DISH responds to PBS Injunction

[TalonDancer]

As for the timing, I know you think we make this stuff up, well we don't. I have been following most all events concerning Dish for years and years.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...CC-08-86A1.pdf shows the original timing.

In addition, I was very clear, I said in my post "My best guess" concerning your #2 above. It is derived from reading some of the replies dish made in the suit. But again, you think we make this all up.

The timing required by the government is not in question. They at least provide publicly available documentation. Hence the only timing links provided so far are what Dish SHOULD do to comply. Links to public acknowledgment by DISH that they would (or even intended to) comply with the legally required timing (pre STELA) are noticeably absent.

As for Dish's hand wringing in court.... well would you expect Dish to claim compliance will be easy but please don't make us do it because it will cost us money?

It's not that I don't trust you to tell the truth as you see it. It's Dish I don't trust. If Dish posted a Press Release: "The sky is blue" -- I'd look out the window.

Talon Dancer

 

[Tampa8]

"It's Dish I don't trust. If Dish posted a Press Release: "The sky is blue" -- I'd look out the window."

Lol.

 

[Derwin0]

Well, you must live in an area where PBS is the PITS. Here, in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton DMA, we have a very powerful PBS> Broadcasting on 4 digital channels and PBS AND LOCAL produced HD.

Lucky you, here in the Harrisburg market, the PBS station sucks. Very little in HD. And it's in the state capital.

WIth the government cutting PBS budgets (PA killed all payments to its PBS stations) these stations NEED satelitte coverage to continue.

How does satellite coverage help with lack of State funds? STELA mandates that PBS stations are to be must carried with no retrans fees. So even if they get on satellite in HD, they get no money for it. Unless carrying telethons in HD helps bring in money.

 

[testarc]

Curious, do you have kids? If Nick Jr. and Playhouse Disney could survive, there is no reason that PBS kids will do poorly.

Besides, it's utterly important to have a TV station that produces shows not based on how much advertisement it can bring in. I am glad not all stations are filled with shows like Deal No Deal or Big Brother.

How about which products or services you offer for sell? PBS has, for the most part, programs that can't find enough viewers to survive in the free market. They survive only because of government force, the threat of fines and maybe jail is needed to keep them on the air. If not carrying PBS was a deal breaker for too many customers then this tread would not exist, the fact is that not enough people care or watch PBS.

 

[TheKrell]

Curious, do you have kids? If Nick Jr. and Playhouse Disney could survive, there is no reason that PBS kids will do poorly.

That does not follow because both NickJr and Disney channels are bundled with other channels that can help pay for the poor viewership and/or lack of commercials. PBS is pretty much stand-alone.

 

[Greg Bimson]

In one of these PBS/Dish Network threads somewhere, I read that the main impetus for STELA requiring an accelerated PBS HD carriage timetable was that Dish Network wanted no part of rebroadcasting local PBS HD channels.

The short of it is that DirecTV and most local cable companies signed an agreement with the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) to gain HD carriage of local PBS stations. Dish Network dragged the negotiations for years, and now have no one to blame but themselves.

PS: Dish Network could have come to terms with APTS on an HD carriage agreement. There was still time to negotiate before STELA's mandatory timetable kicked in. However, why would APTS now bother when Dish Network has shown their true colors?

 

[Yes616]

Well, you must live in an area where PBS is the PITS. Here, in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton DMA, we have a very powerful PBS> Broadcasting on 4 digital channels and PBS AND LOCAL produced HD. It is the Indie stations most people want. THey do live HD from couty fairs. They produce live and recorded HD in their studio of artists and home grown talent who appear on their award winning FM.

Just where do you see WVIA broadcasting 4 channels? I get it OTA and only get 3. 44.1 is PBS HD, 44.2 is an alt PBS channel with some local programming in SD and 44.3 is PBS Create in SD.

It is a very good station though and yes quite powerful. It was nice of WNEP to give them thier old tower last winter after WVIA's went down in a storm. That was when WVIA went from RF channel 41 to 49.

