OTA Guide data replaced with 'Important News - Press Info'

[bebop]

Is there a way to not have my guide info over-written with 'Important News - Press Info' for the OTA Local channel (CBS Boise) that is in dispute with Dish?

I get the guide info accurately from 4 days out and beyond, but it is replaced with this very message for any time sooner than that. What a pain! I don't care about the local from Dish since it has no programming, but I do care about the guide for the OTA version of that channel which I watch often. The main (only) reason I subscribed to the locals is to get the guide info and record easily. It's like they are teasing me with the guide info being 4 days away - but it never gets any closer than that! :down

I use the Sling-Guide instead for the time being - but it's like Dish goes out of their way to replace perfectly working guide info with this message.

Any chance this can get fixed, short of the legal dispute between Fisher Communications and Dish being resolved?

 

[dennispap]

Unfortunately, Nope.

 

[bebop]

Did you look into this already or something?

I'm just surprised that I can get the info on SlingGuide & on the sat guide itself even (I'm paying for it), but I can't use it from the 0-4 day period. Plus the recordings of that channel go from accurate at setup for the info to the 'Important News - Press Info' label. So I can't tell what is what from the recordings.

I thought of calling them up and asking them to not do the over-write for my OTA, but I doubt I could even get anyone worth talking to.

 

[Hall]

The guide data for the two channels is the same, simply "copied" from one channel to the other.

 

[bebop]

The guide data for the two channels is the same, simply "copied" from one channel to the other.

Indeed. I knew it really had nothing to do with my OTA, and since it is accurate further out that 4 days - there has to be some setting that makes the accurate guide be replaced with the 'Important News - Press Info' message.

I guess it can't be changed - but oh would it be nice.

 

[bebop]

Update from online chat:

(24DrDepT) Lynette A. 9Z1: Your guide is updated every single night, we do the updates, however we put on your screen only what is given to us by broadcasters with out altering anything.

(24DrDepT) Lynette A. 9Z1: Please understand that we do not change the information in the guide, for an example if you are watching CNN and there is a croll on the bottom of the screen, you will get that croll no matter what it says because that is the way that it is uplinked to us and we just pass it on, it is the same concept with the guide.

One would think after that, that apparently the local provider is removing the accurate data at day 4 and replacing it with a generic message and a phone number that points you to Dish, not the owner of the locals. Then upon the nightly update the guide info is different that what you'd normally expect to see with the next day's update.

---
Here's the strangest part. The message on any given program on that channel says:

KBCI (CBS) is refusing to deliver signal to you after demanding unreasonable contract terms. Please call 866-306-4611 for more information.

What I don't get is why would that message appear worded that way from the owner of the Local Channel saying that they are 'demanding unreasonable contract terms'? I say they wouldn't and it is Dish that is putting that info into the guide. So dish IS changing the guide data. If they are changing it, why not just make it the real data for those of us who have OTA?


Here are the only sensible options:

1. Lynette is either misinformed above in her 2 posts
2. Lynette is not telling me the truth
3. The owner of the local station (KBCI, Fisher Communications) says that they themselves are demanding unreasonable contract terms.

Which one do you think, or do you have a better suggestion? I say #1 and that Dish can fix the problem, but they aren't willing to put forth the effort.

 

[Hall]

You were given inaccurate information. Dish does NOT get the guide data from the local stations, they get it from "Tribune Media Service" (same people who do Zap2It).

The fact that it says what it says for this one channel is proof enough that it's not the data given to them by the station.

 

[bebop]

You were given inaccurate information. Dish does NOT get the guide data from the local stations, they get it from "Tribune Media Service" (same people who do Zap2It).

The fact that it says what it says for this one channel is proof enough that it's not the data given to them by the station.

Yeah, I was about to say the same thing about Tribune to Tech Support. But it ultimately does come from the local station, since they are the ones responsible for the programming.

And I doubt the wording is from Tribune. Too bad things get so sticky when it comes to legal disputes. Just get over it Dish & Fisher - you are getting foks po'd more and more ever day.

 

[bebop]

I just emailed Fisher Communications, Tribune Media Services, and Dish Network asking to resolve this guide discrepancy. We'll see what they say.

Methinks there will be a lot of finger pointing instead of actual help.

I'm paying Dish for the guide data, and Fisher is providing accurate guide data to start - it just gets changed to the error message at day 4.

 

[kstile]

Your enthusiasm is welcome, but prepare to get either canned or no responses. When Dish was at it with Tribune over retransmission of KCPQ in HD, all appeals to Dish, Tribune (and reason!) were never answered. Someone thinks that shutting out the guide data for OTA is going to make Dish subscribers like us be on their side and put more pressure on Fisher. While we know that's not true, someone high up at Dish signed off on it so it'll be here to stay. FWIW, the dispute with Tribune and Dish went on for almost two years.

 

[JohnH]

The "Important News" comes from DiSH Network and they pump it into the guide. It replaces the correct program info that was there. Unfortunately it is the same stream for the OTA and Sat delivered channels. So you will get what you are getting until the skirmish is resolved. Worse yet. At some point they may decide to completely drop the channels.

 

[Cegarrett]

when dish was fighting with one of my locals I could set the timer up when it was more than 4 days out and it would still record correctly on my OTA. this may have been changed in a software update since then but it used to work.

 

[Mark Bender]

when dish was fighting with one of my locals I could set the timer up when it was more than 4 days out and it would still record correctly on my OTA. this may have been changed in a software update since then but it used to work.

