SatelliteGuys Live Recap - Dish Retailer Chat 2/4/09

[Rob052067]

What's the deal with HD locals for Columbus, OH??? The December Charlie Chat indicated 'Early 2009'. I don't consider 'after March' as early! There's a whole lot of smaller markets that are getting HD locals from Dish before Columbus. The HD locals were on the uplink list to the new 129 sat a couple weeks ago. Let's get them turned on now!

 

[db2]

Maybe they are pulling our crank.

Arnold Poindexter: Lewis, I don't think these guys are Indians.
Lewis Scolnick: What makes you say that?
Arnold Poindexter: When I said "Bite my crank" in Seminole, no one responded.

 

[theoak]

Boise, Idaho HD in March! Can't wait!

 

[db2]

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

What's the deal with HD locals for Columbus, OH??? The December Charlie Chat indicated 'Early 2009'. I don't consider 'after March' as early! There's a whole lot of smaller markets that are getting HD locals from Dish before Columbus. The HD locals were on the uplink list to the new 129 sat a couple weeks ago. Let's get them turned on now!

They would LOVE to turn them on now.

The issue is gettinig the fiber in with the HD feed, getting proper retransmission concent and things like that.

This is why they added a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen.

 

[madailey]

Local HD is useless and pointless to most of the population. I mean get a pair of rabbit ears and get them free OTA. I'm not paying 5 bucks for something I can get more of, of better quality and for free.

Give me national HD that is available or I'll go where I can get it.

 

[M Sparks]

This is pathetic.... Dish announces the launch of 50+ markets for local HD and people can do nothing but bitch and complain.

Those who already have local HD don't care. Those who still aren't on the list are twice as mad.

Don't they STILL not have Tucson? If I lived in Tucson and saw stuff like Grand Junction on there, I'd be furious.

 

[Rangers484]

This is pathetic.... Dish announces the launch of 50+ markets for local HD and people can do nothing but bitch and complain.

50 markets, none of which are mine. Light up mine and I will be happy but in the meantime give me something new to watch.

 

[TNGTony]

Did they add ANYTHING to the Turbo HD packages between inception and last weekend? I'm sure there was one or two, but I can't think of them. They've basically raised prices TWICE without adding much of anything. (OK, they actually added a lot before the first increase.)

I have to correct this statement. They REPLACED a lot of channels before the first price increase, not added. There were the same number of HD channels before and after the change of the guard. I won't say which channels, but they took away channels I watched and replaced them with channels I don't!

See ya
Tony

 

[djjenkins]

Those who already have local HD don't care. Those who still aren't on the list are twice as mad.

Don't they STILL not have Tucson? If I lived in Tucson and saw stuff like Grand Junction on there, I'd be furious.

I AM from Tucson, and I AM pissed that they didn't add us. Come on! We are like right next to Las Vegas in DMA rankings!

D* has had Tucson Locals in HD for over a year now. Here I am thinking we MUST be next with Ciel-2 lighting up and being able to provide so much more local HD for the west. But no, we still get jacked here.

I am really happy for all the other people getting Local HD, a ton of new markets, but CANNOT believe we are not on that list. This is the first time I have really considered switching to D*.

 

[M Sparks]

I have to correct this statement. They REPLACED a lot of channels before the first price increase, not added. There were the same number of HD channels before and after the change of the guard. I won't say which channels, but they took away channels I watched and replaced them with channels I don't!

See ya
Tony

Good point, but then they did add some more after that. There were two or three waves.

And depending on how you look at it, they removed the Voom channels from a DIFFERENT package. If you figure the channels that were ONLY in HD were $10 for, what, 19 of them...and now they are $10 for 7 of them. But hey , at least they didn't "raise" the price on that package!

The main point, The TurboHD packages are going up $10, and they are claiming it's due to the channels they added BEFORE they went up last time.

 

[Hall]

The issue is gettinig the fiber in with the HD feed, getting proper retransmission concent and things like that.

