April 05, 2012
— Ace Let's first of all bitch that we do not have a la carte cable service. The cable companies negotiate a fee to pay media channels; then, without asking us, they extract that cost from us in our cable bill.
ESPN is very popular, but you know what? I don't watch it. And no one has ever asked me if I want to pay $6 a month for it.
The pay channels -- HBO, Starz -- ask me if I'd like their service.
Why doesn't ESPN? Why am I currently spending $0.25 per month, every month, for Current? (I'm making all these figures up, but you get the point.)
I know the answer they'd offer-- Because when we negotiate these payments and extract them from you involuntarily, it creates an economy of scale and you get the channel cheaper than you otherwise would.
Uhhh... yeah, here's the thing: I don't want ESPN. (Sure, Monday Night Football, occasionally, but you know what? I'll endure without it.)
I don't watch it. Ergo, the best price, for me, is $0.00. No economy of scale is going to get the cost down to my preferred price point.
The other answer would be, I assume: Without forced contributions, very few of these channels would exist at all.
Yeah I'm file that one under Things Which Ain't My Problem. Shock -- a product few people are interested in won't command much money, and may fail.
And all the rest of them. BET? Univision? Let the people watching them pay for them. I'll pay for FX and USA, and Spike, I guess, and maybe TNT, and that's pretty much it.
I should be able to choose which networks I want, too.
In the case of Current, it probably wants a great deal more from Time Warner than ratings would suggest it's conceivably worth. So Time Warner may not continue carrying it.
According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, Time Warner Cable IncÂ’s carriage agreement with Current TV stipulates that, if the left-leaning political news network fails to meet a minimum threshold for overall viewers in a given quarter, financial penalties such as Current TV being required to increase marketing and promotion spending on the cable operatorÂ’s systems are triggered.If Current TV misses the audience benchmark in two consecutive quarters, another clause is triggered that would allow Time Warner Cable to drop the channel. The condition was built into the most recent distribution pact between the two parties, which was signed in 2010.
This is probably a negotiating position to get Current to renegotiate its fee to something lower.
Which is bullshit too.
How about $0.00? That's a low fee. That's what I'd like to pay.
And if that means I don't get Current -- oh, well!
Posted by: Ace at
09:45 AM
| Comments (251)
Post contains 485 words, total size 3 kb.
Posted by: The Mega Independent at April 05, 2012 09:48 AM (guldH)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 09:49 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Ben at April 05, 2012 09:49 AM (wuv1c)
Posted by: toby928© at April 05, 2012 09:49 AM (GTbGH)
Posted by: phoenixgirl at April 05, 2012 09:50 AM (Ho2rs)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 09:50 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: ace at April 05, 2012 09:50 AM (nj1bB)
Posted by: phoenixgirl at April 05, 2012 09:50 AM (Ho2rs)
No AMC? No "Walking Dead"? For shame Ace, for shame!
Posted by: wooga at April 05, 2012 09:51 AM (vjyZP)
Roku does this. They have separate channels for every kind of program you can think of. Some of them are free and most of them are paid, for the price of a few dollars a month or more.
This is what you want. A truly a la carte channel service, with ONLY the channels you want.
Posted by: EC at April 05, 2012 09:51 AM (GQ8sn)
14 >>>o Ace is one of the people watching Burn Notice on USA, huh?
nope. A lot of readers watch it, though. I watch Psych.
Posted by: ace at April 05, 2012 01:50 PM (nj1bB)
I could have told you that!
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at April 05, 2012 09:51 AM (UzjcV)
One of our most infamous public/private partnerships full of the usual Big Lies. Fees for us, riches for them. But no commercials! Tons of original programming!
Posted by: PJ at April 05, 2012 09:51 AM (DQHjw)
Posted by: AndrewsDad at April 05, 2012 09:52 AM (C2//T)
The point at which the price for Current TV make me want to receive it is the point where Comcast starts paying me for cable.
Posted by: JSchuler at April 05, 2012 09:52 AM (SmZQt)
Posted by: Buzzsaw The cheap old bastard at April 05, 2012 09:53 AM (tf9Ne)
A very obvious parallel between Cable TV pricing and Obamacare, one-size-fits-all health insurance.
Posted by: Deafdog at April 05, 2012 09:53 AM (F1JEL)
I always figured it was kinda cable saying to the stations, we will provide a clear picture for your audience if you pay us this much. or share advertising. Apparently its not that way.
If there is someone here that knows for sure and can explain it in 4 sentences, I would appreciate it.
Posted by: Guy Mohawk at April 05, 2012 09:53 AM (JIDLg)
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at April 05, 2012 09:53 AM (cQpP1)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 09:53 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 09:54 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Bob at April 05, 2012 09:55 AM (Z45W7)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 09:55 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: Mr Pink at April 05, 2012 09:56 AM (gHNE1)
Posted by: which at April 05, 2012 09:56 AM (oZfic)
Not about to ask for it either
Posted by: kbdabear at April 05, 2012 09:56 AM (Y+DPZ)
The only time I ever see cable tv when I am on vacation and stay in a hotel.
