E*. E* does transmit two transponders at 61.5 for SkyAngel - in exchange for SkyAngel's permission to use six transponders licensed to SkyAngel for E* programming. TP28 on E3 at 61.5 has failed.

DirecTV has their own satellites at 101, 110, and 119. Again, E* does not broadcast any of D*'s signals.

International is also on 61.5 and 148. I believe 121 is only used for SuperDishes. That content is already being moved to 105.

No.
International has been mirrored at 121. Some new channels have been added to 121 and not to the wings. International is remaining on the wings until your grandboss Charlie can convince the broadcasters that moving to the new neighborhood at 121 would be good for them. There is NO SIGN of any internationals on 105. Period. 105 does not cover the entire US. There's no reason to put the channels there when they are already on 121 which DOES cover the entire US.

International are being moved to 105. You'll still get them on the wings though for quite a while.

The new "neighborhood" (Charlie's word) for internationals is 121. I don't know who is giving your Wednesday meetings, but they are wrong.

Perhaps if they discuss installing dishes and grounding you should check with your state's and the national electrical code. If the information you are getting on what is in the sky is that wrong, I'm concerned that the instructions you are given for acting on the ground may be worse.

JL