Dish HD Locals---Any cities have them yet?

[waltinvt]

I realize there is a lot of prep work to bring a DMA online and some DMA's are more advanced than others. (hint hint) So there must be other political reasons (ie business decisions) why they made the choices they made.

I can see them baseing it off the quality of a DMA's OTA availability and its really really good here JUST like in LA who is up and running. (One of our stations have already shut down their analog tranmission and is digi only)So that idea can hold some water but not the whole story.

I'm still waiting to hear your take about the "volumes it speaks" but a couple of factors might be:

I'm not defending Dish but as for the order in which DMAs get HD LiLs launched first, Dish has to negoiate with the individule affiliates in each prospective DMA. Some affiliates perceive their respective value as much higher than it will ever be, so negoiations can be tough in some areas.

Also, Dish doesn't fart unless there's $$ in it for them, so they may not think it's worth it to compete against a widespread OTA signal - especially since we now know Dish doesn't intend to provide as high a quality signal as many OTA stations are providing.

Some rinky-dink affiliates STILL don't / can't transmit digital yet and probably won't be for a while; or if they do, it's low power and doesn't reach much of their DMA.

This of course doesn't go over big with their respective mother networks (whom they also have to negoiate with), so if they can at least have their studio equpment set up (which is in some cases even subsidized by the national network) to produce a digital signal and can get a fiber feed to the cable companies and an uplink to satellite, this gets them in the game quicker and cheaper than they'd normally be. In these areas Dish wouldn't be competing with OTA digital, so they'd be more likely to sell their LiL packages and even attract new customers to satellite.

 

[K4LK]

I find it extreamly distastfull how the 6 largest DMA was skipped over in the first round for those other po-dunk towns. It speaks volumes...

I'm in the 12th largest DMA and we're not on the list at all! . C'mon E*. I want to be able to record 3 local HD channels simultaneously.

 

[tomt]

Still waiting for a word on Syracuse NY

 

[Poke]

Yeah from the list that Dish had out their is really not too many more left to go. I know someone had a list going of what cities would be next. I know Oklahoma City would be towards the last.

 

[Poke]

Here is one link some one had posted.

http://ekb.dbstalk.com/hdlocal.htm

TV Market

Network and Channel Satellite

Albuquerque
Available 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6324 6326 6327

Atlanta
Available 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6365 6366 6367 6368

Boston
Available 2/15/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 61.5°
6318 6319 6320 6321

Chicago
Available 2/15/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6312 6313 6314 6315

Denver
Available 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6330 6331 6332 6333

Kansas City
Available 3/8/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6377 6378 6379 6380

Los Angeles
Available 2/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6306 6307 6308 6309

MinneapolisAvailable 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6347 6348 6349 6350

Nashville
Available 2/15/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6340 6341 6342 6343

New York City
Available 2/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 61.5°
6300 6301 6302 6303

Philadelphia
Available 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 61.5°
6353 6354 6355 6356

Salt Lake City
Available 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 129°
6372 6373 6374

Washington DCAvailable 3/1/06 ABC CBS NBC Fox 61.5°
6359 6360 6361 6362

Future planned markets

Cleveland Memphis San Diego
Austin Dallas Miami Phoenix San Francisco
Baltimore Detroit Milwaukee Pittsburgh Seattle
Greenville, SC Portland, OR Spokane
Buffalo Houston New Orleans Providence Springfield, MO
Burlington Indianapolis Norfolk Raleigh St. Louis
Charlotte Jacksonville Sacramento Tulsa
Cincinnati Oklahoma City
Louisville Orlando San Antonio

 

[Paradox-SJ]

I'm still waiting to hear your take about the "volumes it speaks" but a couple of factors might be:

I'm not defending Dish but as for the order in which DMAs get HD LiLs launched first, Dish has to negoiate with the individule affiliates in each prospective DMA. Some affiliates perceive their respective value as much higher than it will ever be, so negoiations can be tough in some areas.

Also, Dish doesn't fart unless there's $$ in it for them, so they may not think it's worth it to compete against a widespread OTA signal - especially since we now know Dish doesn't intend to provide as high a quality signal as many OTA stations are providing.

Some rinky-dink affiliates STILL don't / can't transmit digital yet and probably won't be for a while; or if they do, it's low power and doesn't reach much of their DMA.

This of course doesn't go over big with their respective mother networks (whom they also have to negoiate with), so if they can at least have their studio equpment set up (which is in some cases even subsidized by the national network) to produce a digital signal and can get a fiber feed to the cable companies and an uplink to satellite, this gets them in the game quicker and cheaper than they'd normally be. In these areas Dish wouldn't be competing with OTA digital, so they'd be more likely to sell their LiL packages and even attract new customers to satellite.

The volumes I was refering to had to do with the behind the curtin politics. For example its no suprise that Denver is up and running right? I am not sure where they fall on the DMA list but I know its behind places like Dallas and San Francisco.