Anyone have any idea how much money I have saved?
Posted by: navybrat at April 05, 2012 09:56 AM (zc+Zj)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 09:56 AM (8y9MW)
Do you still have one?
I mainly got it to replace my dead laptop so I could my Amazon Prime shows and movies. The free channels are mostly shit, at the level of public access tv quality. I haven't gotten any pay channels yet because there's nothing there that I couldn't get from torrenting or streaming on the web.
Posted by: EC at April 05, 2012 09:56 AM (GQ8sn)
Posted by: Da Reel Sheriff Joe at April 05, 2012 09:57 AM (0It32)
Posted by: MikeTheMoose now with dark clouds! at April 05, 2012 09:57 AM (0q2P7)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 01:54 PM (r2PLg)
.
That or the Superbowl. What really chaps me is that one channel I want is BBC America, for Dr Who, so I get to pay for about 90 channels I don't want, just to get it.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at April 05, 2012 09:57 AM (cQpP1)
Are you implying sumthin' here?!
Posted by: Lame Stream Media at April 05, 2012 09:57 AM (VJUQK)
Posted by: Infidel at April 05, 2012 09:57 AM (O/fK8)
But that's so that we don't have to watch commercia ...
Wait. What?
Nevermind.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrdredPair at April 05, 2012 09:58 AM (X3lox)
OT: but an expert says zimmerman said punks not coons. It's the same guy who said it wasn't zimmerman screaming for help.
http://tinyurl.com/7w8hz53
Posted by: robtr at April 05, 2012 09:58 AM (MtwBb)
Why bother with cable unless you live in the sticks and can't get high-speed internet any other way?
(EC - thanks for the tip re. Roku, will check it out)
Mew
Posted by: acat at April 05, 2012 09:58 AM (4UkCP)
What's Current's pitch, putting on looney leftists who got to be too much an embarrassment for MSDNC's parent NBC?
Posted by: kbdabear at April 05, 2012 09:59 AM (Y+DPZ)
Posted by: Keef Olberdouche at April 05, 2012 09:59 AM (UOM48)
I'd make a killing.
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 09:59 AM (8y9MW)
Only half kidding here. Even without illegal torrent downloads (which I've sworn off, after my ISP complained a few times) I've still got all the TV shows I'd care to see with Netflixs.
New TV with a monitor plug, laptop, wireless router. I've even got an IR remote and USB connection on my laptop so I can skip around (or use it as a mouse).
So my "Cable"? $8/month No DVD's mailed to me, just the online section. My DSL bill covers all my internet, including that... and it's in the $35-$40 range.
Sure there was some significant hardware costs; but my TV isn't a huge monstrosity, and the laptop was used when a family member replaced theirs.
Drawback? I can't watch this years' stuff until next year.
Benefit? I watch what I want, when I want, the specific episode I want, without commercials, and I can skip ahead & pause.
Oh yeah... and $8. Call it less than $50 overall with DSL. What is your cable + internet bill? $100-120?
I spent a month test driving this while keeping cable as an option to make sure I could live with this; but I have to say I'm not missing endless commercials and crap shows I don't want to watch.
DSL is a bit slower than cable, but fast enough to stream my TV shows. Actually fast enough to stream my TV show to my TV and my roommate's TV show to her computer at the same time. Playing an MMORPG on top of that gives a bit of lag, but not much.
I've watched Supernatural lately (I'd not seen it in years, but kind of enjoyed it). Started at the beginning, and am halfway through Season 6. I had no idea about the "John Carter" movie even existing until my roommate went to another movie, saw the preview, and showed me the preview on Youtube.
I can't see ever going back. Pay an extra $50-60/month to get shows a year earlier; chock full of commercials, only on at limited times, and without a pause feature or way to FastForward/Rewind?
I guess I could live with commercials and save $8/month going Hulu; but I've not been impressed with their selection/quality. And anything I've wanted to watch so far has been on Netflix.
Posted by: gekkobear at April 05, 2012 09:59 AM (X0NX1)
Posted by: The Nonferrous Metallurgy Channel at April 05, 2012 09:59 AM (QKKT0)
Posted by: maddogg at April 05, 2012 10:00 AM (OlN4e)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:00 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Zombie joncelli at April 05, 2012 10:00 AM (RD7QR)
Posted by: X at April 05, 2012 10:00 AM (8Yc/9)
I'm still waiting for all of you to run fiber to my house in the sticks. It was in the stimulus where's my free sh**!!
Posted by: Buzzsaw The cheap old bastard at April 05, 2012 10:00 AM (tf9Ne)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:01 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: runningrn at April 05, 2012 10:01 AM (vJ9tV)
Posted by: Hydrocarbon Liberation Front at April 05, 2012 10:01 AM (NVu2l)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:02 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Mikey NTH at April 05, 2012 10:02 AM (hLRSq)
Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 10:02 AM (VtjlW)
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 10:02 AM (UOM48)
My problem with Roku is I have to buy the box. I've about convinced myself to get Hulu+ and Netflix, and run them through my PC, but I just can't convince myself to lay out $200+ for what is, essentially, a cable box.
