new locals
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I received them today. As of right now i get the local PBS and NBC from Washington,DC. The remaining locals (CBS -wboc, fox, and ABC - wmdt) wont be available until the end of the month according to the installer.
here is an article about this. Its from Dish Network, local TV stations can't agree | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times . Basically looks like our local stations got greedy and held up the deal
June 6, 2010
Dish Network, local TV stations can't agree
By Deborah Gates
Staff Writer
SALISBURY -- A fuzzy picture is in view in local TV land.
Denver-based satellite television provider Dish Network has announced that it now brings local TV channels to subscribers, and that representatives would be in Salisbury later this week to celebrate the expansion that delivers network affiliates WBOC-16, Fox 21 and WMDT-47 to satellite customers.
But local network affiliates say that's not true, at least not yet. Local TV stations have been in negotiations to add their channels to the DISH lineup of customer offerings, but as of Friday had signed no agreement. The confusion raises the question of whether they will by Saturday, when the satellite provider is scheduled to host a celebration at the Centre at Salisbury mall to kick off its marriage with local TV stations.
"We'd be singing from the highest mountain if we were on satellite," Craig Jahelka, vice president and general manager for WBOC and FOX 21, said Friday. "We have not reached an agreement, but the (announcement) gives me hope; we've been trying to get Dish Network to carry us for years."
In fact, WBOC was informed days ago that Dish would not be launching the local CBS and Fox channels, Jahelka said.
The confusion overshadows the impact of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010, or STELA. The law was signed by President Barack Obama last week, and extends copyright licensing that allows satellite TV providers to broadcast local stations to customers another five years. The law also allows satellite and cable TV providers to pull in distant signals for pay-TV subscribers unable to receive a signal from their local network affiliate. Relevant to the Salisbury market is that the law led Dish Network to agree to deliver local TV station signals to markets where it previously had not, including Salisbury.
That's what DISH Network said it would be doing, effective June 3. "Dish Network is the only satellite provider in Salisbury that delivers local channels, giving residents a choice in TV for the first time ever," reads a Dish statement last week. "Channels launching include WMDT-ABC, WBOC-CBS AND WBOC-FOX."
Dish spokeswoman Francie Bauer explains that the satellite provider was on schedule to launch local network stations June 3 in the Salisbury market and dozens of others across the country.
But Salisbury stations held out, blocking the satellite provider from tapping local signals for Delmarva customers. Bauer could not comment on reasons for the holdout, but said that typically, negotiations stall when a local network affiliate fails to accept a financial offer by DISH for use of local signals.
"Typically, in negotiations, money changes hands; (TV stations) ask for a certain amount of money," Bauer said. "If a rate is exorbitant, we push back a little bit. If we gave them what they want, we'd have to raise rates and we don't want to do that. I would venture to guess that it comes down to terms and rates."
Jahelka wonders if Dish will re-open negotiations ahead of the 11 a.m. bash on Saturday at the Centre mall. There also is this question: Does DISH plan to pay network affiliates their asking price to access local signals?
Jahelka said WBOC wanted a higher fee than offered. "We asked them to pay us less than a penny a day for our signal; they refused," he said Friday. "We were told they would not be launching WBOC and FOX 21."
Jahelka called the DISH announcement "deceptive advertising."
"Once again, Dish Network is being less than forthcoming with the public," he said, citing prior alleged practices by the satellite company he characterized as questionable. "It's deceptive advertising because we have not reached an agreement."
Kathleen McLain, general manager at WMDT that broadcasts ABC and the CW network, said the station has had discussions with Dish, but did not elaborate. "We had recent exchanges; we looked forward to reaching an agreement for them to carry stations on their satellite," she said Friday. "I can't get into speculation (as to if or when it will happen)."
If Dish wins the Salisbury market, existing satellite subscribers would pay an additional $5 monthly charge for local programming, and new customers would automatically have the charge built into their contract.
