DISH Network, Young Broadcasting retrans dispute pulls 13 stations off the air
By Richard Lawler 
posted Dec 12th 2008 7:28AM
posted Dec 12th 2008 7:28AM
[Picture via Jason Crandall, thanks J]
posted Dec 12th 2008 7:28AM
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Geography, anyone?
Last time I checked, Green Bay, WI was actually on the coast of Lake Michigan. Richmond, VA is only about 100 miles south of DC, not on the VA/NC border. Knoxville, TN is only one county removed from the NC/TN border, and Nashville should be where the Knoxville dot is.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much... at least they got the states right.
If this issue isn't resolved does that mean that Dish has broken their contract agreement since ABC was on my line-up (can I get out of my contract early)?
Amanda... I wish that were true, but i'm sure there's on way to get out of the contract.
This sucks that WBAY is cut off my satellite here in GB, WI!!!!!! Grrr
Who cares? A $50 indoor or $80 outdoor antenna will get you all local broadcast stations, free, and UNCOMPRESSED. Furthermore, it's an especially great deal for DISH Network subscribers because DISH will knock $5 a month ($60 a year) off your bill if you "roll your own" broadcast this way, so the antenna will pay for itself in the first year, a little later if you pay someone else to install it. After that, you're ahead of the game a little further every month.
DISH Network subscribers who pay DISH to get what should and can be FREE over the air broadcast TV are idiots.
That's a pretty unfair shot; I happen to pay for Dish's locals in my market for a very good reason: TWO TUNERS!!!! With an OTA antenna, you can only watch or record one network show. So if you are recording something on say Thursday night, you cannot watch another network or record on another network. Fortunately, Dish is about to release a dual tuner OTA capable DVR, so that would solve my problem).
If you get your local channels over the air rather than through the satellite you can't record them on the DVR and since I'm rarely watching at the time the shows are actually on it would be might inconvenient to try and record them over the air to watch later without the DVR.
I don't believe I pay any extra for local channels anyway. I think that was dropped with my most recent contract.
Way to go LIN Broadcasting.. they set the standard for all of the other broadcasters to start pulling this crap. All this is going to do is increase cost for the customer, who is just going to turn around and cut back on services. Bad move for the economy, and for their pockets in the end, as less eyeballs = less cash per sub, and = less advertising revenue.
Carney
Before you go calling people idiots, you should think of all situations.
1) How do I get my Dish DVR to pause live TV and record shows using the OTA (Over the Air) antenna .... Simple answer... Cant.
2) If I am out of range of half of the TV stations, and I don't want to set up a permanent antenna outside of my house, what else am I to do? Simple Answer... Cant
3) I have to swtich my tv back and forth between my HDMI input and my TV input just to change the channels from OTA to Dish channels... Inconvenient.
Most of the DISH DVRs do have an OTA input that will let you record a local OTA program PLUS two more programs at the same time on the satellite feed. If yours can't, it's time to UPGRADE!
I have Dish and an OTA antenna. I have the vip 622 dvr, my antenna plugs into the back of the DVR via coaxial cable wich in turn allows my Over The Air signal to integrate seamlessy into the DVR and on screen guide, in effect giving me another tuner. My locals ( Green Bay, WI) are broacast in HD through dish so I can watch/record an HD show on ABC while simultaneuosly watching/recording a show on NBC. plus watch or record a different channel all at the same time. Yes it gives me (3) three tuners. So that is why I keep paying for my locals through Dish AND also have an OTA antenna.
OK, I take back my remarks calling DISH subscribers who pay for broadcast "idiots" - since I wasn't aware of, or hadn't remembered, some of the factors that Ryan and J David pointed out. I'm sorry all.
I use a D-VHS VCR to tape OTA HDTV, and have had no problem taping one show off the antenna while watching another at the same time on TV. (I split the signal coming from the antenna, obviously - one lead going to the VCR, the other to the TV). I just assumed that DVRs, which are more advanced than VCRs, could do the same thing.
The real issue here that that local stations need to get their heads out of their asses and stop thinking that retransmission agreements with satellite companies as extra income. They need to think more about reaching the most people as possible to maximize their ad dollars to the fullest. There are people that can't recived their local OTA broadcasts and it will probably get worse with the Digital Transistion. The solution to this problem for the TV broadcasters are services like cable and satellite.
I don't have DISH, but feel your pain. Comcast was affected by this type of crap for the local FOX affialiate (in Richmond, VA-home of WRIC, owned by Young) and the station was pulled for several days.
The funny part of this is that WRIC is blaming DISH: http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?s=9496199
They contend that DISH 'dropped' the station and that they deserve a penny per day per subscriber. The way they word it makes it sound like DISH was paying nothing for the retransmission rights. They encourage DISH subscribers to demand the reinstatement of the station. They also make it sound like they, WRIC, are the ones who were 'working with' DISH and not Young Broadcasting. The message is misleading at best.