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 10:02 AM (8y9MW)
Posted by: toby928© at April 05, 2012 10:02 AM (GTbGH)
Free Market 2012: Where businesses count on government for protection and subsidies.
Al la carte programming will never happen because....
Posted by: California Red at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (DXTKe)
Posted by: Air America at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (iAUf+)
Just have to invest in a media box and figure out which shows we watch and can get online. Only thing I'd miss is random viewing and On Demand.
Posted by: soulpile is... expendable at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (NJpM7)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (r2PLg)
Sort of related...
When I went to upgrade some DirecTV equipment a few years ago, I found out from forums that you should call some special phone number and act like you might possibly be thinking about switching to cable. They would then fall all over themselves to lower the prices.
Not the kind of thing I really enjoy dealing with, but I'm not stupid enough to pay list price when it's clear that you don't have to. So call up the customer retention folks and whine if you want to save some money!
We keep spending $$ so that someone can watch hockey and football.
The latest off-pissing event was that DTV found that Cloo was really popular so they moved to to a more expensive package.
Posted by: Mama AJ at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (XdlcF)
ESPN is very popular, but you know what? I don't watch it. And no one has ever asked me if I want to pay $6 a month for it.
Ace put the "ACE" in "rACEst". True story.
Posted by: runningrn at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (vJ9tV)
Posted by: Al Gore at April 05, 2012 10:03 AM (BB0/w)
Set up a government 800 number that commuters could call into for traffic reports
He did make a billion shilling paper certificates for nothing but air, I'll give him that
Posted by: kbdabear at April 05, 2012 10:04 AM (Y+DPZ)
I am installing the Western Digital version - it can play wav files.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at April 05, 2012 10:04 AM (cQpP1)
Posted by: Wyatt Earp at April 05, 2012 10:04 AM (gA69l)
Posted by: logprof at April 05, 2012 10:05 AM (CE2wR)
Posted by: free enterprise at April 05, 2012 10:05 AM (HOOye)
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 10:05 AM (UOM48)
So you know what this means...time for a bailout for libtard cable networks! Oprah, Al, Joel, George Soros--all will get some kind of special funding from the gubamint.
Posted by: runningrn at April 05, 2012 10:05 AM (vJ9tV)
Posted by: CAC at April 05, 2012 10:05 AM (obUT1)
Posted by: Al Gore at April 05, 2012 10:06 AM (gA69l)
Posted by: which at April 05, 2012 10:06 AM (oZfic)
Posted by: logprof at April 05, 2012 10:06 AM (CE2wR)
Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at April 05, 2012 10:06 AM (VENdg)
Also true. It used to be that you paid for the channels that didn't have commercials. Now you pay for every channel- regardless of whether or not you watch it, and regardless of if it has commercials.
Higher price for worse service. I wonder if the Government is involved... (yes, yes it is.)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 10:06 AM (8y9MW)
I guess he was too toxic for Skinemax
Posted by: kbdabear at April 05, 2012 10:07 AM (Y+DPZ)
http://www.roku.com/roku-products#3
What cha need:
TV
Computer w/ internet connection
Credit card *( or call customer service)
You need to know about what kind of connectors your TV has. You need to know how you will connect the Roku box to your internet service (wifi if you have a wifi router, internet cable if not.)
Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at April 05, 2012 10:07 AM (JEpGb)
FX (Archer, Wilfred, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
------------------------------------------------
You forgot Justified, dammit! *cocks gun*
Posted by: Raylan Givens at April 05, 2012 10:07 AM (gA69l)
Posted by: The Chap in the Deerstalker Cap at April 05, 2012 10:07 AM (qndXR)
There's plenty to watch on Netflix, and no commercials (unlike Hulu). Now if they'd just get around to adding Barney Miller to their lineup, I'd be a totally satisfied customer.
Posted by: Jishin at April 05, 2012 10:07 AM (BnH71)
It has its downsides, but it's a good way to cut the cable using equipment many people have at home already
Posted by: Xander Crews at April 05, 2012 10:07 AM (cfnVv)
It's like trying to sell the pink slime without the ground beef to go with it.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose now with dark clouds! at April 05, 2012 10:08 AM (0q2P7)
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at April 05, 2012 10:08 AM (cQpP1)
I'd add the travel channel to that list, but that's about it (unless i missed it).
MTV, BET, VHwhatever and ALL the f*ing mexican channels can kiss my bony ass. Hell, I think they foisted the Oprah channel on us. Our rates just went up too (directv). Hell, I don't even watch a lot of the channels I'd keep.
