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Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum
And the bill is called the "Next Generation Television Marketplace Act" which would do three things:

  • "Repeal those provisions of the Communications Act that mandate the carriage and purchase of certain broadcast signals by cable operators, satellite providers and their customers.
  • "Repeal the Communications Act's retransmission consent provisions and the Copyright Act's compulsory license provisions, thereby allowing negotiations for the carriage of broadcast stations to take place in the same deregulated environment as negotiations for carriage of non-broadcast channels such as Discovery, Food Network and AMC.
  • "Repeal ownership limitations imposed on local media operators, allowing businesses to evolve and adapt to today's dynamic communications market."
DIRECTV Applauds Introduction Of Video Deregulation Bill - TheStreet
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/12/16/56145/bill-would-repeal-retrans-ownership-caps
39 Replies · 4909 views
bacchus101
In my local DMA, the broadcaster of FOX said they have no plans of EVER changing over to HD and basically told me I am lucky that I even have FOX. I requested a waiver. They denied it immediately. I requested an HD waiver. They denied that immediately too. I explained that they were sticking me with an inferior product (i.e. SD football on a 50" screen) which can easily be had via satellite if a waiver was granted. They laughed.

I "moved."

If my local broadcaster folds, because of a bill that allows SV and National feeds to compete in my market - so be it. Because they have a monopoly in this DMA, they have no impetus to upgrade their equipment. They offer a take it or leave it approach (the CBS channel's sound is in Dolby 2.0 and they have no plans to upgrade that equipment either.)

Any bill that would stick it to the station owners who act like Kings in their DoMAin, is a bill I'd love to see passed.
Will94
I would like to see it pass too. I know this is a D* forum but where we live Dish does not provide locals in HD and my OTA antenna is only good for 3 of the 4 locals and only really at night (I need to do some adjusting). The local cable company provides both local and Dallas locals. I would love to get Dallas locals along with our current ones.
From what I've read, I am mixed on this bill. The removal of limits as to how many radio stations a single company can own in a given market has helped to kill radio.

It's also taken away local radio news in small markets. I saw a story about this on television. It had to do with a small town where there used to be local news but Clear Channel had bought all of the local stations, and they were run from a command center out of town. There was a train derailment and some kind of poisonous gas was leaking. There was no local news to inform residents as to what was going on.

What kills me about the current setup with TV networks is that DBS providers don't get to play by the same rules as cable companies. DirecTV has my sister's address in Houston as my address, and I get my "real" locals OTA. This is due in large part because my wife was born and raised in Houston and has watched KTRK news her entire life. That station is on our local cable, but I have to lie about my address to get it through DirecTV. It's crazy.
M
In my local DMA, the broadcaster of FOX said they have no plans of EVER changing over to HD and basically told me I am lucky that I even have FOX. I requested a waiver. They denied it immediately. I requested an HD waiver. They denied that immediately too. I explained that they were sticking me with an inferior product (i.e. SD football on a 50" screen) which can easily be had via satellite if a waiver was granted. They laughed.

That sucks. Is the Fox 480i widescreen or 4x3?
Down the road from me is Mankato, MN...another 1 station market (CBS & Fox subchannel). Directv just added the Fox channel a month or so ago.They've had CBS for 6 years now but gave them the rest of the nets from Minneapolis (Fox wasnt added OTA until mid 07). So when they added it it is only in SD (as the station is 480i widescreen). The CBS station on their news had an article that the "HD" feed isnt carried and to call Directv and request they carry Fox in "HD". Only issue is its not HD. Its 480i widescreen.

I "moved."
small markets like that movers are more common

If my local broadcaster folds, because of a bill that allows SV and National feeds to compete in my market - so be it. Because they have a monopoly in this DMA, they have no impetus to upgrade their equipment. They offer a take it or leave it approach (the CBS channel's sound is in Dolby 2.0 and they have no plans to upgrade that equipment either.)

satellite should have the same rules as cable for SV. Mankato has 2 CBS, 2 ABC, 2 Fox and 1 NBC on cable. Only CBS & Fox would be "local".
Bill_KY
From what I've read, I am mixed on this bill. The removal of limits as to how many radio stations a single company can own in a given market has helped to kill radio.

It's also taken away local radio news in small markets. I saw a story about this on television. It had to do with a small town where there used to be local news but Clear Channel had bought all of the local stations, and they were run from a command center out of town. There was a train derailment and some kind of poisonous gas was leaking. There was no local news to inform residents as to what was going on.