Pretty sure that any carrier would already have those minor details worked out before announcing a date. I think they're simply spreading things out (for logistical reasons ?).

 

[JEFFinINDY]

This is pathetic.... Dish announces the launch of 50+ markets for local HD and people can do nothing but bitch and complain.

New local HD is great - better (very, very, very) late than never in markets like Indy, Vegas, and Columbus. They just aren't adding the channels that I'd like to see added - none of the recent adds like Fox* or CI thrill me, and FX, Speed, AMC, G4, TMC, etc. don't seem to be on the radar.

I'm sure their market research is solid and they're making lots of people happy with their choices, but I'm not in that group. The question is, is it worth the hassle to actually switch?

 

[dijohn76]

I have to correct this statement. They REPLACED a lot of channels before the first price increase, not added. There were the same number of HD channels before and after the change of the guard. I won't say which channels, but they took away channels I watched and replaced them with channels I don't!

See ya
Tony

Tony there was a 2 channel gain-sci-fi HD & USA HD plus 15 others that were supposed to replace the 15 "you know what" that were pulled. In other words added 17 pulled 15= 2 additional channels.

 

[philssatellite]

well,maybe they will be something else happen this evening. i'm sure by the time i get home this evening speed hd will be turned on. (LOL)

 

[Hall]

Local HD is useless and pointless to most of the population.

Pretty sure I recall seeing numbers that showed lackluster growth of both Dish and DirecTV until they started adding locals. I'm willing to bet that both companies don't consider "local HD useless". What happens when they, or the cablecos drop a local channel for contract issues ? Does no one care ?

 

[B_Kranski]

New local HD is great - better (very, very, very) late than never in markets like Indy, Vegas, and Columbus. They just aren't adding the channels that I'd like to see added - none of the recent adds like Fox* or CI thrill me, and FX, Speed, AMC, G4, TMC, etc. don't seem to be on the radar.

I'm sure their market research is solid and they're making lots of people happy with their choices, but I'm not in that group. The question is, is it worth the hassle to actually switch?

Well I am sure there is a ton of people requesting a channel that has no new HD content...or very little (C&I) and I am also sure there is a ton more people that would rather have Speed. But it is all moot, because what happens, happens. Not much we can do about it...

And as far as Locals, La Crosse, WI (after March...) I guess I will have to wait longer yet to get a chanel that is over 70 miles away and no way to get it on OTA...(Our local NBC channel) I get the other 4 CBS, ABC, Fox, and PBS. so that is better then nothing.

 

[TNGTony]

Tony there was a 2 channel gain-sci-fi HD & USA HD plus 15 others that were supposed to replace the 15 "you know what" that were pulled. In other words added 17 pulled 15= 2 additional channels.

Okay. And this week they pulled 1 and added 3 (none of which replace the type of channel that was pulled) for a net gain of 2 again.

See ya
Tony

 

[M Sparks]

I am going to play devils advocate for a second, and by Devil, I mean Charlie.

IF they were on the verge of signing deals with Comcast/Rainbow/FX/whatever, AND the only deal they had written in stone was Viacom, AND They wanted to make a big splash by announcing them all at once, then this is how they would have to play it. "Look we WILL launch these soon"...doesn't mean there isn't more in the works. I mean, we know that have SOMETHING else in mind.

But the fact that they dribbled three other channels out this week with no fanfare kind of pokes a hole in that theory. Of course, didn't they do that with USA/Sci-Fi? They appeared quietly, and then a few weeks later, DISH launched a bunch of stuff and included USA/Sci-Fi in the press release.

I think if they hadn't been pulling their usual shenanigans with the Smithsonian deal this week, we wouldn't all be so negative.

Charlie is the boy who cried "Ciel-2" one too many times. We made believe that was the hold up, instead of his classic stubborness. But he needs to learn you can't pull the "we negotiate tough to save you money" when he's jacking up prices more than ever before.

 

[ab187]

I like the new avatar Scott.