Posted by: Clutch Cargo at April 05, 2012 10:09 AM (Qxdfp)
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 02:05 PM (UOM4
Your dish was improperly installed. You need to get to 95% signal stregnth to keep reception during adverse atmospheric conditions.I've installed 4 systems myself and only lose signal during a real frog strangler.
Posted by: maddogg at April 05, 2012 10:09 AM (OlN4e)
Posted by: Al Gore, Founder of Current TV, Releasing His Fifth Chakra at April 05, 2012 10:09 AM (vJ9tV)
My opinion...if the cable channel is showing commercials, we shouldn't be paying for it at all.
I get paying some flat fee for cable service (infrastructure, etc), but for actual content...they're advertising to me, let the advertisers pay just like with any other channel.
Posted by: JohnTant at April 05, 2012 10:09 AM (eytER)
Posted by: joeindc44 at April 05, 2012 10:09 AM (S9InG)
>>I'm considering getting a "Smart" panasonic blu-ray player. It supports the Amazon, Netflix, iTunes streaming iirc.
We have one. Sony. My husband uses it, usually not me, but it seems pretty cool from what I've seen.
Posted by: Mama AJ at April 05, 2012 10:09 AM (XdlcF)
Maybe I'll sit down and do the math, and see if two unlimited minutes cellphones would still be cheaper, though...
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 10:10 AM (8y9MW)
Posted by: Bob at April 05, 2012 10:10 AM (Z45W7)
I can see the cable/satellite operatorÂ’s point of view in their packaging agreements, even though I agree that ESPN and other channels are not wanted.
However, problems can be turned into opportunities. Current TV was born because liberals live and work in close proximity to the business and have access to the people who make these deals. ItÂ’s a shame that conservatives donÂ’t have people who are politically savvy, witty and entertaining, because if we did, someone might just take a chance on production for a vast demographic to fill a programming hole.
Posted by: jwest at April 05, 2012 10:10 AM (ZDsRL)
Netflix on the PC looks great.
Through the Wii, it looks like crap. Wii games look fine, so I don't know what the problem is.
Posted by: Mama AJ at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (XdlcF)
Posted by: Jean at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (WkuV6)
Posted by: one of the 5 Current TV watchers worldwide from his mom's basement at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (21lBC)
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 02:05 PM (UOM4 Your dish was improperly installed. You need to get to 95% signal stregnth to keep reception during adverse atmospheric conditions.I've installed 4 systems myself and only lose signal during a real frog strangler.
Posted by: maddogg at April 05, 2012 02:09 PM (OlN4e)
This was ten years ago, and we had them out several times to fix the problem. Finally gave up when Comcast came to our island and we were able to combine internet and cable.
Comcast still sucks.
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (UOM48)
The wife and I killed that cable last weekend and got an antenna. We've always had the cheapest basic cable or satellite AT&T or Dish offered and finally came to the conclusion that it just isn't worth the money anymore.
Yeah, we'll miss a few programs, but not that much. Roku / Netflix, here we come.
Posted by: Jaws at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (4I3Uo)
Posted by: JEF at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (jtTKf)
http://tinyurl.com/89czhyp
Last night's new episode is on there too
Posted by: kbdabear at April 05, 2012 10:11 AM (Y+DPZ)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:12 AM (ZPrif)
I read that there's a rumor that Showtime is looking into hiring Keefums
I guess he was too toxic for Skinemax
Keith Ohlberman and Shannon Tweed in:
"Night Eyes 3, The Bathtub Chronicles"
Posted by: runningrn at April 05, 2012 10:12 AM (vJ9tV)
Posted by: ina_ginalship at April 05, 2012 10:12 AM (pBdSH)
The fact that it's costing both AlGore and KO beaucoup bucks is even sweeter.
Posted by: wiserbud at April 05, 2012 10:12 AM (gCa4h)
What an amazing stroke of luck that Al Gore would land that contract in the first place. I'm sure everything was on the up and up though.
Posted by: Jimmah at April 05, 2012 10:13 AM (UpwlP)
Posted by: Sub-Tard at April 05, 2012 10:13 AM (ursbV)
Posted by: Infidel at April 05, 2012 10:13 AM (O/fK8)
It's called Must Carry, and it prevents people from having to make hard decisions like, "should i pay an extra $15 a month to have BRAVO, or just go with the 4 channels I actually watch?"
The reason cable companies don't offer choose-your-own-channels is that the FCC doesn't want you to.
Posted by: pinchy migra at April 05, 2012 10:13 AM (ewbXG)
Posted by: jwest at April 05, 2012 02:10 PM (ZDsRL)
You're kidding, right?
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 10:13 AM (UOM48)
There is a group of channels bunched together they call "Western TV" with a bunch of old TV western shows I wouldn't mind getting, but they price it the same as HBO.
I am just about at the point now of cancelling my satellite contract which is costing me almost $100/month and simply going with off the air so y wife can watch the one show she watches.
The only thing I currently use the satellite for is the music channels. And there is only two of those I listen to.