.

It happened in Minot North Dakota January 18 2002, because of station consolidation and the result of stations running automated...none of the local stations were able to air the disaster live.

Minot train derailment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"As a result of the confusion, no formal emergency warnings were issued for several hours while Minot officials located station managers at home. The incident has been cited as an example of the physical dangers of media consolidation and the currently prevalent cost-cutting measure of not keeping overnight staff at stations. Even without activation of the Emergency Alert System, a live announcer would still have been able to warn citizens of the emergency via the traditional means of the broadcast signal and an on-air microphone. As local stations were running in automated mode, there was nobody on-site to interrupt programming and issue warnings concerning the disaster"
M
The reason for the ownership caps placed in 1934 still exists today.
and yet companies have been circumventing it for that many years

Great example is Duluth, MN where I use to live. They are a 5 station market. The Big 4 + PBS.
A few years ago the CBS station was sold to a company nobody heard of. They were "brand new" company. They bought the station, turn around and gave the keys to the NBC affiliate, said "have fun" and closed down the CBS building. FCC rules say you cannot own more than one of the Big4 stations in a market. So the NBC (Granite Broadcasting) circumvented his and either created a shell company or paid someone to buy the station for them.

They did the exact same thing in Ft Wayne, Indiana. In fact these are the only two stations they own

On March 8, 2005, Malara Broadcast Group entered into a credit agreement with Granite Broadcasting Corporation. This agreement gave Malara Broadcasting $48.5 million and a revolving credit line of $5 million, which it used to purchase KDLH (from former owner New Vision Television) and WPTA, from Granite. In addition to this agreement, Malara also entered into a second agreement with Granite, under which Granite would operate, promote, and sell advertising for the two Malara stations. This is known as a local marketing agreement.

hmm...give me a bunch of money to buy 2 stations then I'll turn around and let you run them. Interesting.....
bacchus101
That sucks. Is the Fox 480i widescreen or 4x3?

It's in "glorious" 4x3.

They have a laundry list of reasons why they won't offer it in HD, starting with the fact that they don't have an HD contract with Fox. Secondly, even if they did have said contract they don't have an OTA FCC license to broadcast both channels in HD because of mandated bandwidth limitations thus getting a contract for the HD feed would not be cost effective. Thirdly, they don't have the equipment to uplink in HD. Finally, no one (i.e. Dish, Time Warner, DirecTV) has even asked them for the HD feed.

In parting, they said I should be happy that Fox is no longer an analog channel. ;)
JohnL
I hate Clear Channel and the rest of Corporate radio. The Local stations have a play list from Corporate and not much else gets of the radio. Cleared play lists started 20 years ago and have ruined Radio. The DJ just plays the songs on the list, what happened to having personal choices from DJ's on the music played. Heck, even Satellite radio does the same thing. Years and years ago a DJ started his/her show and played their choices, RADIO was killed by corporations.

John
TNGTony
and yet companies have been circumventing it for that many years
Absolutely, but that came only after the first round of rules relaxation. The original ownership caps 7-7-7 + no ownership of print media in the same market as electronic media, included a ban on ANY type of control over the stations/paper. In the early 80s things were relaxed to allow management deals to begin to circumvent the ownership caps. And BTW, this is also the reason why station prices have skyrocketed! The demand to buy and control the planet has increased so the value of the stations was artificially inflated.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
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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....
68579 Replies · 2676110 views
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RaiderPower
Working My Way Back To You - The Spinners
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long_time_Dish
Find A Way To My Heart - Phil Collins
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dishstaller
Heart of Glass - Blondie
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long_time_Dish
Magazine - Heart
H
Harden My HEART-Quarterflash
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
29 Replies · 761 views
S
remembers when ATT had stores and leased home phones
dishstaller
My Wife was recently in an antique store and saw a rotary desk phone and it had one of those sticker overlays that had a business listed with phone number under each number on the dial. She looked closer and it had my old Radio Shack listed under the 8...she bought it. Pretty cool keepsake. Back then I rented vhs movies as well so I had it listed as Radio Shack / Movie Gallery and then the phone number.
Almighty1
I remember this in the news too...

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Bobby
I remember this in the news too...

That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.
HIFI
2.webp
2.webp
anybody remember this disaster ?
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meStevo
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
126 Replies · 2154 views
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rvvaquero
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.
HipKat
Week Six Balls and Goats and WTH is Going On in The NFL??

