Directv CD USA

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LMckin

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Sep 30, 2005
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DIRECTV Announces Line-Up of Cutting-Edge Hosts for New Weekly Music Series

DIRECTV Announces Line-Up of Cutting-Edge Hosts for New Weekly Music Series, ``CD USA''; On-Air Personalities to Present Top Bands in the Industry, Exclusively on DIRECTV
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2006--DIRECTV will introduce four television hosts for its new weekly music news and performance show, "CD USA," when it premieres exclusively on DIRECTV channel 101 on Jan. 21.
Up-and-coming talents John Wynn, Becky Baeling, Jonathan Redford and Malikha Mallette will begin their new roles as on-air personalities with the "CD USA" premiere. Each brings music industry expertise and a cutting-edge attitude to the show, which promises to deliver the largest selection of back-to-back performances available on television from a mix of music genres including pop, indie, rock and urban -- all broadcast in standard- and high-definition.
"'CD USA' will showcase today's most popular bands and hottest emerging acts," said David Hill, president, DIRECTV Entertainment. "Each of our four hosts brings a unique perspective from the music industry -- Becky was a recording artist, Jonathan's father was a composer, John is a singer/songwriter, and Malikha, who is our special New York correspondent, has been a radio personality on the city's number one Hip-Hop and R&B station. Together, they are a dynamic team and we are excited to have them on 'CD USA.'"
About the "CD USA" Hosts
John Wynn -- Wynn abandoned aspirations of a career in medicine and decided to pursue a career in music. Since parting ways with his band AGENT SANDS in 2004, Wynn has been focusing his attention on a solo project he describes as "Ben Harper, combined with the atmospheric sound of Portishead and vocal style of Damien Rice," due to be released in the summer of 2006. For him, the best thing about "CD USA" is the sheer volume of live acts in the studio.
Becky Baeling -- Baeling comes to "CD USA" from outside Detroit "Rock City," but not without a few notable detours. She studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and along the way, topped the Billboard charts with the dance tracks "Getaway," "If You Love Me," and a cover of Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth."
Jonathan Redford -- Jonathan is no stranger to Hollywood and the music industry. Having grown up in a musical family, Jonathan was lulled to sleep every night by the sounds of his father, a composer, on the family piano. A die-hard classic rock fan and a folk rock singer/songwriter himself, Jonathan also appreciates the songwriting and lyrical dexterity of Eminem and Kanye West. "I love live music, so listening and interacting with the bands on 'CD USA' is going to be fantastic," said Redford.
Malikha Mallette -- Malikha, a native New Yorker, whose name means Queen, has been entertaining listeners on NYC's Power 105.1 FM radio station since 2003. During her career, she has worked in television, hosting everything from community and public affairs programs to entertainment and lifestyle shows. She admits nothing has been as exciting as her newest adventure aboard "CD USA."
About "CD USA"
"CD USA" will feature up to seven live performances from the "CD USA" stages including top-selling artists and breakthrough acts such as the Goo Goo Dolls, Ashlee Simpson, Fort Minor, Natasha Bedingfield, Dem Franchise Boyz with Jermaine Dupri, Ray J, Yellowcard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lifehouse, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Daniel Powter and many, many more. In addition to live performances, "CD USA" will offer the latest news on album releases, exclusive interviews, gossip, behind-the-scenes reports, and a private peek inside the world of music.
"CD USA" will air every Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on channel 101 in standard- and high-definition. Customers subscribing to any DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE(R) or SELECCION programming package will have access to "CD USA" at no additional cost.
About DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV, Inc. is the nation's leading digital multichannel television service provider with more than 15 million customers. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV (NYSE:DTV) is a world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment services. DIRECTV is approximately 34 percent owned by News Corporation.
CONTACT: DIRECTV, Inc.
Jade Ekstedt, 310-964-3429
SOURCE: DIRECTV, Inc.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding The DIRECTV Group, Inc.'s business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.
from http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=805778&highlight=
 
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As I said in another thread, this is DirecTV's version of the Bingo channel
 
but at least a bing channel would change the programming (always new numbers to draw). With this channel everytime I tune to it it's always the same blonde chick singing (and probably the same song!)!:eek:


rtt2 said:
As I said in another thread, this is DirecTV's version of the Bingo channel
 
I e-mailed D* yesterday about what a waste of bandwidth CD USA was. Why not add something viewers want like TNT HD. This was D*'s response:
"Additionally, while DIRECTV doesn't have an agreement with TNT HD right now, we are in discussions with them and we hope to add TNT HD to our lineup soon. I don't have a date to give you yet, but stay tuned to DIRECTV.com/HDTV for the latest news and announcements as they become available". Yeah, I wont hold my breath.
 
