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Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Dish Network Subscriber Growth Skids 89% In First Quarter

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News,

Citing competition from the telcos and the worsening economy, Dish Network reported Monday that its first-quarter subscriber growth nosedived nearly 89% from a year ago, with only a 35,000 net subscriber gain. The precipitous decline in new subscribers comes less than a week after archrival DirecTV reported last week that it had added 275,000 new subscribers in its most recent quarter, a 17% increase.

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44 Replies · 6239 views
mikethedishguy
As an installer for many years the figurers from E* come as no suprise. From the tech view the start of the losses began with the duel reciever and dish proand plus systems. They are much more difficult to install require better conections and are more prone to failures even though they are correctly installed. The early hardware and software was not very good and caused many problems. I can't count the times that I have gone to a service call and the reciever was moved or customer got a new tv and the reciever was not corectly installed or changed the channel from tv2 to something other than it was set to. Customer service has become a hit or miss with 20% of all work orders being wrong forcing the tech to eather reschedual or take his time to make the changes so that the order was correct.

E* appeared to resolve these problems by leaning on the tech by making them responsible for not only the install that they did but all problems with the system, including the customer that cant figure out how to use the remote. At the same time they incressed the amount of labor that the tech need to do to complete a work order with out any additional compensation.

With the loss of new customers most techs have lost much of there income and the good ones have gone to greener pastures thus snowballing the situation.
S
Charlie is in trouble for this reason as well: All these subs that have left Dish the past few months are now locked into 2 year commitments with DirecTV or cable/telcos (to get the best deals with triple play you are basically into a commitment and most people aren't going to just switch back anyway). So he's not getting these subs back for at least a year if not 2 and if the majority of those subs are happy they won't come back at all.
Stargazer
It is also going to be harder to gain subscribers from cable/Directv with their triple play/HD offerings.
G
shibby191 said:
Charlie is in trouble for this reason as well: All these subs that have left Dish the past few months are now locked into 2 year commitments with DirecTV or cable/telcos (to get the best deals with triple play you are basically into a commitment and most people aren't going to just switch back anyway). So he's not getting these subs back for at least a year if not 2 and if the majority of those subs are happy they won't come back at all.
Dish Network isn't in "trouble", per se, but they are now not growing much.

Take a look at the numbers:
Dish Network signed up 730K subscribers during Q1 2008. In the first quarter of 2007, they signed up 890K. So less people are signing up for Dish Network. This is probably the largest problem of all.

Dish Network lost 695K subscribers during Q1 2008. In the first quarter of 2007, they lost 580K. So more people are leaving Dish Network.

FiOS just added a net of 275K subscribers this past quarter. FiOS is becoming more and more an elephant in the room. If you can get FiOS, you can get internet and TV along with your phone service. I think that triple play is one of the better ones, and in this economy it does present a discount.

DirecTV added a net of 275K subscribers this past quarter. Their gross adds were almost a million subscribers (964K); they lost 690K subscribers, in line with Dish Network. However, that means a smaller percentage of DirecTV's subscriber base left than Dish Network's. And DirecTV is still pointing to its stricter credit controls to sign-up "better" customers.

So the issue here is that in this economy, what can Dish Network do to increase their subscriber base (with better customers) and reduce churn?

K-Mart was in bankruptcy a few years before they purchased Sears. The CEO that drove K-Mart into bankruptcy made one horrible mistake, which compounded all problems: he decided to compete with Wal-mart. So K-Mart was going to win on price, even if they sold products at a loss, just so they could beat Wal-mart. That CEO was replaced with one that knew how to restructure losing operations, so K-Mart shuttered non-performing stores, updated stores and upgraded customer service. The bankruptcy didn't last long; K-Mart was profitable and generating enough revenue to buy Sears.

I happen to believe Dish Network needs a differentiator, not to become more similar to DirecTV. VOOM would have been one, but alas it is done.

Honest question: how many of the new HD locals are on a wing-dish? I wonder if a two-dish solution for new HD locals is going to restrict potential customers?

Perhaps no one states this issue better than Dish Network:
We have historically positioned the DISH Network as the leading low-cost provider of multi-channel pay TV principally by offering lower cost programming packages. At the same time we have sought to offer high quality programming, equipment and customer service.
I once was told at a company I worked for, we strive for, "cheaper, faster and better". However, we all know it is unlikely one can receive all three.

