FOX News Channel/DISH dispute

[slick1ru2]

Fox killed the Speed channel, too. I remember how mad that made a lot of people. While some of the programming has wound up on other channels (MavTV, for example), a lot hasn't.

The problem with the Speed channel is the decline in popularity of auto racing. Even NASCAR. I love watching GT racing and the Speed website carried like a dozen series of it. But you check the stands in those races and they are empty. Just my luck, I get into a sport besides football and access to it is almost completely cut off. So to replace it they have come up with a format to challenge ESPN.

 

[ChadT41]

If you call the better business bureau and complain that Dish won't let you out of a contract for dropping channels..you will get a call back in 3 hours or less from Dish rep letting you out of said contract..I know this from PERSONAL experience

Yea so?

You as the subscriber paying the monthly bill hold all the cards. Without you, there is no Dish network.

The contract isn't worth the paper it's written on. One complaint to the BBB or attorney general and you can usually get out of it. That's not only holds true for Dish, but Directv, comcast, AT&T and any other provider that requires a contract.

Yeah some folks don't know what it means to honor a commitment when they sign a contract. Kind of sad actually.

Some will have their commitment waived, but not because of the dispute. There will be other factors, such as time you have been with Dish, the amount of money they feel you will cost them, how good you are arguing their own contract against them, etc. I have read every BBB complaint, both positive and negative, against Dish, and there was always common trends. And yes, I know, you can make the jab that I really have nothing better to do, but I did it for a few reasons. 1) When I worked for Dish, I used it as a tool to see what most customers were angry with, and what kind of responses they complained the most about. 2) How Dish responds to these cases 3) Sheer Boredom 4) They are actually quite hilarious most the time. Especially the ones that got declined listening to this advice of "They'll let you out, I know from experience".

 

[Rusticus]

I do watch the News Hour on occasion, if I happen to notice it's on while surfing the guide. It's not bad.

Of course, I'm only considering the content and not the attractiveness of the anchors, it being a source of news and information.

Perhaps if we get Fox news back on Dish, you might enjoy watching it. I think you will find that in this century you can get quality content from attractive anchors which are more than adequate to provide you with news and information. I assume though that your mind is made up on this channel already. If I have assumed incorrectly about you as you have about me, well shucks golly gee, I'm sorry.

To keep this post on point though, Dish needs to provide a channel lineup that appeals to a wide variety of political, religious and cultural beliefs, Fox news is not meant for everybody. Nor is it my sole source of news and information. Most of which comes from reading and not watching TV. But, when a channel that many people watch and enjoy is pulled from the lineup, you can expect an uproar. This entire thread has been equal parts of people upset with the loss of the channel and an equal part of people turning this into a political stage for them to voice their displeasure with Fox news and demean those who enjoy it. As many people may think about FOX news, this entire thread is about 10% information about the loss of the channel and 90% entertainment. I am sorry, but I think my posts are in the 90%.

 

[Claude Greiner]

As a retailer I got to read BBB complaints also.

At the bottom of each complaint was a URL to access the complaint on the BBB website.

Every single complaint I had to respond to was consistent with 2 things....

1) The decision to let the customer out of their contract was already made before they forwarded it to the retailer to get their side of the story.

2) customers almost always where let out of the contracts.

Since this practice has cost me thousands of dollars in chargebacks from customers allowed to cancel early, it's my obligation to let everyone know about this loop hole so it continues to cost dish money.

If Dish don't like it, then they need to revisit and change their policy

 

[dishcomm]

You keep making weird claims about internet TV that are just flat out wrong. I've been getting by just fine as a cord cutter with standard cable internet for a year now for $45. $60-$85 internet plans are not required to watch streaming video any more than the 5Mbps upload you said we needed earlier.

Internet TV doesn't have to take over 100% of the market to cause major problems for Dish and other providers. That can happen without all the people who don't have good broadband. Netflix has 50 million subscribers now. Is 50 million subscribers not mass distribution? If it's not than Dish's 14 million subscribers certainly isn't either.They are doing just fine even without all those people with no broadband access.

Ok....Then I guess these are :"weird" as well.
http://thebillfold.com/2013/06/how-much-do-you-spend-on-cableinternet-each-month/
http://qz.com/243001/the-incredible-rising-internet-bill/
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-phone-cable-internet-bills-cost-much-130914030.html
Look, Im not talking about Netflix or similar services.
The issue is a change in the method by which we now receive our TV......It IS going to happen. I see it coming. I have stated that in several posts.
This all leads back to the denial on the part of some people on here that FNC does not have the clout to negotiate from a position of strength. That is just not true.
This stuff about internet tv and younger people eschewing cable/satellite is a non sequitur.
And realize this. A Netfix subscriber does not a cord cutter make.
Look, think what you want. The bottom line is this. The programmers with higher ratings are in a better position to negotiate rates with providers. Period. This is an undeniable truth. Additionally, you may not want to believe this but if Dish does drop Fox, many customers WILL walk. And there are a lot of them.....The ratings state this quite clearly.