It does still work - I am recording shows now from KOMO sucessfully OTA. They all show up in the dir with a title of Important Info but it is easy to figure it out.

 

[bebop]

The "Important News" comes from DiSH Network and they pump it into the guide. It replaces the correct program info that was there. Unfortunately it is the same stream for the OTA and Sat delivered channels. So you will get what you are getting until the skirmish is resolved. Worse yet. At some point they may decide to completely drop the channels.

I was told by Dish that they change 'nothing' in the guide data and that they directly relay the information given them into their guide.

I'm guessing you are correct here, so Dish is lying to make themselves look better after having removed the guide data given them and putting up this message.

Thanks JohnH. If they would have told me that up-front I wouldn't be asking other companies why the data is being changed. Legal disputes = PITA for everyone.

 

[Hall]

What department told you this ? You may have said it above but I don't recall. The customer service types likely don't know and probably weren't outright lying. Some of the tech support people probably know but on the other hand, it may be against some policy to tell a customer this kind of info. I'm the type who's not afraid to answer "I don't know" and wish more companies would *allow* their employees to do the same. My co-workers and/or managers would rather I tell a customer or sales person that than lie....

 

[bebop]

What department told you this ? You may have said it above but I don't recall. The customer service types likely don't know and probably weren't outright lying. Some of the tech support people probably know but on the other hand, it may be against some policy to tell a customer this kind of info. I'm the type who's not afraid to answer "I don't know" and wish more companies would *allow* their employees to do the same. My co-workers and/or managers would rather I tell a customer or sales person that than lie....

I talked to a CSR online, a tech online and a tech on the phone. All 3 said the same thing. They all were really trying to help get rid of the problem, maybe because they didn't understand that it was coming from Dish. 2 of them said it couldn't be changed and told me to contact the local provider. The other one accidentally got cut off because my browser closed in mid chat.

 

[bebop]

Here's an email I got from Fisher today on the topic. Nothing new. I wish they would be more honest and quit the standoff.
====

Dear DISH subscriber –

Despite Fisher’s good faith negotiating efforts, there is, regrettably, nothing new to report in our dispute with DISH Network.

Although we previously reached an agreement in principle with DISH’s negotiators, DISH refused to consummate the contract. On multiple occasions, terms that the DISH negotiators agree to are vetoed once they reach DISH’s CEO, Charlie Ergen. It appears that not even the DISH team can understand what it will take to get a deal done.

We speculate that the real stumbling block to a successful contract for renewed carriage of our television stations is the lawsuit for breach of contract that Fisher has filed against DISH in federal court in Oregon. Although both parties have repeatedly agreed that the lawsuit is irrelevant to the new carriage negotiations, it has been made plain to us that nothing will get accomplished until the lawsuit is resolved. At issue in the case is approximately $1 million in payments that DISH owes Fisher under the prior agreement for a station that DISH was contractually obligated to carry and pay for after it was acquired by Fisher.

Fisher remains committed to serving our local audiences and regret that DISH is holding you and us hostage to their own demands.

What will it take to get a deal done? Only Charlie knows. http://onlycharlieknows.com/

In the meantime, you should know that Fisher has reached new agreements with dozens of other video programming distributors, including Comcast, Charter, Cable One, and Mediacom, and Fisher stations are also carried by other major video programming distributors such as with DIRECTV, Bright House, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U verse. Because the timing for any renewed carriage of our television stations by DISH is uncertain and indefinite, we encourage you to switch to an alternative provider so that you will be able to receive the programming, including our local news, weather, and sports that you have been missing as a result of DISH’s ever-changing negotiating posture.


Jennie Murphy
Fisher Communications, Inc.

 

[bebop]

CEO @ dish called me today and relayed the following info:

The OTA guide data that I'm seeing for the Dish Provided Locals is copied/mapped to my OTA guide channels. BUT he said that the guide data for the channel that Dish doesn't provide (CBS) is pulled from the OTA antenna.

---

His info is inaccurate. He said that the request is being forwarded on to their engineering department and he'll call or email with an update after hearing from the enineering dept. I'm glad I got a call back, but I wish it was from someone who actually knew what was going on. Some setting, somewhere along the line is deleting the accurate guide data and when the nightly guide update runs, it replaces the accurate guide data with this "Important Message".

My guess is that Dish setup the message to start appearing any time closer than 4 days on the guide, because the local provider & Dish are in an argument.

Not that it needs to be said, but WHY NOT JUST LEAVE THE GUIDE ALONE? That way those of us who are sitting here waiting for the legal dispute to end, can get the guide info OTA. You don't need to broadcast the lawsuit on to the OTA channel - because I get the signal.

Still waiting...

 

[Hall]

You are right. The rep was incorrect in what they told you. ALL that Dish gets from the OTA antenna (PSIP) is the station's call letters or some "code" that's in that data. Dish then copies the guide data they get from Tribune or whoever and maps it to the OTA channels.

Dish is the one doing this, regardless of what they tell you. They're doing this to cause an "inconvenience" to the viewer of this station in hopes that you contact the station to complain. I'm surprised they don't include the phone # and name of the general manager of the station....

 

[Zero327]

You are right. The rep was incorrect in what they told you. ALL that Dish gets from the OTA antenna (PSIP) is the station's call letters or some "code" that's in that data. Dish then copies the guide data they get from Tribune or whoever and maps it to the OTA channels.

Dish is the one doing this, regardless of what they tell you. They're doing this to cause an "inconvenience" to the viewer of this station in hopes that you contact the station to complain. I'm surprised they don't include the phone # and name of the general manager of the station....

It's coming Monday?