Posted by: Vic at April 05, 2012 10:13 AM (YdQQY)
Posted by: Jackie Chiles at April 05, 2012 10:14 AM (GTbGH)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:14 AM (r2PLg)
>>We had Direct TV and every. single. time it was slightly cloudy, we'd lose service. One day the tornado siren was going off, and we couldn't even access the local channels to see WTF was going on.
Had that problem 3 houses ago and the dish was just installed in a bad spot.
Luckily, it was on an Air Force base, so the dish was in a flower pot and easy to move. (too hard to get permission to put it on the roof or something)
Even after it rained, it wouldn't work because the water on the leaves pulled the leaves down and blocked the reception.
Second DTV tech couldn't believe the darned thing EVER worked...
Have bunny ears to get the local channels during storms.
Keep meaning to look into a portable tv type thingie to watch or even just listen to tv during power outages. For tornado reports, not entertainment, that is!
Posted by: Mama AJ at April 05, 2012 10:14 AM (XdlcF)
Comcast still sucks.
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 02:11 PM (UOM4
Thats why I do my own installations. I want it done right, not quick. Takes a few minutes to get that signal dialed in above 95%, and you cannot have trees or other things blocking off the signal. I've had Direct TV 15 years and seldom have any problem. Also, the dish mount must be rock solid, or the wind will move it around.
Posted by: maddogg at April 05, 2012 10:15 AM (OlN4e)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:15 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at April 05, 2012 10:15 AM (VENdg)
Posted by: The Chap in the Deerstalker Cap at April 05, 2012 02:07 PM (qndXR)
And there's always some guy speaking rapid-fire mandarin. Wait, what?
Posted by: Zombie joncelli at April 05, 2012 10:16 AM (RD7QR)
Posted by: TheRealTurdFerguson at April 05, 2012 10:16 AM (IGBp1)
Well, hello sailor!
Posted by: Andy.Sullivan at April 05, 2012 10:16 AM (gQLr2)
Higher price for worse service. I wonder if the Government is involved... (yes, yes it is.)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 02:06 PM (8y9MW)
That was part of the telecommunications act sponsored by McCain back in the late 90s.
Posted by: Ed Anger - Certified Kos Kid at April 05, 2012 10:16 AM (7+pP9)
You're kidding, right?
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 02:13 PM (UOM4
Jane, Where could we find such people?
Posted by: jwest at April 05, 2012 10:16 AM (ZDsRL)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:17 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: nevergiveup at April 05, 2012 10:17 AM (i6RpT)
Posted by: Lokki at April 05, 2012 10:17 AM (pdYy1)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 02:06 PM (8y9MW)
You're gonna love your free government healthcare!
Posted by: Barky O'Genius at April 05, 2012 10:18 AM (QKKT0)
Posted by: Ruth Bader Ginsburg at April 05, 2012 10:18 AM (gA69l)
Posted by: cherry at April 05, 2012 10:18 AM (OhYCU)
Posted by: dagny at April 05, 2012 10:19 AM (CMM9V)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 10:19 AM (8y9MW)
116 My only problem with ditching Cable (well, the TV component of U-Verse, really) is that I've got a bundle that includes my home phone. I like having a home phone.
-------
My cable company keeps trying to sell me one of those. They never explain how I'm supposed to call and complain when the cable goes out.
Which, come to think of it, might be the whole point of the exercise...
Posted by: Anachronda at April 05, 2012 10:19 AM (IrbU4)
Posted by: runningrn at April 05, 2012 10:19 AM (vJ9tV)
------------------- He also watches Lifetime when Tiffany Amber-Theissen is on.
Posted by: Wyatt Earp at April 05, 2012 10:19 AM (gA69l)
Suddenlink, my ISP, is now going to limit monthly bandwidth. And by limit, I mean charge more for going over a set amount.
Last summer, when it was a gazillion degrees and the kids were at a bunch of classes and camps, I watched me a bunch of Netflix.
Suddenlink sent me nice letters wondering if I'd screwed up some settings and was using so much more bandwidth than normal.
Now they'll just charge for it. Beware of your ISP doing the same thing for movie/TV watchers...
Posted by: Mama AJ at April 05, 2012 10:20 AM (XdlcF)
Posted by: X at April 05, 2012 10:20 AM (8Yc/9)
Posted by: soothsayer at April 05, 2012 10:20 AM (jUytm)
Posted by: Quentin Tarantino at April 05, 2012 10:20 AM (gA69l)
Locally, Carville is known to be a super nice man. He just makes his living acting like a crazy dick. I really think it's all theater with him. That said, I could easily jump through the TV and throttle him.
I've always wondered how he and Mary Matlin have stayed married all these years.
Posted by: runningrn at April 05, 2012 10:20 AM (vJ9tV)
(I got rid of cable last year, and have been living on Netflix through the Playstation. If/when I get bored with the selection, I'll be switching over to Amazon.)
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:21 AM (bjRNS)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:21 AM (ZPrif)
If that's their hope with us, they're in trouble. I still have a cell phone, I just like having a home phone, too.