Besides, paint yourself as a value provider, and when customers find there may be better values, it does cause ill will.

It will be an interesting Team Summit.
B
As an installer for many years the figurers from E* come as no suprise. From the tech view the start of the losses began with the duel reciever and dish proand plus systems. They are much more difficult to install require better conections and are more prone to failures even though they are correctly installed. The early hardware and software was not very good and caused many problems. I can't count the times that I have gone to a service call and the reciever was moved or customer got a new tv and the reciever was not corectly installed or changed the channel from tv2 to something other than it was set to. Customer service has become a hit or miss with 20% of all work orders being wrong forcing the tech to eather reschedual or take his time to make the changes so that the order was correct.

E* appeared to resolve these problems by leaning on the tech by making them responsible for not only the install that they did but all problems with the system, including the customer that cant figure out how to use the remote. At the same time they incressed the amount of labor that the tech need to do to complete a work order with out any additional compensation.

With the loss of new customers most techs have lost much of there income and the good ones have gone to greener pastures thus snowballing the situation.
you are correct. marketing will increase subscribers short term, and many companies spend more money there than improving operations, keeping products simple will insure lower churn. good execution of the basics begins with the person who has contact with the customer, the tech seems to be the least invested in asset because they are not considered an asset, but rather a liability. D* has spent yrs, and succesfully so, faulting the techs for poor workmanship. The true culprit is poor engineering, and the rushing of product to the market before being tested for reliability. yet the stock price grows, despite these internal chronic issues
Stargazer
Dish Network may be looking at how to keep their "risk" down which in return would make up for the lack of subscriber additions. If Dish Network is not spending as much money on acquiring customers then their profits will rise as they will get to keep more of the money that is coming in. If they also lower the amount that they spend on acquiring those customers then they are lowering their costs (raising profits) and not gaining customers that are looking at signing up short term until their contract runs out because they can get a better deal.

One problem I think that both Dish and Direct have is the fact that a lot of the subscriber additions are problem people coming from one satellite provider to the other. This means that the satellite companies are spending money several times on one single customer. At the same time they cannot not offer the deals or they will not attract customers off of cable.

I think a better solution to a lot of the problems would be to drop the monthly cost of the packages or offer more channels and/or other services included and quit nickel and diming the customers to death. Even if they beat cable by $10 per month that would gain a lot of customers without having to give these other deals. What this would do is prevent people from switching just to get a better deal short term and it gives everybody a deal longterm. It reduces the satellite companies churn if the existing customers are getting a good deal and helps go up against the triple play offerings that cable companies are offering. The bad thing would be a larger loss at first because everybody would start paying less so that would be less revenue right off the bat but would help longterm. They should start making people pay more upfront for the hardware and upgrades and the lower monthly fees would help offset those costs. This reduces the satellite companys and retailer's risk as well.
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68631 Replies · 2678982 views
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H
PEOPLE Are Strange-The Doors
harshness
Still Loving You - Scorpions
Bobby
PEOPLE Are Strange-The Doors

You're Still A Young Man - Tower Of Power
No Match, back to:
People Are Strange - The Doors




Isn't Life Strange - The Moody Blues
FTA4PA
Strange Days - Nazareth
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gms49ers
Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin
dishstaller
Dancing in the Street - Van Halen
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 5 views
TRG
TRG
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in Local Radio Discussion
20 Replies · 585 views
dishdude
It's probably been 2 decades since I've listened to an AM radio station. Very rarely listen to FM any more.
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Jimbo
I am 1 that wants the AM to Stay ....
That said, since '08 I have had Sat radio available to me ... I think I have turned on AM 3 or 4 times, just to see if its still there.

Fwiw, if theres a Major disaster or bad weather or whatever, the chances of me finding out about it by going to the AM side of the radio is SLIM and None.
Even FM, I haven't really had on since '13ish, I may turn it on from time to time, just to see if its still there.
harshness
Fwiw, if theres a Major disaster or bad weather or whatever, the chances of me finding out about it by going to the AM side of the radio is SLIM and None.
Automation has seen to that. You can't get evening drive traffic reports where I live, much less disaster reports.
dishstaller
Very rarely listen to FM any more
That goes for a lot of people. I've been advertising on radio for more than a decade now and am very familiar with this subject. While it is still a valuable tool, it has far less impact than it did just a few years ago. The best reaction I get is from a local Country music station....they play a mix of older and newer music and have a very big footprint.
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Jimbo
That goes for a lot of people. I've been advertising on radio for more than a decade now and am very familiar with this subject. While it is still a valuable tool, it has far less impact than it did just a few years ago. The best reaction I get is from a local Country music station....they play a mix of older and newer music and have a very big footprint.
Do you do any Ad's on Satellite ?

