Raycom & Dish still quareling? -Dispute Settled. channels back 8/9

[HDRoberts]

Well, I dont imagine the Manager has much of a choice. Posting executive numbers would be more fair.

I imagine the manager has the ear of the executive. Us, not so much. Plus, we might actually get through to the station manager. The Raycom exec, again, not so much.

 

[knotle]

DISH Customers in 36 Markets Blocked by Raycom Media

Release Date: Thursday, August 1, 2013 12:58 am MDT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE [2])--DISH (NASDAQ: DISH) customers in 36 markets were blocked by Raycom Media today from accessing various local television channels. The two companies had been negotiating a new retransmission agreement, and the previous agreement expired at midnight.
“We are ready to listen to a fair proposal from Raycom to bring this impasse to a swift end,” said Sruta Vootukuru, DISH director of programming. “Unfortunately, the broadcaster has not been willing to pursue an agreement that would have avoided this disruption of service to our customers and Raycom viewers. DISH has offered to pay Raycom the same rates as our primary competitors; yet Raycom has stalled negotiations, refusing to accept that fair offer. DISH has negotiated hundreds of local retransmission agreements and on behalf of customers, we hope Raycom will soon agree to terms in line with market standards.”
At this time, Montgomery, Ala.-based Raycom has refused DISH the legal right to carry its programming unless DISH pays more than four times what it was paying under the previous agreement.

The action affects viewers of various ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC-affiliated stations in the following markets: Cleveland, Ohio (CBS); Panama City, Fla. (Fox); Montgomery, Ala. (NBC); Knoxville, Tenn. (Fox); Savannah, Ga. (CBS); Toledo, Ohio (CBS, Fox); Columbus, Ga. (ABC); Richmond-Petersburg, Va. (NBC); Cincinnati, Ohio (Fox); Jonesboro, Ark. (ABC); Tyler-Longview, Texas (ABC); Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss. (ABC); Paducah, Ky. (CBS); Honolulu, Hawaii (CBS and NBC); Tucson, Ariz. (CBS); Shreveport, La. (CBS); Baton Rouge, La. (CBS); Charlotte, N.C. (CBS); Charleston, S.C. (CBS); Ottumwa-Kirksville, Mo. (Fox); Birmingham, Ala. (Fox); Dothan, Ala. (Fox); West Palm Beach, Fla. (Fox); Augusta, Ga. (Fox); Lubbock, Texas (NBC); Lake Charles, La. (NBC); Huntsville-Decatur, Ala. (NBC); Albany, Ga. (NBC); Louisville, Ky. (NBC); Hattiesburg-Laurel, Miss. (NBC); Wilmington, N.C. (NBC and Fox); Evansville, Ind. (NBC); Columbia, S.C. (NBC); Jackson, Miss. (NBC); Florence-Myrtle Beach, Fla. (NBC); and Memphis, Tenn. (NBC).

Also affected are various CW and MyNetworkTV channels in five markets: Baton Rouge, La.; Cleveland, Ohio; Honolulu, Hawaii; Paducah, Ky.; and Richmond-Petersburg, Va.

Last year, broadcasting companies across the country blacked out 91 markets on various pay-TV companies at various times; and an industry watchdog group, the American Television Alliance [3], has called for the U.S. Congress to “revamp the out-of-date rules” that favor those blackouts.

To learn more about DISH’s negotiations with Raycom, visit www.DISHValuePledge.com

Thought i would mention a station not on this list. I am in the Columbus, Ga DMA and lost both ABC and the FOX affiliate WXTX.

 

[Tampa8]

FYI, I have a couple of timers that were preset for several Fox programs on the local Raycom channel through Dish first and through OTA as a secondary in case of conflicts with the two satellite tuners. Well, the OTA tuner is still set to fire at the correct times for the programs. Master Chef being the first one on Wednesday. The timers still see what is new and old programs, and the OTA tuner has the priority. The EPG and timer info says "Important News - Press Info", but the original broadcast dates and "new program" flags are still working on the OTA side. We'll see if the timer actually fires on Wednesday if the dispute lasts the week.

I wouldn't have thought it would work. It the actual information still there, just not printed on the guide?