Browns. 1st place in the North. Yup. Believe it or not

Chiefs. Undefeated.

Titans. Won a game ! .... Colts I know, but still.

Saints. Won a game after a while.

Steelers. Having the same season they always have. They somehow find wins on their way to an unceremonial 1st round exit. Mike Tomlin is proud.

Cards. Won a game without scoring a single touchdown

Broncos. How they manage to win games with the dogshit offense they have should be studied.

Bears. Caleb's back and so is their mojo.


Goats

NFC East. For the 2nd straight week no team from this clown show of a division won a game. Eagles are cooked without Hurts. Who's not that good anyway. Commanders suck, Dallas is well ..... Dallas and the Giants have no QB.

Ravens. Lamar is out (as usual). But still. Losing to the Browns is never ok.

Chargers. Still can't win.

Rams. So much for the powerhouse team. They are 2 games under .500

Seattle. Lost to the offenseless Broncos.
Y
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.
Johnson built it, but without the Herschel Walker trade, it never happens.
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b4pjoe
Johnson built it, but without the Herschel Walker trade, it never happens.
Jerry made himself General Manager after he bought the team but make no mistake Jimmy engineered that trade. As well as a lot of others at the time.
rvvaquero
Jimmy Johnson is a football guy. Jerry Jones is a marketer (hustler).

When I see a football player get a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct (like taunting) in a close game, I often wonder what he was thinking. Was he thinking, I'm doing everything I can to make this a better team and help win a championship? Or, was he saying to himself, I want everyone to notice how great I am?

Johnson inspires one, Jones the other.
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S
· posted in The Chit Chat Club
I haven't posted in almost 17 years. Over the air, sat, offline, anything-but-the-internet is still one of my avid pursuits. Been playing with offline tv viewing and offline web browsing. I have great appreciations for this site still being here. It's so hard to find public communities that haven't sold out to social media company.
0 Replies · 21 views
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:
46 Replies · 1131 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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navychop
More room for the return of the Plague & Pestilence?

;)
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.
TRG
TRG
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Now that I'm retired, obviously I have different health care insurance. I take 2 prescriptions. With my old insurance I didn't have to pay for either of them, now I do. It's not a huge amount but it led me to dig a little into the cost of prescription medications. I have been using Walgreens for the longest time. But what I found was that Walgreens price is 4.8 times more for one of my prescriptions and the other is 2.3 percent more compared to the lowest price pharmacy. If you pay for prescription medications you might want to have a look at trumprx and see if you can get a lower price.


Screenshot from 2026-10-22 15-43-53.webp
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11 Replies · 85 views
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comfortably_numb
I run them through several different providers to see who has the lowest cost

Usually it's Walmart or Sam's + GoodRx

Also...


You can also price them through the CareCard and WellRx apps.

Sometimes Amazon Pharmacy is cheapest.
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T
TrumpRx?!?

I went on Medicare recently (not an "advantage" plan) and my prescriptions at HyVee were very low out of pocket. The clerk said she was putting them on "Good Rx".
osu1991
I take 10mg Rosuvastatin (Crestor). I was paying $34 for a 90day supply at Walgreens last year when I was on Blue Cross. My Blue Cross premiums were going up to $1800 a month this year, so I switched to an Ambetter Bronze plan (I think that's a Cigna company) for $825 a month. I now have a $40 copay for doctors visits which is fine as I usually only see them once or twice a year, so a huge cost savings. My Rosuvastatin was going to go up to around $90 for a 90 day supply at Walgreens and even more at CVS or one of the local family pharmacies. Ordering online thru my insurance portal from Express Scripts it's $0.74 for a 90 day supply.
comfortably_numb
TrumpRx?!?

Scripts arrive in a gold paper sack.
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dishstaller
Usually it's Walmart or Sam's + GoodRx
I'm fortunate and don't take any medications. A couple years ago I had to take some antibiotics and used the GoodRx app. Went to Walmart and the person behind the desk knew me and told me to just buy them outright....the GoodRx price was a LOT higher. She said they aren't supposed to tell customers when they see they are being screwed.
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navychop
That's ok. I probably take enough for the two of us.

God knows what Bobby takes. Maybe so much they count as a meal?
:D
:devilish
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Bobby
That's ok. I probably take enough for the two of us.

God knows what Bobby takes. Maybe so much they count as a meal?
:D
:devilish
Actually I take just 2 prescriptions, Atorvastatin and Lisinopril. They cost me $6 each for 100 pills. Next year that will be nothing.
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