If Not, why not, because it's not Local ?
dishstaller
Do you do any Ad's on Satellite ?

If Not, why not, because it's not Local ?
No, just regular FM stations. One is the country station I mentioned and the other is a Talk Radio station which used to get fantastic results but honestly, since the death of Rush Limbaugh, talk radio just doesn't do as well. There were two guys who had an early morning show which was hugely popular here in the southeast but one of them retired a couple years ago and the show just doesn't garner the same numbers as it used to.
TheForce
Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone
Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
135 Replies · 1641 views
comfortably_numb
Can't remember if I've posted this yet..


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL5seXJyWU
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Foxbat
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.
​

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.
S

most carriers do. that's why they send updates that slow phones down!! i buy unlocked phones no effect to me
S
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.
​

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.

hope you have apple care a screen job is 1000.00 :oops:. can we say over priced garbage!!!
harshness
Gone are the days when Apple "perfects" what debuted years earlier on an Android phone.
comfortably_numb
Gone are the days when Apple "perfects" what debuted years earlier on an Android phone.

Or better yet, innovate something "completely revolutionary!"
SkyWatcher57
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
Hello folks, well my luck ran out last week with a nasty thunderstorm and after 39 years here, finally took a hit. Now, the FTA receivers I had for some years worked great until now. Recently picked up a fairly cheap receiver, online, KOQIT and seems to be good, but for the life of me, I cannot get the HDMI output to work with 3 of my Samsung monitors. I can hook it up to my Samsung TV and its HDMI input and it works fine. The 2 receivers I lost also worked fine with them, so am I going crazy? anyone have come across this or have any suggestions? And, since this is a somewhat cheap unit but works, what is everyone out there using for receivers these days? without breaking the bank? I enjoy watching FTA TV, so I will invest more if needed, what is a really good, detailed unit these days. I'm so use to watching a few of them HD channels. Right now I'm down to composite hookups, yuck! Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Frank :rolleyes:
47 Replies · 1297 views
(((Garyd)))
Hello folks, well my luck ran out last week with a nasty thunderstorm and after 39 years here, finally took a hit. Now, the FTA receivers I had for some years worked great until now. Recently picked up a fairly cheap receiver, online, KOQIT and seems to be good, but for the life of me, I cannot get the HDMI output to work with 3 of my Samsung monitors. I can hook it up to my Samsung TV and its HDMI input and it works fine. The 2 receivers I lost also worked fine with them, so am I going crazy? anyone have come across this or have any suggestions? And, since this is a somewhat cheap unit but works, what is everyone out there using for receivers these days? without breaking the bank? I enjoy watching FTA TV, so I will invest more if needed, what is a really good, detailed unit these days. I'm so use to watching a few of them HD channels. Right now I'm down to composite hookups, yuck! Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Frank :rolleyes:
Take the cover off, show me pics of the board of the bad one and also the bottom of the board. I'm an old hardware electronics tech plus a satellite dealer; I fixed a lot of FTA and regular receivers. I may be able to fix it for you. And yes, they got hit by lightning; it's best to email me the pics at diamondsatellite@snet.net or call me at 203-232-8888. I give you a 50-50 chance of fixing it; I do have spare parts. my phone is a fliptop phone
Gary
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S
Hello folks, well my luck ran out last week with a nasty thunderstorm and after 39 years here, finally took a hit. Now, the FTA receivers I had for some years worked great until now. Recently picked up a fairly cheap receiver, online, KOQIT and seems to be good, but for the life of me, I cannot get the HDMI output to work with 3 of my Samsung monitors. I can hook it up to my Samsung TV and its HDMI input and it works fine. The 2 receivers I lost also worked fine with them, so am I going crazy? anyone have come across this or have any suggestions? And, since this is a somewhat cheap unit but works, what is everyone out there using for receivers these days? without breaking the bank? I enjoy watching FTA TV, so I will invest more if needed, what is a really good, detailed unit these days. I'm so use to watching a few of them HD channels. Right now I'm down to composite hookups, yuck! Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Frank :rolleyes:
a good surge protector will help to.
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SkyWatcher57
Take the cover off, show me pics of the board of the bad one and also the bottom of the board. I'm an old hardware electronics tech plus a satellite dealer; I fixed a lot of FTA and regular receivers. I may be able to fix it for you. And yes, they got hit by lightning; it's best to email me the pics at diamondsatellite@snet.net or call me at 203-232-8888. I give you a 50-50 chance of fixing it; I do have spare parts. my phone is a fliptop phone
Gary
Hi Gary, still working on getting you those
Hi Gary, just saw this, ok, I'll grab some pics tomorrow and post them. thx
Still working getting you those pictures, nice weekends means yard work and fall prep, thanks
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k4otl
Anybody know how to add "hidden" audio channels like for 101 W Ku or 105W C band on these recvr's? I've exported the database file but don't have anything that will read or edit it.
cyberham
For 105W C, you scan in the Westwood tp normally. Then select the audio channel you want. Not necessary to manually enter. On 101W, you must manually enter.
k4otl
For 105W C, you scan in the Westwood tp normally. Then select the audio channel you want. Not necessary to manually enter. On 101W, you must manually enter.
Seems like I remember that now, with my V9 I manually entered anyway on 105, easier for me to pick the channel later :)
T
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
IS Amiko MIRA 3 any good ???
Can you recommend the best to cover all bases. NO BEEPS on certain channels 101w (NEWSMAX ,NEWS NATION), a clock that keeps working STEADY for timed recording ,solid unit with good lifespan. My Amiko died AND my Linkbox has NO Favorites Button and BEEPS on many channels. Picking up 105 west with a NEW SHED IN THE Way with 6 foot Cband ..95 percent quality ...unbelievable.
10 Replies · 272 views
T
Have you tried a new power brick on your Amiko?