Pretty much a form letter response for me too. Notice how they don't mention the CD-USA channel. I think they might be getting a lot of negative feedback about it. I had asked how they justified adding that channel as opposed to more requested HD channels like TNT-HD and NGC-HD.

-JustBob

DirecTV response:

Thanks for writing. While we don't carry TNT-HD or National Geographic HD right now we often add programming based on customer requests, and I have forwarded your request to DIRECTV management.

As you might imagine, high-definition channels are some of the most expensive ones for us to carry, both in terms of what we pay the networks to distribute their programming and the technology we use to deliver them. As a result, the price per channel in this package is higher than most of our other packages.

However, we believe that our pricing is quite competitive with what others are charging for HD service. DISH Network charges $9.99/mo. for its HD Pak, and many cable companies require a subscription to a digital tier of service, in addition to $2-$10/mo. for rental of a high-definition receiver.

We're committed to providing the best in HDTV programming and we're in constant discussions with program providers to continue adding new channels and programming.

Stay tuned to DIRECTV.com/HDTV for the latest news and announcements as they become available.
 
This channel is just like Voom's MOVE. Except, i think MOVE was more interesting. Complete waste of bandwidth.

PS. Did anyone watch the Heat vs Suns Last night? The PQ was horrible. When the images didnt move (hard to do when watching basketball) it was better, but as they moved they go totally out of focus. I guess directv didnt test the compression on all sources. It was also doing this. Everything 30-60 seconds it was almost like it was in a slower then normal motion then it was ok, and kept repeating. I tried another Tv and had the same issue so it wasnt my equipment.
 
Yeah, my form letter response was similar..

"Thank you for writing. I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy with our service. Our goal is to provide a wide variety of programming in order to appeal to the broadest audience possible. We understand that not everyone will like each program. However, our ongoing research tells us that most customers agree with us, and like being able to choose from so many viewing options."

Yeah...right...
 
So what would you expect? Did you think Rupert Murdock was gonna call you back and redress your grievances with you? It's a big F***ing company. I'm really looking forward to CD USA having some cool bands/artists (As opposed to "shake that Laffy Taffy" ) the crap that is on right now. I think it will get better. All this "Waahhh...Meow...." I hear that from my f***in cat, please"....I love instant gratification as much as the next guy, but...
 
They've mad such a big deal about it, and its the same silly show played OVER and OVER for 4 days, then 3 days off. Wow, I am so glad they added this.
 
JeffreyDJ said:
They've mad such a big deal about it, and its the same silly show played OVER and OVER for 4 days, then 3 days off. Wow, I am so glad they added this.

Yep, and on top of the bandwidth they are wasting with this continuous HD loop, think of the amount of money they are spending on producing a live show each week. They admitted in their press release that it costs a lot of money to produce a live show like this.

Now, think of the real programming that they could have bought with that same money and the bandwidth they would have to show that programming if they were paying attention to what their subscribers (especially the folks who pay extra for HD) really are asking for.
 
Lets just look at who is spending money on HD. It isn't someone who is watching CD-USA. D* just screwed up and now they can't admit that they made a mistake. When I called about another issue and mentioned CD-USA the CSR got REALLY defensive in a big hurry. I guess she had been taking a lot of heat.
 
flipper2001 said:
This channel is just like Voom's MOVE. Except, i think MOVE was more interesting. Complete waste of bandwidth.

PS. Did anyone watch the Heat vs Suns Last night? The PQ was horrible. When the images didnt move (hard to do when watching basketball) it was better, but as they moved they go totally out of focus. I guess directv didnt test the compression on all sources. It was also doing this. Everything 30-60 seconds it was almost like it was in a slower then normal motion then it was ok, and kept repeating. I tried another Tv and had the same issue so it wasnt my equipment.

Interesting...we watched the game last night and we thought the picture was great. I did not see any artifacts or any blurriness related to motion.
 
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