 

[dishcomm]

I have no objection to FNC existing or even being on Dish, where do you come up with that? FNC, like the other 24/7 news services is no better or worse than the other, they just have their own slant on the news as do all of them.

Aw come on now. You are simply tempering you commentary because your true views on Fox were exposed. I get it. It's fine.

 

[stardust3]

I can't like this post enough. Several years back (before my promotions), I was an account specialist, who you get transferred to when you threaten to cancel. I was in that position for AMC, and we sadly gave away way too much money in 2012 for that. It affected the price increase in 2013, it severely reduced the tools at my disposal to then keep customers in the months afterward. That department has a budget, and things like this eat into it. The 2015 price increase is already cast in stone, but I expect all the demands for compensation (when, frankly, none is warranted...the contract is very clear), will affect how much (or how LITTLE) those agents will be able to use to save customers. It will also affect future price increases.

So, those of you who are simply scrambling for freebies, thinking it's magic money that falls from trees, don't complain when the discount offers you enjoy are no longer available. If there is a price increase you did not expect. If the 2016 price increase is huge. If you call and threaten to cancel, and you're not offered any more than $10/month. I can tell you, the greedy opportunists taking advantage of this WILL affect the business rules for account specialists in the next few months.

Each action has an equal and opposite reaction.

I gotta wonder why dish cares so much. Why don't they just accept the programmers demands and pass on the costs? It sure seems it would be a lot cheaper on them. Handing out discounts & having programmers pull channels can't be good on the company.

 

[dishcomm]

Well, I am glad I slept in. I was only 25 minutes on hold for the first CSR who offered me $5 one time credit. 10 minutes later second CSR said $5 for 6 months. I pointed out that i am one of the nuts that about 50% of my Dish viewing is Fox News. She offered $10 for 6 months. I told her I had been reading SatGuys while on hold and some folks were getting $20 for 6 months. She Said let me put you on hold and check. She came back with $15 for 6 months. I took it.

So for the rest of you greedy bastards out there, don't take the first offer.

Now I hope FNC is back on in time for Cavuto tomorrow.

When the next increase hits I am dropping down to AT 200. I can get along fine without the Encore channels

 

[king3pj]

Ok....Then I guess these are :"weird" as well.
http://thebillfold.com/2013/06/how-much-do-you-spend-on-cableinternet-each-month/
http://qz.com/243001/the-incredible-rising-internet-bill/
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-phone-cable-internet-bills-cost-much-130914030.html
Look, Im not talking about Netflix or similar services.
The issue is a change in the method by which we now receive our TV......It IS going to happen. I see it coming. I have stated that in several posts.
This all leads back to the denial on the part of some people on here that FNC does not have the clout to negotiate from a position of strength. That is just not true.
This stuff about internet tv and younger people eschewing cable/satellite is a non sequitur.
And realize this. A Netfix subscriber does not a cord cutter make.
Look, think what you want. The bottom line is this. The programmers with higher ratings are in a better position to negotiate rates with providers. Period. This is an undeniable truth. Additionally, you may not want to believe this but if Dish does drop Fox, many customers WILL walk. And there are a lot of them.....The ratings state this quite clearly.

And I say that Netflix and other current streaming companies already changed the way that I and many other people receive their TV. I say that TV channels and providers like Dish are outdated. Why do I need to pay for dozens of channels I never watched when I can just buy the exact shows I want directly from iTunes? People keep saying they want ala carte and I say it's already here. I buy exactly what I want to see and I don't financial support all the reality TV and reruns these channels show 90% of the time.

I realize that this doesn't work for everyone. Some people have crappy or no broadband, some people want Fox News, etc. Over the last few years other content has taken up more of my time and traditional TV has taken up less. For me OTA and streaming are perfect and I have no use for traditional TV channels.

 

[dishcomm]

We already pay for internet, TV service is just an extension of it. My prediction is a 30 buck channel package will fit most peoples sweet spot, 75 bucks for everything, A whole NEW crop of providers are going to enter the fray. 10mbps is a good cheap (30 bucks and less in most places) internet price. I pay 45 bucks for 30mbps service. You are aware that 1 gig speeds are being run over plain ole copper wires. The entrenched entertainment providers are worried.

I hope to se those prices. But.....With the federal government making noise that it is going to meddle in the internet marketplace, I look for providers to circle the wagons to protect their turf and their respective bottom lines.
Meaning.. The consumer will take it in the shorts. That will happen in the form of more expensive prices and middling service.
For if an ISP/wireline/WIFI provider cannot make money, they are not going to invest in advanced technology.

 

[dishcomm]

And I say that Netflix and other current streaming companies already changed the way that I and many other people receive their TV. I say that TV channels and providers like Dish are outdated. Why do I need to pay for dozens of channels I never watched when I can just buy the exact shows I want directly from iTunes? People keep saying they want ala carte and I say it's already here. I buy exactly what I want to see and I don't financial support all the reality TV and reruns these channels show 90% of the time.