 

[Hall]

Here's another thought... stations must (I'm pretty sure) provide program data along with their OTA signal. It's part of the PSIP information. I wish Dish would extract the PSIP info if guide data isn't available. Granted, some station put out more PSIP information than others, but that's back on the stations. The information is in your receiver (assuming you have OTA reception). Dish just won't use it.

That is partially correct. Dish's receivers do receive and use the PSIP data. Problem is, they then throw out all but the TSID that they then match to data on their end. That's why when a station gets pulled and the guide data is replaced with "Important information..." that the -01 sub-channel for that station will read the exact same thing. Another example is if the station changes their TSID without informing Dish, we see either wrong data or a "no guide data available" message.

 

[Hall]

I think it would be funny if a LOT of people would call the stations (or post on their FB pages, Twitter, etc) and tell them "I support my provider's (be it Dish, Directv, Comcast, etc) stance on this and will continue to receive your station via OTA if I want to watch something you have". Granted, they know less than 20% of viewers use OTA but hey, even they suggest that alternative ! Problem is, they get ZERO carriage money this way.

 

[Teehar]

I think it would be funny if a LOT of people would call the stations (or post on their FB pages, Twitter, etc) and tell them "I support my provider's (be it Dish, Directv, Comcast, etc) stance on this and will continue to receive your station via OTA if I want to watch something you have". Granted, they know less than 20% of viewers use OTA but hey, even they suggest that alternative ! Problem is, they get ZERO carriage money this way.

I went to the dishvaluepledge page,I emailed the dish president.Told him my wife and I support them,and to keep up the good fight.

 

[shortspark]

Why is everyone on Dish's side? I pay Dish and I expect service. I don't care what they have to do to provide me with what I am paying for, I just expect them to do it. If that means fees have to be increased so be it. I hate paying them my money and not getting the programming I am paying for.

 

[Teehar]

Why is everyone on Dish's side? I pay Dish and I expect service. I don't care what they have to do to provide me with what I am paying for, I just expect them to do it. If that means fees have to be increased so be it. I hate paying them my money and not getting the programming I am paying for.

I am on their side because,Raycom is asking for more money for something that is offered for free.If you want to pay more,then by all means do whatever it takes,switch to another carrier that still has your channels.

 

[shortspark]

I am on their side because,Raycom is asking for more money for something that is offered for free.If you want to pay more,then by all means do whatever it takes,switch to another carrier that still has your channels.

Then why is Dish charging me at all for locals that are "free"? The reason is that they have to pay the locals and we have to pay in turn. It all comes out in the wash and the bottom line is nothing is free. All I know is that I am paying Dishtv for something I am not getting.

 

[dare2be]

If you continue to pay for something you're not getting, then the logical action would be to find a provider that does give you what you want.

 

[Hall]

Then why is Dish charging me at all for locals that are "free"? The reason is that they have to pay the locals and we have to pay in turn. It all comes out in the wash and the bottom line is nothing is free. All I know is that I am paying Dishtv for something I am not getting.

Shouldn't you be asking your local station why they're charging for something that is free ? Dish can say they're just passing on that fee...

 

[Teehar]

Then why is Dish charging me at all for locals that are "free"? The reason is that they have to pay the locals and we have to pay in turn. It all comes out in the wash and the bottom line is nothing is free. All I know is that I am paying Dishtv for something I am not getting.

3 choices,put up an antenna,call dish retention,or switch providers.

 

[Scherrman]

Why is everyone on Dish's side? I pay Dish and I expect service. I don't care what they have to do to provide me with what I am paying for, I just expect them to do it. If that means fees have to be increased so be it. I hate paying them my money and not getting the programming I am paying for.

Serious? You would prefer Dish to just pay what ever it takes to get a channel and just keep raising our rates? That sounds great, I would love to pay $100 for the AT250.

I agree with not wanting to continue paying the same fee when Dish takes away a favorite channel but what are they suppose to do. When Dish loses a channel you have the option to call them and ask for a discount. When I lost the Big Ten Network last year I got a hold of Dish and they gave me $10 off a month for a year.

