D* lying why local HD is not on this market

[Barry Erick]

We are getting lots of calls obout our CBS station (super bowl people) can't get us on DirecTV. THey say the hd locals in this market are not on because none broadcast ANY HD stuff. A complete lie.

Of the 7 digitals in this market, 5 broadcast some sort of HD, all of it, right now, network stuff, soon to have some local. It isn't on because they have not added our market the the LOCAL HD's as yet. It has nothing to do with us not having a signal.

 

[raoul5788]

We are getting lots of calls obout our CBS station (super bowl people) can't get us on DirecTV. THey say the hd locals in this market are not on because none broadcast ANY HD stuff. A complete lie.

Of the 7 digitals in this market, 5 broadcast some sort of HD, all of it, right now, network stuff, soon to have some local. It isn't on because they have not added our market the the LOCAL HD's as yet. It has nothing to do with us not having a signal.

Could you be a LITTLE more specific? Where are you? Which market are you referring to? Who are you claiming is giving out the bad info?

 

[Jimbo]

Maybe D* has not worked out a contract with your local yet.
Usually, it is the networks holding up the deals, not D*, networks want more money.

You didn't say what market you are in, there are alot of markets without local HD on D*, don't feel like your being singled out.
If we knew where you are we could get an idea of where you are on the list.

Jimbo

 

[Barry Erick]

Could you be a LITTLE more specific? Where are you? Which market are you referring to? Who are you claiming is giving out the bad info?

Customer Service, when people call, are telling customers in market 53 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) that the stations are not broadcasting in HD. We are getting alot of calls from subscribers chewing us out for not being in HD and not having the Super Bowl in HD. That is untrue. We'll be, like many CBS stations, in HD from Noon Sunday to early Monday Morning. And I get to sit at the tranmitter incase anything goes wrong with the analog or HD run.

So, we tell them they need an OTA antenna because DirecTV does not carry this market and they call back Customer Service and are told again. We had one co-worker who has DirecTV (most have Dish) to call and he got the same thing. I called our contact there and let them know but really did not get satisfication one way or another. Just said they could not talk about local into local hd that was not on, as yet.

 

[charper1]

You also have learn to take it with a grain of salt on what most people relay to you and others as to what they were actually being told. Most likely some miscommunication of either not understanding, not listening correctly, not repeating correctly or just hearing what they want. It not that big a deal.

 

[bonscott87]

Ignoring the fact that you should never take a CSR at face value...

I'd bet what people are being told by DirecTV is that their locals aren't broadcast in HD *on DirecTV* and people are just taking that as meaning that they aren't in HD at all. I highly doubt DirecTV would even know or care if local channels are technically in HD or not.

A CSR is just going to follow their script.
Customer: "Is my local CBS in HD"
DirecTV CSR: "What is your zip code?"
Cust: "123456"
CSR: Looking up zip code which any customer can do themselves on the website. "Nope, looks like there is no HD in your market" (assumption of course "on DirecTV", why else would a customer be calling DirecTV and asking this question?)
Customer to CBS station: "DirecTV says you're not in HD"
CBS station: "HUH?"

They simply don't carry that market yet and probably won't until the end of the year.

 

[Barry Erick]

Ignoring the fact that you should never take a CSR at face value...

I'd bet what people are being told by DirecTV is that their locals aren't broadcast in HD *on DirecTV* and people are just taking that as meaning that they aren't in HD at all. I highly doubt DirecTV would even know or care if local channels are technically in HD or not.

A CSR is just going to follow their script.
Customer: "Is my local CBS in HD"
DirecTV CSR: "What is your zip code?"
Cust: "123456"
CSR: Looking up zip code which any customer can do themselves on the website. "Nope, looks like there is no HD in your market" (assumption of course "on DirecTV", why else would a customer be calling DirecTV and asking this question?)
Customer to CBS station: "DirecTV says you're not in HD"
CBS station: "HUH?"

They simply don't carry that market yet and probably won't until the end of the year.

Oh, we know when D* is going to do it, but it what they are telling customers. They have the deal, this market is going up, but is not on as yet. The custer is being told it is our problem and, in some cases, that we won't even be arrying the Super Bowl. At least that is what many customers are being told. This market is not up on D* for HD as yet, it is on all cable systems as HD, and having gotten over 20 calls yesterday shows a pattern. Slo shows when they did the survey for a location. They had a far fringe antenna to look at digitals less than 20 yards away! Think that may have been a little overpowering and would crash the digital signal? Plus they had some digitals in the wrong physical location. Hopefully they have this worked out at the location they will ultimately use. Dish did a real simple survey that worked.

 

[TulsaCoker]

Barry reading your posts are a pure a** whipping.

 

[ArtWIS]

We get our HD LIL from Madison Wisconsin DMA #85 via D*. Must be some reason your #52 DMA has been left behind! It would be logical for D* to put up HD LIL in markets where they have a large market saturation and maybe you folks don't fit that description. You said that most of your stations employees have E*. I would think that any present D* subscriber in your DMA would have known before the last two days before the super bowl that they wouldn't be receiving your stations HD broadcast! Guess they'll just have to watch in SD.

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

This market is not up on D* for HD as yet, it is on all cable systems as HD, and having gotten over 20 calls yesterday shows a pattern.

Just tell your viewers to sub to cable and they can get your station in HD - and you are not broadcasting in HD, why does cable have it in HD?