I am an RFD-TV fan and got this in my email today --
TO: All RFD-TV Viewers
FM: Patrick Gottsch/RFD-TV President
RE: Please Contact DISH Network
It is with great sadness that I must bring to your attention that February 14 may be the last day that DISH Network chooses to broadcast RFD-TV.
After 9 years on DISH, our affiliation agreement expires, and so far, DISH has chosen not to sign a new agreement with RFD-TV.
This is unbelievable. This is shocking.
Despite every effort on RFD-TV’s part over the past year to try to renew and expand the current agreement to keep RFD-TV on DISH Network for many more years to come, one relatively new person at DISH, who obviously does not understand and/or has no respect for rural America, has blocked these efforts and done everything possible to undermine our obtaining a new agreement. Earlier today, RFD-TV received new demands from this DISH representative that, among other things, would have required RFD-TV to now donate $500,000 per year to the DISH Team Summit. Ridiculous.
In good faith, RFD-TV has offered everything it has available to stay on DISH Network, including “free” carriage of RFD HD and RURAL TV to add more rural programming to DISH, stock in the company, and major marketing support for DISH through all our rural partners.
RFD-TV needs your help, and we need it now.
There are good people at DISH Network that need to be reminded how valuable and important RFD-TV’s rural programming is to everyone in your home, and what you will do if RFD-TV is taken off DISH. At this time, I ask that you e-mail and/or call directly the following to express your own opinion on this matter:
Charlie Ergen DISH Co-Founder & Chairman (303) 723-1010 Charlie.Ergen@dishnetwork.com
Dave Schull DISH Program Director (303) 808-7228 Dave.Shull@dishnetwork.com
It is my sincere hope that enough DISH Network customers will contact Charlie and Dave immediately, and that they will then intervene and solve this problem. Obviously, there is not much time, but it can be done. DISH customers matter. Over 30% of DISH’s subscribers are “rural” homes. To kick off the only rural channel on DISH after 9 years is insane.
RFD-TV will survive. RFD-TV/RFD HD has long-term carriage agreements in place with every other distributor in the U.S. – DIRECTV, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Cable, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS TV, Bresnan, Charter, Mediacom, Brighthouse, and over 600 independent, small rural cable companies in small towns located throughout the country. If DISH Network chooses to become the only company not to carry RFD-TV or RFD HD, you may have to consider one of these other options in order to stay a viewer of RFD-TV, and our 92 wonderful independent programmers. Hopefully, you will not have to switch, but have no doubt, RFD-TV will survive this challenge.
Further updates or news on this matter, if needed, will be on the RFD-TV - Rural America's Most Important Network web site’s home page. You may also e-mail me your comments at my direct address below. Thank you so much for your support.
Patrick Gottsch
Founder & President
RFD-TV / RFD HD / RURAL TV
Patrick@rfdtv.com
TO: All RFD-TV Viewers
FM: Patrick Gottsch/RFD-TV President
RE: Please Contact DISH Network
It is with great sadness that I must bring to your attention that February 14 may be the last day that DISH Network chooses to broadcast RFD-TV.
After 9 years on DISH, our affiliation agreement expires, and so far, DISH has chosen not to sign a new agreement with RFD-TV.
This is unbelievable. This is shocking.
Despite every effort on RFD-TV’s part over the past year to try to renew and expand the current agreement to keep RFD-TV on DISH Network for many more years to come, one relatively new person at DISH, who obviously does not understand and/or has no respect for rural America, has blocked these efforts and done everything possible to undermine our obtaining a new agreement. Earlier today, RFD-TV received new demands from this DISH representative that, among other things, would have required RFD-TV to now donate $500,000 per year to the DISH Team Summit. Ridiculous.
In good faith, RFD-TV has offered everything it has available to stay on DISH Network, including “free” carriage of RFD HD and RURAL TV to add more rural programming to DISH, stock in the company, and major marketing support for DISH through all our rural partners.
RFD-TV needs your help, and we need it now.
There are good people at DISH Network that need to be reminded how valuable and important RFD-TV’s rural programming is to everyone in your home, and what you will do if RFD-TV is taken off DISH. At this time, I ask that you e-mail and/or call directly the following to express your own opinion on this matter:
Charlie Ergen DISH Co-Founder & Chairman (303) 723-1010 Charlie.Ergen@dishnetwork.com
Dave Schull DISH Program Director (303) 808-7228 Dave.Shull@dishnetwork.com
It is my sincere hope that enough DISH Network customers will contact Charlie and Dave immediately, and that they will then intervene and solve this problem. Obviously, there is not much time, but it can be done. DISH customers matter. Over 30% of DISH’s subscribers are “rural” homes. To kick off the only rural channel on DISH after 9 years is insane.
RFD-TV will survive. RFD-TV/RFD HD has long-term carriage agreements in place with every other distributor in the U.S. – DIRECTV, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Cable, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS TV, Bresnan, Charter, Mediacom, Brighthouse, and over 600 independent, small rural cable companies in small towns located throughout the country. If DISH Network chooses to become the only company not to carry RFD-TV or RFD HD, you may have to consider one of these other options in order to stay a viewer of RFD-TV, and our 92 wonderful independent programmers. Hopefully, you will not have to switch, but have no doubt, RFD-TV will survive this challenge.
Further updates or news on this matter, if needed, will be on the RFD-TV - Rural America's Most Important Network web site’s home page. You may also e-mail me your comments at my direct address below. Thank you so much for your support.
Patrick Gottsch
Founder & President
RFD-TV / RFD HD / RURAL TV
Patrick@rfdtv.com
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