 

[chicagonettech]

Why is there 354 PBS stations when there are only 210 DMA, why is the government paying for more PBS stations than are needed.

The "government" no longer pays for PBS. It is entirely viewer and corporate sponsored and paid for. Less than 3% of PBS money now comes from Government grants.

 

[whatchel1]

Not true

How about which products or services you offer for sell? PBS has, for the most part, programs that can't find enough viewers to survive in the free market. They survive only because of government force, the threat of fines and maybe jail is needed to keep them on the air. If not carrying PBS was a deal breaker for too many customers then this tread would not exist, the fact is that not enough people care or watch PBS.

That statement is pure BS. Many of the programs could only go on a few nets as to the fact that they to few episodes in the series. Tell me that all those of Ken Burns, Masterpiece Theater, Antiques Roadshow, This Old House, Hometime, History Detectives, and others couldn't find other nets to run them. In fact some of these are rerun on commercial stations every week. Just cause you don't care for the programming doesn't mean that they don't have a good following.

 

[96corvette]

Well, you must live in an area where PBS is the PITS. Here, in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton DMA, we have a very powerful PBS> Broadcasting on 4 digital channels and PBS AND LOCAL produced HD. It is the Indie stations most people want. THey do live HD from couty fairs. They produce live and recorded HD in their studio of artists and home grown talent who appear on their award winning FM. I know other markets do not have anything near that, but for the markets that do, it is very important that they get on Directv and Dish with the HD that the public is paying for. I am sure, when the allocations for dish were set up, Charlie had negative thoughts about pBS like most people.

I am sure the locals ratings are down since digital only took over and many people went with satellite and never hooked up OTA. Heck, with directv you can't unless you buy an option.

WIth the government cutting PBS budgets (PA killed all payments to its PBS stations) these stations NEED satelitte coverage to continue.

They should give coverage to PBS-HD before they give coverage to a sub channel (-2) like they are doing with some stations.

How to gain more space: For those with Sub channels (which take up some of the channels bandwidth ota) , decrease the bandwidth on dish if they are sneaking in a sub channel.

:up

 

[Derwin0]

The "government" no longer pays for PBS. It is entirely viewer and corporate sponsored and paid for. Less than 3% of PBS money now comes from Government grants.

The Feds might not, but some States do, especially those with Statewide PBS systems like Maryland, Georgia, South Carolina, etc...
Also some Cities have PBS stations that they support as well.

 

[kstuart]

In one of these PBS/Dish Network threads somewhere, I read that the main impetus for STELA requiring an accelerated PBS HD carriage timetable was that Dish Network wanted no part of rebroadcasting local PBS HD channels.

The short of it is that DirecTV and most local cable companies signed an agreement with the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) to gain HD carriage of local PBS stations. Dish Network dragged the negotiations for years, and now have no one to blame but themselves.

PS: Dish Network could have come to terms with APTS on an HD carriage agreement. There was still time to negotiate before STELA's mandatory timetable kicked in. However, why would APTS now bother when Dish Network has shown their true colors?

Actually, Dish has until August 6th to conclude an agreement with APTS, and that would automatically nullify the STELA provisions regarding PBS.

 

[kstuart]

Actually, Dish has until August 6th to conclude an agreement with APTS, and that would automatically nullify the STELA provisions regarding PBS.

Actually my math was off, and it was July 27th, but they concluded an agreement:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/222028-dish-avoids-stela-noncom-mandate.html

The relevant STELA bill text is:

‘(2) ELIGIBLE SATELLITE CARRIER- The term ‘eligible satellite carrier’ means any satellite carrier that is not a party to a carriage contract that--
‘(A) governs carriage of at least 30 qualified noncommercial educational television stations; and
‘(B) is in force and effect within 150 days after the date of enactment of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010.’;

 

[cditty]

Local PBS looks like crap anyway. They all have 3 sub-channels, so the main channel is bit starved.