YOU WERE RIGHT. IT IS WORKING NOW WITH 2X AMPS !!

DAN
primestar31
Have you tried a new power brick on your Amiko?

YOU WERE RIGHT. IT IS WORKING NOW WITH 2X AMPS !!

DAN
That's great!

Many people have all sorts of power bricks laying around. Provided the plug fits, and it's the right polarity and same voltage and the same OR higher amps, why not try another one IF the device you want to try it on doesn't seem to work right.
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JFOK
That's great!

Many people have all sorts of power bricks laying around. Provided the plug fits, and it's the right polarity and same voltage and the same OR higher amps, why not try another one IF the device you want to try it on doesn't seem to work right.
primestar31,

Could you explain to me what a power brick is ?
Thanks,

John
primestar31
primestar31,

Could you explain to me what a power brick is ?
Thanks,

John
Some people just call them power supplies (which really isn't a good fit in this case), some call them "wall adapters" but it's an external power supply or AC adapter that converts (AC) from a wall outlet into low-voltage (DC) that an electronic device needs to run.
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T
[Give us a summary of what you receive with a 6-footer. I'm very curious.]

Right now on C band getting 105w, a Mexican channel with 95% quality and I am near Detroit! I'm recording a TECHNO MUSIC FESTIVAL today from Mexico ..if you can believe it.....and yes that SHED is partly in the path so I'm puzzled. There are also christian channels on 105w.
cyberham
...Right now on C band getting 105w, a Mexican channel with 95% quality...
105W has some very strong transponders. I received more than four transponders using a 41-inch dish recently. See here.
k4otl
[Give us a summary of what you receive with a 6-footer. I'm very curious.]

Right now on C band getting 105w, a Mexican channel with 95% quality and I am near Detroit! I'm recording a TECHNO MUSIC FESTIVAL today from Mexico ..if you can believe it.....and yes that SHED is partly in the path so I'm puzzled. There are also christian channels on 105w.
The Westwood One Mux on 105W would likely be receivable, has some good music channels on there. It does scan in, but it's more convenient to manually enter the PIDs, check out Lyngsat for the channels: EchoStar 105/SES 11 at 105.0°W - LyngSat

I use a 10 footer (only C-band dish I have), but it's very strong.