Here in San Jose/SF DMA#6 all the majors are OO except Fox who hands out waviers to whom ever ask. Also all station in this market are broadcasting digital 24/7 and at full power. The fiber lines have already been run and are up so I know its not that. We even have local independents doing there own locally produces HD programing and our ABC affiliate is doing SkyHD (traffic cam on the helo in HD it preaty kewl) and will along with our NBC affiliate go to local news HD starting in Sept.

Again TO ME all this points to a business decission E* took for reasons that do not appear logical from my perspective but then again they are not in the business of appearing logical to me. They are in the business of making money. and we all know that the truth always leads us back to this.

Some might ask if its so good here why I even care if they are up and running or not. The answer is this DMA is HUGE! From Santa Rose in the north to Gilroy in the south (150 mile apart) and just as wide too. So there are MANY who can not recieve a quality signal though not the majority. I would guess those that the number of the MANY that can recieve in this DMA exceeds the market size of some markets that are now up.


Cheers-

 

[waltinvt]

I'm in the 12th largest DMA and we're not on the list at all! . C'mon E*. I want to be able to record 3 local HD channels simultaneously.

Florida is pretty flat, so I imagine Dish would be competing against a lot of OTA digital and HD on cable.

 

[its4]

The volumes I was refering to had to do with the behind the curtin politics. For example its no suprise that Denver is up and running right? I am not sure where they fall on the DMA list but I know its behind places like Dallas and San Francisco.

...

Cheers-

Unlike SF/San Jose, there are virtually no OTA digital broadcasts in the Denver metro area (except for very low power transmissions in the downtown area). The City of Golden has blocked the construction of the required antennaes for years and litigation is still ongoing (see www.hdtvcolorado.com). Thankfully Echostar IS based in Denver so those of us with no other options for receiving an HD signal can enjoy watching TV again.

 

[jstew9]

Dumb question time: that list is not the final list of cities on the docket correct? There seems to be some finality to that list as people talk about it that scares me a bit (mainly because good old Lexington, KY isn't even on the horizon).

Just curious if cities not already listed were 'after the initial list is complete' or 'never'.

Thanks

 

[M Sparks]

Again TO ME all this points to a business decission E* took for reasons that do not appear logical from my perspective but then again they are not in the business of appearing logical to me. They are in the business of making money. and we all know that the truth always leads us back to this.

Seems to me that if you're running a business, the LOGICAL thing to do is the thing that makes the most money. I mean, I don't support illegal or unethical business decisions, but that's clearly not the case here.

And things have barely started rolling out. It's not like years have passed and dozens upon dozens of markets have been put ahead of yours. Geez, have a little patience. Not everything is about you

I must say, I think the people in Tampa have a legitimate complaint, since they are so high up and not on the planned list at all. That seems a bit odd, but obviously there's a reason for it...we just don't know it. Still, if I lived there I'd be ticked. But San Francisco? You're like a 5 year old trying to pretend you're having a reasonable argument about why mommy should buy you a candy bar.

You're right about one thing...they are not in the business of "appearing logical to you".

 

[M Sparks]

our ABC affiliate is doing SkyHD (traffic cam on the helo in HD it preaty kewl)

How do you know it's "Kewl" (?) if you can't receive it? I mean, I'm assuming you can't receive any OTA signals. Because it would be even more absurd for you to be putting down those of us in markets who can't receive ANYTHING OTA, if you're getting OTA signals just fine.

Oh wait, it's because you care so much about the poor garlic farmers in Gilroy, right? Everyone in your DMA sticks together and supports each other eh?

Screw Rural Arizona/Colorado/New Mexico/Florida/ect! Rural Northern California rules!

 

[Paradox-SJ]

How do you know it's "Kewl" (?) if you can't receive it? I mean, I'm assuming you can't receive any OTA signals. Because it would be even more absurd for you to be putting down those of us in markets who can't receive ANYTHING OTA, if you're getting OTA signals just fine.

Oh wait, it's because you care so much about the poor garlic farmers in Gilroy, right? Everyone in your DMA sticks together and supports each other eh?

Screw Rural Arizona/Colorado/New Mexico/Florida/ect! Rural Northern California rules!

Yes I do recieve OTA just fine and have been for over 3 years now. I also recieve my locals in HD via Comcast due to the fact I have the HSI connection.

Rural California as you put it isnt so rural by any means but hey...the West coast is the best coast and we should be treated e x t r a special. So wait your turn...
As I stated before...I would speculate that there are more people here that cant recieve and ota signal than there are people is some of these other DMA's

 

[PeggyD]

I'm in the 12th largest DMA and we're not on the list at all! . C'mon E*. I want to be able to record 3 local HD channels simultaneously.

I just want to be able to get locals in HD. Even at only 22-23 miles from the transmitters, we can't get networks OTA.