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at April 05, 2012 10:21 AM (8y9MW)
They hate it so so so so much, wouldn't the idea of being able to drop it appeal to them?
Posted by: AmishDude at April 05, 2012 10:21 AM (T0NGe)
Posted by: cherry at April 05, 2012 10:21 AM (OhYCU)
Eh, maybe he's a hockey fan.
(There's an NHL app for PS3 that'll give you HD content -- unlike Center Ice via Time Warner, which won't give you HD.)
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:22 AM (bjRNS)
Posted by: sTevo at April 05, 2012 10:22 AM (FzVlt)
Posted by: toby928© at April 05, 2012 10:22 AM (GTbGH)
Posted by: teebowlTV at April 05, 2012 10:23 AM (HOOye)
I dumped AT&T for phone by using a Magicjack. Works like a dream for 20 bucks a year. I was going to drop the landline but decided to try a VOIP device, just to keep an official number to take all the telemarketing calls and leave my cell pristine. Ooma is good too but $250. Why spend the money?
Now I know why they send out hysterical offers for their U-verse every freaking day. They know we are all cutting the expensive cord.
Posted by: PJ at April 05, 2012 10:23 AM (DQHjw)
>>They never explain how I'm supposed to call and complain when the cable goes out.
My cable has been out for about 2 hours total over 2.5 years!
Except for that 30 hours with no power that time...
I'll probably stop sending ATT so much money after tornado/hurricane season this year.
Posted by: Mama AJ, paranoid with good reason at April 05, 2012 10:23 AM (XdlcF)
and right you get a 'package' of a hundred channels you don't want for one channel you want..
Posted by: willow at April 05, 2012 10:23 AM (TomZ9)
Current's below the HD channel range for me on Uverse, which is good, because then I don't have to flip through it (with the exception of BBC-America during Dr. Who time, there's nothing worth watching on the "Non HD" channels with the rare exception of the occasional speech on C-Span (like Paul Ryan's budge speech a bit ago.)
Funny thing is I didn't even know they carried it until I was trying to find C-Span to watch said Paul Ryan speech after the cable news networks cut it short. Uverse groups channels by type, and this one is nominally considered "news" (althouhg, it occured above the weather channel so I'm guessing that makes it "speculation")
Posted by: tsrblke at April 05, 2012 10:23 AM (SYrwI)
Posted by: Jean at April 05, 2012 10:23 AM (WkuV6)
Posted by: CoolCzech at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (niZvt)
You're kidding, right?
Posted by: Jane D'oh at April 05, 2012 02:13 PM (UOM4
Jane, Where could we find such people?
Also, even if there were some conservatives who had the talent to be topical, entertaining, funny and informative, they probably donÂ’t all live in New York City. Therefore, it would be impossible to put a production together.
Damn. If only the technology existed to link people in various locations with voice and pictures, we would have chance.
Well, maybe in the future when we have flying carsÂ…
Posted by: jwest at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (ZDsRL)
Posted by: Dang at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (BbX1b)
I've got one that's hooked to an answering machine, that catches the spammers that are exempt from "Do Not Call". I use the cell phone for actually conversing with people.
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (bjRNS)
Posted by: navybrat at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (zc+Zj)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 02:12 PM (ZPrif)
--Jared Allen is most certainly conservative. So many NHL players are non-Americans that it's tough to gauge, and in any case the NHL is so gruelling and so cohesively team-oriented that their stars don't have time or desire (due to not wanting division in the locker room) to mouth off --Tim Thomas being the exception that proves the rule.
Posted by: logprof at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (CE2wR)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:24 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: Lincolntf at April 05, 2012 10:25 AM (HethX)
1. The GB show is pretty much what it has always been.
2. Real News from The Blaze is taking two or three interesting news stories and discussing them at a round table. It's kind of like reading a comments thread here with the swear words, blatant insults, and references to bacon taken out.
3. BS of A. A distant attempt at being a conservative-esque Comedy News show. It can be funny. It can also be groaner stuff. Depends on the skit. Better than SNL these days.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose now with dark clouds! at April 05, 2012 10:26 AM (0q2P7)
Posted by: Mandy P. voted and is All Dead Inside now at April 05, 2012 10:26 AM (qFpRI)
Posted by: teebowlTV at April 05, 2012 10:26 AM (HOOye)
When the PS3 was in the shop (I've got an original PS2-enabled one), I used the iPad2 to watch Netflix. Worked great, actually.
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:27 AM (bjRNS)
To add insult to injury.....a lot of these cable and dish companies got ObamaCare Waivers, as a payoff to the Telecom Workers Union.
And my cable bill keeps going up! ....Even though we've made no changes to our service.
Posted by: wheatie at April 05, 2012 10:27 AM (+5U+B)
Posted by: boniface ballers at April 05, 2012 10:27 AM (bPbwB)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:27 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: nevergiveup at April 05, 2012 10:28 AM (i6RpT)
If you're willing to wait, Netflix is currently covered with BBC programming.