I realize that this doesn't work for everyone. Some people have crappy or no broadband, some people want Fox News, etc. Over the last few years other content has taken up more of my time and traditional TV has taken up less. For me OTA and streaming are perfect and I have no use for traditional TV channels.

Look, netflix and similar companies work fine for those who do not require live or as you say traditional tv.. In fact they are fantastic.

 

[Yespage]

This all leads back to the denial on the part of some people on here that FNC does not have the clout to negotiate from a position of strength.

*insert what has already been said several times about FNC being used by Newscorp as leverage to get their inferior FS1, FXX channels higher rates*

Fox took it down, not Dish, yet Dish is getting attacked by FNC viewers. Disney didn't take down ESPN, and that took nearly a year after the deadline to resolve.

 

[lparsons21]

Aw come on now. You are simply tempering you commentary because your true views on Fox were exposed. I get it. It's fine.

You're making an assumption not backed up with facts. I get the impression that you have the world set into two camps, those that like Fox News and those that don't.
I watch very little news on any channel as I prefer to read my news, and I read in plenty of places. Some right, some left leaning and some for straight hard news. That last is ill represented on any of the 24/7 news channels.

 

[dishcomm]

I hear the other perspective in stories on MSNBC about the conservative views, that is why I have those other channels Blocked. Don't need to hear it twice.

No...You're getting the liberal perspective on the conservative viewpoint. That is not "hearing it twice"..
But......anyway. Like I said, fear of information is not a good thing.
Being closed minded is even worse.
Ok, David Justice putting on headphones in "Money Ball"...we're done.

 

[dishcomm]

You're making an assumption not backed up with facts. I get the impression that you have the world set into two camps, those that like Fox News and those that don't.
I watch very little news on any channel as I prefer to read my news, and I read in plenty of places. Some right, some left leaning and some for straight hard news. That last is ill represented on any of the 24/7 news channels.

no no...it's cool. No worries. I have the picture.....No need for you to worry. I believe you.

 

[dishcomm]

$30 for 6 months from the retention dept 866-218-2297

NICE.....

 

[SomeDishGuy]

I gotta wonder why dish cares so much. Why don't they just accept the programmers demands and pass on the costs? It sure seems it would be a lot cheaper on them. Handing out discounts & having programmers pull channels can't be good on the company.

You have to realize, for every person who is vocal about this, there are many who are not, or do not even notice. I'm not going to talk about how many people called in on the CNN thing, but it was not as many as people would think. While it appears that Fox has a more vocal following, I expect it's not as many as people would expect. I mentioned in another post, the folks at corporate watch the tagging of the calls very carefully, and watch the amount given as compensation. Without knowing any tactics, that SURELY is factored in when coming to a decision whether to counter-offer, accept the existing offer, and whatnot. If nobody called in, Dish would stand firm, if a million people call, Dish will factor that into any decisions.

Why don't they just pass on the costs? Have you read the price increase thread? Every year, when it happens, Dish will lose a certain number of people upset about the price increase. If Dish just swallowed whatever price increase Fox/CNN/ESPN-Disney passes on, the price increase would be even higher, and Dish would likely lose more customers, and have to give more away to irate customers threatening to cancel. There are people at corporate who likely spend a lot of time calculating all of these scenarios.

 

[dishcomm]

Fox is trying to leverage FNC in order to get better contract deals with their inferior FS1 an FXX channels. Fox wants more money for less content, and is trying to use FNC to get it.

What less content?
Fox is trying to negotiate based on the ratings for FNC and Fox Business....
And the reason is, those channels have NOT been blacked out...
Look, I am the last person who wants a hand deeper into my already limited depth pockets.
However, I understand business.

 

[dishcomm]

Fox not only pulled the Fox news and Business channels, they want to negotiate the contracts of three other sports channels, THAT ARE NOT UP FOR RENEWAL, at the same time as Fox and Fox business channels. Obviously, this would give FOX even more leverage in the future, if they could lump all those channels together at the same time. FOX is breaking the contract agreement by trying to do this and DISH said NO. So FOX pulled their Fox news and Business channels. I support DISH in this dispute because once again another network like FOX, is forcing me to pay even more money for CRAP, I don't even watch now.

Can you provide a link or text to this story because I have not seen this....
Thanks

 

[dishcomm]

Fox not only pulled the Fox news and Business channels, they want to negotiate the contracts of three other sports channels, THAT ARE NOT UP FOR RENEWAL, at the same time as Fox and Fox business channels. Obviously, this would give FOX even more leverage in the future, if they could lump all those channels together at the same time. FOX is breaking the contract agreement by trying to do this and DISH said NO. So FOX pulled their Fox news and Business channels. I support DISH in this dispute because once again another network like FOX, is forcing me to pay even more money for CRAP, I don't even watch now.

There is a poster above who claimed he received a $30 per month credit for the next 6 months. Heck I will pick up the phone tomorrow...Idea?