I was monitoring the NPS chat they had today. What's really sad is Mike Montford (NPS CEO) is so in the dark about everything. He really needs to get educated on what channels are available out there for the 4dtv, & learn about the options for a new receiver, AKA Starchoice. He needs someone in that company to take the time to research these things and report back to him so they can improve the chances for us. Being the top dog and knowing nothing is pretty bad. Come on Mike you can do better.
Really Sad about NPS
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Mike has lots of things going on. He is working hard to get SHVERA passed so that it would be legal for people everywhere to subscribe to the locals they want to receive.
Thats nice and all, but his job is to run a company that sells TV channels. If he wants to be a lobbyist then let someone else run the company.
Ive seen this mentality before with the local internet providers in the 90's. They played the game of sub par service for years then the big boys came to town and and showed them how to do it right. All of the sub par providers are now gone.
It wont be long till someone figures it out and does it right with regard to CBAND.
Ive seen this mentality before with the local internet providers in the 90's. They played the game of sub par service for years then the big boys came to town and and showed them how to do it right. All of the sub par providers are now gone.
It wont be long till someone figures it out and does it right with regard to CBAND.
I agree with this model, but only if the cable channels are required to provide their channels free-of-charge to all MSOs if they accept advertising and infomercial dollars. Otherwise, they can continue to charge just as long as they don't advertise. I don't see either one happening. To be honest, if people don't like their local affiliate they do have choices.
Jim if I can buy an out of town newspaper from anywhere, I should be able to watch the local news of any station I want in the country as well as long as their signal is available to me.
Thats the way I feel and it's the way it should be.
Thats the way I feel and it's the way it should be.
...the big difference is the boadcasters are leasing spectrum and are having to proving a public services. In return for their investment and compliance with FCC oversight, they are given exclusive rights to market their home DMA. To be honest, many of the local affiliates would be out-of-business, and the free TV model shattered, if the networks or major affiliates could sell their programming to anyone without respect to geographic boundaries. This is NOT going to happen NOR should it.Jim if I can buy an out of town newspaper from anywhere, I should be able to watch the local news of any station I want in the country as well as long as their signal is available to me.
Thats the way I feel and it's the way it should be.
The only way I would support this model (the end of the local broadcasters and free TV) is if two things were to happen:
1. Cable programmers are prohibited from charging licensing fees if they accept ad dollars. In turn, MSOs are provided with the feeds free-of-charge.
2. All cable favorites (who who do not accept ad dollars) are sold a la carte. Consumers, through the law of suppy and demand, set the going rate and not outdated model of programmer versus MSO (what would Charlie and his lawyers do if they weren't engaged in a programming dispute). Everyone pays the same rate for a given channel regardless of whether you're with D*, E* or FiOS TV. Likewise, consumers pay ONLY for the programming they want...and they no longer are forced to subsidize 150 channels of crapola. Good programming will survive...and the less-than-stellar channels will have to provide viable programming or go out-of-business.
If we're going to fix the so-called outdated free broadcast television model, then it's only fair that we fix the so-called outdated cable television model while we're at it. People are tired of having to pay for 200+ channels of programming they don't want just in order to watch their Fox News Channel (and a few other channels) that is always so conveniently placed in the highest priced tier.
That's one thing about C band is you can get the higher tier channels without buying 200. C band is really a good thing they just need to get it done right again like years ago. It seems like NPS wants to leave things as is and keep raising prices. With all the competition out there they will eventually get buried unless they compete. That means more channels and HD. The CEO not having a clue of what is going on or how to make things better is .........
There is really no reason for most locals to be in business now, the networks themselves are putting the local channels under. Why watch network programming when you can download it and watch anytime via the internet. The only thing locals offer now of any real value are their local newscasts. Other then that they are all replaceable.
Scott;
We rural Americans take our locals pretty seriously. Our ONE local OTA channel is Grand Forks, ND. I live ~100 miles north, a pretty big coverage area. Without it, no regional televised news. Every part of the country has a regional identity, so to speak...it is good we don't become too homogenized as a nation. Local channels help to preserve this identity. Lefsa is to North Dakota as Maple Syrup is to Connecticut as Red Eye gravy & grits is to Alabama. Would you want Connecticut to simply be a suburb of NYC?
The last twenty years have seen the drying up and blowing away of countless small towns across the country, succumbing to the pressures of Walmart in retail and ADM & Cargill in agriculture. The kids have all moved away, no job prospects, all the small businesses have folded. At 51, I'm the median age in our community. Yes, it is more efficient....until like the mega-banks it implodes. I'm not sure that local control being transferred to some enormous, soulless corporation out of Chicago, LA or NYC is what we want. What then happens to choice?
I hope NPS can pull itself together and stay viable as an alternative to Pizza Dishes and MSO's....time will tell.
We rural Americans take our locals pretty seriously. Our ONE local OTA channel is Grand Forks, ND. I live ~100 miles north, a pretty big coverage area. Without it, no regional televised news. Every part of the country has a regional identity, so to speak...it is good we don't become too homogenized as a nation. Local channels help to preserve this identity. Lefsa is to North Dakota as Maple Syrup is to Connecticut as Red Eye gravy & grits is to Alabama. Would you want Connecticut to simply be a suburb of NYC?
The last twenty years have seen the drying up and blowing away of countless small towns across the country, succumbing to the pressures of Walmart in retail and ADM & Cargill in agriculture. The kids have all moved away, no job prospects, all the small businesses have folded. At 51, I'm the median age in our community. Yes, it is more efficient....until like the mega-banks it implodes. I'm not sure that local control being transferred to some enormous, soulless corporation out of Chicago, LA or NYC is what we want. What then happens to choice?
I hope NPS can pull itself together and stay viable as an alternative to Pizza Dishes and MSO's....time will tell.
There was an article in the local Sunday newspaper about the Albany NY network affiliates no longer being carried on the local cable system. It seems the greedy affiliates figure they can charge ridiculous fees to the cable companies just like the satellite providers.
So much for public service...people want the local news and weather, not some network feed.
Everyone should enjoy the free OTA with an antenna and benefit the digital transition. After all, our tax dollars paid for it. I now receive 18 channels most of which in free HD. Thanks.
So much for public service...people want the local news and weather, not some network feed.
Everyone should enjoy the free OTA with an antenna and benefit the digital transition. After all, our tax dollars paid for it. I now receive 18 channels most of which in free HD. Thanks.
They sell Dish :rant: Network, TV's Internet, Cell phones. Yep... NPS ain't what they was
What did mike have to say this time? Besides, "i'm making a note right now" or "they won't deal with us". And in March he said, "If you need a Dish Network please let me know and I'll be sure to have someone get in touch with you".
He said he needed to follow up on the G3 thing (uh huh) and they need 20 grand to solve it right away. (was looking for a handout too it seems with his comment) He also said that if everyone spent 50 dollars a month with them they could do more. He is totally in the dark about any other 4dtv channels out there, thinks everything is Powervu. When a guy brought up the Starchoice receiver he asked what that would do. Then ended the chat without taking the response.
I would be more than happy to subscribe again if I could get a better selection of ala cart programming. I just cannot see paying for programming I don't watch. Locals would be more than 
I don't think Mike is stupid. I could be one of these things.
1) he don't want to spend the money the programmers want.
2) he has some kind of sneaky agenda with Charlie to kill of C band like YSP did.
3) he's interested in keeping it just like it is, to milk as much as he can from us. (which actually he made reference to keeping it as is in the chat) He said people won't pay any higher prices (I think he hit the tipping point)
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