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:28 AM (bjRNS)
Posted by: nevergiveup at April 05, 2012 10:29 AM (i6RpT)
Plus, PS3 has games and resale value.
Posted by: wooga at April 05, 2012 10:29 AM (vjyZP)
Mmmm ... bacon.
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:30 AM (bjRNS)
When I signed up 3 years ago, it was 89.. Now I see offers on their website for digital phone, internet (super upgraded of course), and cable with hbo for $89.99
WTF?
I'm cancelling Timewarner today with great pleasure. Keeping internet, but I don't need tv that bad. $80 a month for basic cable? holy smoly. This is old, antiquated timewarner too.. They are still using the menu software from the early 90's.. yep, blue and yellow menu.. slow as hell. I recently saw a friends tv with FIOS and was blown away. Dude.. TM, the 21st century called and stuff
goodbye
Posted by: What a Jerk at April 05, 2012 10:30 AM (zMhtB)
Posted by: cherry at April 05, 2012 10:31 AM (OhYCU)
Posted by: Mandy P. voted and is All Dead Inside now at April 05, 2012 10:31 AM (qFpRI)
Posted by: teebowlTV at April 05, 2012 10:31 AM (HOOye)
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 02:28 PM (bjRNS)
.
Yes, I am switching over to WDTV, and will do Netflix. WDTV will play wav files, and my television/receiver spends more time playing music than displaying shows anyway.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at April 05, 2012 10:31 AM (cQpP1)
Worth noting: an Xbox 360 will do similar things, but you have to have a Xbox Gold membership to access Netflix, etc. (When last I checked.)
If you've already got an Xbox and no PS3, Gold might be worth it.
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:32 AM (bjRNS)
And how much would every viewer of these channels need to pay to make them viable?
Much more than each viewer is paying now. You save on the stuff you want and get robbed on the stuff you don't want.
Ultimately, you're paying the cable bill so what you're currently paying is a reasonable price for just the channels you like.
I think the idea here is indeed that it allows otherwise non-viable channels to exist, which justifies higher prices for the total cable bill because of the impression you are getting a lot of product. Even though you don't want all this excess product, many people find this appealing enough to subscribe to cable TV. It's good for their business model and it's good for these stations that can prop up a ton of producers, actors, studios instead of just the top 5 or so shows.
For me I just cancelled cable and I watch what I want from streaming services. I hope few do this because I think the programs are not viable on this model unless Netflix doubles its price.
Posted by: Dustin at April 05, 2012 10:32 AM (z36s0)
Posted by: SMODtv at April 05, 2012 10:32 AM (OhYCU)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:33 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: Miss80sBaby at April 05, 2012 10:33 AM (d6QMz)
Posted by: teebowlTV at April 05, 2012 10:34 AM (HOOye)
Would be nice to have that option again,
Posted by: Ranba Ral at April 05, 2012 10:35 AM (G99e4)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:35 AM (r2PLg)
It seems to me that there is some value in the system we have. Under this system, some channels that air mostly re-runs and would not get much in the way of subscribers, are able to take chances on content (such as AMC and FX).
Absent that, we would get only channels airing sure things like Three and 1/2 Men and would not get a lot of the quality programming that is sprinkled widely over a ton of channels. There are a bunch of channels that I literally watch one show on the channel and never look at that channel any other time. Without a la carte, that channel likely wouldn't exist and that show I like would never be made.
So, not sure what the answer is, unless we down to simply paying for the "shows" you like and not even the channels. But again, in that case, a ton of stuff will never get made as the risk would become way too high.
We bemoan shows like Firefly being cancelled, but a show like that would likely never even be made if people are paying only for shows they actually watch.
Posted by: Monkeytoe at April 05, 2012 10:37 AM (sOx93)
No need to justify it to me. I was watching Big Trouble in Little China last night, and the wife says, "We should get this on Blu-Ray."
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at April 05, 2012 10:37 AM (bjRNS)
Mainly it was on FBN, though, which gets Current levels of viewership.
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 02:33 PM (ZPrif)
And the fact that Napolitano is an idiot whose legal analysis is often wrong and if not wrong, simplistic at best.
Posted by: Monkeytoe at April 05, 2012 10:38 AM (sOx93)
Meatspace is a lie.
Posted by: Hollowpoint at April 05, 2012 10:38 AM (SY2Kh)
Posted by: tasker at April 05, 2012 10:39 AM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:39 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at April 05, 2012 10:40 AM (+lsX1)
Posted by: Clubber Lang at April 05, 2012 10:41 AM (ZPrif)
Hmmm, how about expanding this into an analogy with health care?
Or will that lead to a "Republican war on Current TV"?