 

[shortspark]

Yes, of course I have many options. I have installed a 60' tower with a Channel Master deep fringe antenna and I can pull in my "locals" in HD. My locals with Dishtv are in SD because we are too small a market for them to ever give us HD. I never watch my locals on Dish as I have my antenna routed through my 722 with the local module. The only reason I even have Dish locals is for the program guide and to make DVR recordings easier. I also subscribe to cable with DVR so I can get channels in case Dish goes on the blink or during rain storms. I have a big projector room for my home theater with fancy sound system, 1080P projector, 106" Carada screen, leather seatings, blue-ray, etc. Because I have set up my system to be a focal point of my house and spent big bucks on it I have made every effort to make sure I can enjoy it - and I do, with Dish or without. The only point I'm making is that I don't care what they charge as long as I get what I'm paying for. If they don't then I should not have to pay for it. That is all I'm saying.

 

[Scherrman]

Yes, of course I have many options. I have installed a 60' tower with a Channel Master deep fringe antenna and I can pull in my "locals" in HD. My locals with Dishtv are in SD because we are too small a market for them to ever give us HD. I never watch my locals on Dish as I have my antenna routed through my 722 with the local module. The only reason I even have Dish locals is for the program guide and to make DVR recordings easier. I also subscribe to cable with DVR so I can get channels in case Dish goes on the blink or during rain storms. I have a big projector room for my home theater with fancy sound system, 1080P projector, 106" Carada screen, leather seatings, blue-ray, etc. Because I have set up my system to be a focal point of my house and spent big bucks on it I have made every effort to make sure I can enjoy it - and I do, with Dish or without. The only point I'm making is that I don't care what they charge as long as I get what I'm paying for. If they don't then I should not have to pay for it. That is all I'm saying.

I understand what you're saying but if you lose that channel what kind of discount are you expecting? Dish is probably paying less than $1 for that channel so if Dish gave you a $1 discount would that satisfy you? Instead of Dish automatically discounting the lost channel you can ask them for a discount for your inconvenience and you could possibly save $5-$10 a month for a certain amount of time.

You can't expect Dish to automatically discount $5 for every customer that is affected by a lost channel, it just wouldn't make sense.

 

[Teehar]

The only point I'm making is that I don't care what they charge as long as I get what I'm paying for.

Well,I do care what they charge!If they cave in to every channels demands,our bills would be unaffordable.

As schermann pointed out what kind of discount are you looking for?imo you are being kind of petty.You still have your local channel via ota and cable.

 

[Scherrman]

What I don't understand is he said he never watches the local channels on Dish because they are in SD, so he only watches his OTA channels. Why are you upset and demand some discount for a channel you never watch on Dish. The only inconvenience I can see you having is the guide information.

 

[Hall]

I understand what you're saying but if you lose that channel what kind of discount are you expecting?

I don't remember if it's $4.99 or $5.99 per month for locals, but for the sake of arguing, let's go with the higher one....

$5.99/mo divided by in most markets (4) locals. No, let's go with just (3) = $2.00 per channel
$2.00/channel divided by (30) days = $0.07/day

That's what a subscriber is truly entitled to IF Dish ignores the contract agreement that customers sign saying channels can come or go with no recourse. 7 cents per day ! Go ahead and call.... If they give you the full monthly charge, for 3-months, and the dispute is resolved in days or a week or two, you made out !

 

[Scherrman]

Do they actually show any kind of fee for local channels anymore. Years ago it was $5 to add locals but for a long time now it's just built into the price automatically. Regardless, that still isn't that much to even worry about when you can ask them for a larger credit or some premium channels for free.

 

[shortspark]

I don't plan on calling Dish for a few bucks discount over this although I was wondering what they were offering, if anything. I don't need the money, I don't need the locals through DishTV. What I really need is the program guide. With the guide I could easily see what was on that day and in the future and also just hit a button and record a show. Now, I have to go to my pc and look at the channel schedule and go back and use the manual timer if I want to record something. It is not a matter of money, it is a matter of not getting what I'm paying for (the principle of the thing) and also the inconvenience I just noted. I don't know what the rules are for others but this seems to make sense to me.