For now, Dish subscribers in Salisbury get WCPB public television and WHAG, an NBC network affiliate in Washington, she said, adding that the Salisbury market is the only one among more than 200 in the nation where subscribers cannot get local stations in their satellite packages. Having local stations delivered by satellite eliminates the need for converter boxes and antennas in some instances, she says.
The STELA law also positions Dish Network as the first and only pay-TV provider in the nation to offer local channels to consumers in every U.S. television market, Bauer said. The Salisbury market of about 158,000 households stretches across the Lower Shore, and Dorchester and Sussex counties.
A local agreement would put Dish subscribers on par with subscribers of Comcast Cable who already receive local over-the-air TV channels in basic subscription packages. The agreement also would give Dish a competitive leg up in the Salisbury market over its satellite TV competitor, DirecTV, which also delivers no local TV signals.
"But Salisbury is one of the few holdouts," Bauer said.
That letter is still posted on their website. Just click the "about us" link. It's no doubt they don't want to deal with salisbury
I just checked dish's web page and when you type in a zip code for anywhere in the salisbury, dma - it now shows WBAL (baltimore NBC channel 11) as being our imported NBC. It said this early last week, then changed to WHAG (hagerstown channel 25), now it has changed back. The list ( SatelliteGuys.US - Subscription 119°W ) still shows hagerstown and that is still what i am recieving. Not sure what is going on with the imported NBC. I hope they keep it like it is since us eastern arc customers need them all on 119 so we can get them. If they go back to WBAL (which is on 110) then we will be screwed
aaahhh so it is
figured i'd attach it to let anyone not familiar read it
I laugh every time i read that letter... Can't believe they have it posted for everyone to read. I would have that thing removed in a heartbeat
aaahhh so it is
figured i'd attach it to let anyone not familiar read it
oh good lord that is funny
"As one of the most dominate local news casts in America".....seriously? I think every market says that
Thelist is what seems to be more accurate lately than the dish site.
exactly and that is why right now you get Hagerstown. Dish didnt think this through and figured "well lets put the locals on 119 and the imported ones we'll just remap them" and forgot that they may be on 110.I hope they keep it like it is since us eastern arc customers need them all on 119 so we can get them. If they go back to WBAL (which is on 110) then we will be screwed
All Dish would have to do is uplink WBAL to 119 and you'd be set
Usual
It's the usual blah, blah, sneerd pap letter. Thing is they are expecting to get 2/3 of everything that E* charges the customer for just their channels. So after E* imports locals from elsewhere they might just be more open to getting what other providers get paid. Also the letter shows they have gone thru the same thing with D* at one time too. Does that mean that his stations are better than the rest in the market. The other locals should post letters saying WTF do they get off saying that.
It's the usual blah, blah, sneerd pap letter. Thing is they are expecting to get 2/3 of everything that E* charges the customer for just their channels. So after E* imports locals from elsewhere they might just be more open to getting what other providers get paid. Also the letter shows they have gone thru the same thing with D* at one time too. Does that mean that his stations are better than the rest in the market. The other locals should post letters saying WTF do they get off saying that.
Jacobm69
Have you subscribed to the two locals (PBS and WHAG) that are available? Did you have to call to add them? Since it's only two of the five how much are they charging for them? Not the full $5 I hope.
(First post - lots of questions)
Lovin' life in the Salisbury DMA
Have you subscribed to the two locals (PBS and WHAG) that are available? Did you have to call to add them? Since it's only two of the five how much are they charging for them? Not the full $5 I hope.
(First post - lots of questions)
Lovin' life in the Salisbury DMA
yes i have subscribed to them. I did have to call to get them. Make sure you have a dish looking at the 119 satellite. They are charging me the full 5 bucks. I was on the phone with dish about this for a while last night. They dont seem to understand that we are not getting our locals still. You know how it is dealling with the CRS's...i will keep trying to get the fee knocked down, but no luck so far