Posted by: Randy M at April 05, 2012 10:44 AM (vI8R6)
Posted by: mike at April 05, 2012 10:46 AM (yyxSW)
Posted by: PJ at April 05, 2012 10:46 AM (DQHjw)
Posted by: Vic at April 05, 2012 10:50 AM (YdQQY)
All I ever watch is baseball, and Thor got me MLB TV through his Roku.
I don't really understand what the darn Roku thing is, exactly, but he loves it.
Posted by: Tammy al Thor at April 05, 2012 10:57 AM (SsG4J)
Up here in the Tennessee hills, I have DirecTV for TV, and HughesNet for Internet. I'd love to get rid of both if the cable company would come out another five miles. DirecTV is mostly shopping channels and infomercials (even if I do have the Military Channel and BBC America) and HughesNet is slow as fuck plus has a really abysmally low data limit. 475 Mb per 24 hours ain't SHIT these days. I have to do a lot of personal Net stuff at work just because the home infrastructure won't take it.
Posted by: SGT Dan at April 05, 2012 10:58 AM (jCQ+I)
And, since a big part of the cost of running a cable company is building and maintaining the infrastructure (all those wires and amplifiers and so forth), and since they would have less channels to split the overhead between, all the pricing on the individual channels would have to be jacked up. And in the end, everyone would still have to pay a bunch for a whole lot less.
Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at April 05, 2012 11:11 AM (k34Gz)
If you can hook up a DVD player to your TV then you can hook up a Roku. Roku walks you through wireless setup and acct validation on screen in plain English in simple steps.
We dumped bundled cable service last month, bought a digital antenna at Fry's for local channels, replaced bundled VOIP with Vonage World and even with biz class hi-speed bandwidth and Netflix we're saving $150 a month. That's not chump change.
We've subscribed to Amazon Prime since its inception for all-you-can-eat shipping and Netflix may be the next to go as the Prime catalog already overlaps about 75% of Netflix...especially if they don't improve their sucky interface PDQ.
Posted by: Buh-Bye HBO at April 05, 2012 11:37 AM (7JY6C)
All these channels have similar deals, except for the ones which are part of packages offered to the cable and satellite companies by the providers - and those are usually popular enough packages to render such things unneeded. With modern optical fibers, the cost of adding new channels is almost nothing once the infrastructure is in place. Satellites aren't quite as limitless, but the latest generations have more than enough capacity as a practical matter.
So all those channels you don't watch actually SUBSIDIZE the ones you do! How? Part of the deal is commercial time. The channel doesn't have the staff to sell its own (except for those in production packages, parts of existing networks), but the time is valuable even if only a few people watch.
The commercials sold on the Animal Planet help keep TNT and the channels you do like cheaper for you.
You are just being a typical consumer, and thinking it is all about you. This is why customer service has declined so much over the years: so many customers are self-centered assholes.
Posted by: Adjoran at April 05, 2012 11:44 AM (VfmLu)
Posted by: Immolate at April 05, 2012 11:51 AM (0pB27)
Mrs. Reason gets angry at U-Verse for not being quite as "instantaneous" as she would prefer, despite the fact that it is lightyears better (and significantly more reliable) than Dish was.
She would kill me and make it look like an accident if I moved the household off of U-Verse and onto some sort of DIY boxee / roku / streaming-off-the-computer setup. Quite simply, to her, the "convenience" of a familiar menu system is worth the expense over "going it alone" with these other options.
Oh well. *opens wallet, and dumps another stack of bills into the in-sink-erator.
Posted by: reason at April 05, 2012 11:57 AM (5npD/)
But the reason that there will be a massive fight over a la carte cable instead of the bundles and must-carry setup we have now is, I suspect, very similar to the periodic fights over "net neutrality" and "wireless for all!" that crop up occassionally.
Move to a la carte, and I suspect that TV companies will charge based on markets. MSNBC will be cheaper than FNC in deep blue markets, and vice versa in deep red ones. Things, for a while, will likely get very messy, and consumers will get incredbily complaney once their brother on the other side of the state line pays less for G4 than they do...
Let's not give TV / cable companies too much credit here to not completely hose a good idea.
Posted by: reason at April 05, 2012 12:06 PM (5npD/)
Posted by: Vic at April 05, 2012 12:12 PM (YdQQY)
Posted by: Semilitterate at April 05, 2012 12:38 PM (snGrd)
What the heck "Gore" rhymes with "Bore" as in boooorrrrrrinnnnggggg!
And let's face it, unless The Goracle appears on Current, grinnng like a monkey and pounding his pud to "release his Second Chakra", there's not much to see there.
Posted by: Comanche Voter at April 05, 2012 12:49 PM (6USwK)
Posted by: DriveBy at April 05, 2012 04:48 PM (C9Vc8)
Posted by: steevy at April 05, 2012 04:52 PM (7W3wI)
Posted by: A Reasonable Man at April 06, 2012 03:57 AM (Je21I)
Hide Comments | Add Comment | Refresh | Top
64 queries taking 0.2549 seconds, 379 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
Posted by: Infidel at April 05, 2012 09:48 AM (O/fK8)