Dish/Sinclair Dispute

[FreddyvsJasonvsAsh]

if you guys get the superstation pack with 3 WBs and 2 UPNs you'll be fine if you are a WB fan. I'm in Las Vegas and my local WB is owned by these bozos but I have KTLA which is WB and not owned by them. Now I can still watch 7th Heaven, Everwood and Smallville

 

[2extreme]

if you guys get the superstation pack with 3 WBs and 2 UPNs you'll be fine if you are a WB fan. I'm in Las Vegas and my local WB is owned by these bozos but I have KTLA which is WB and not owned by them. Now I can still watch 7th Heaven, Everwood and Smallville

You know that's a good point! However, I don't want to pay an additional $5.99/mo to get those stations. I am going to be loosing both of those (UPN and WB) if they dont get a contract again.

I think that dish should offer those of us loosing both of those stations the distant package that you say for no additional charge so that we are still able to get those channels (though won't be the "local" ones) w/o having to pay cable or get a roof top antenna (which I would have to get cuz I am not near enough to use rabbit ears).

I know its a long shot but hell, it would keep most of us happy
Any thoughts?

 

[James Long]

reading that *E is dropping the channels will be correct

Never. The accurate statement is that Sinclair is refusing to allow E* to carry their stations. All Sinclair had to do was choose 'must carry' and the stations would be there to stay - but the moneygrubbers chose to hold their signal hostage expecting E*, and E* subscribers, to pay the ransom.

E* isn't removing a channel - Sinclair is removing it's channels.

JL

 

[fenwah]

I got the same message tonight on FOX while watching American Idol. I will have to check WB...my wife watches 7th Heaven on there...and have it recorded from earlier tonight.

It told me that I should go to Direct TV or cable. What the heck is going on?

EDIT...
Dayton WKEF 22 ABC
Dayton WRGT 45* Fox

Are you kidding me? I'm going to possibly lose ABC and Fox? That's Monday Night Football and Sunday football on FOX. I will have to switch to cable if that happens. Not a happy camper at all.

At least Desperate Housewives season is ending before the end of the month.

Perhaps I can negotiate a 942 at a much discounted price in order to keep me a customer.

 

[mudpup2003]

We got the message here in PA again. They are telling dish customers to call their local cable company or DIRECTV to continue without interuption...

 

[tuffnuts]

i hope someone steps in. 2 of my channels are supposed to be going off , but one of them is the wb, so i don't care. fox is kind of a loss though. i don't think any station should be allowed to act like sinclair is. i'm lucky enough to pull the, through ota. i know alot of you are not unfortunately.

 

[jerryez]

My Sinclair ABC is on Cox Cable and I get the same message.

 

[Stargazer]

I would much rather have WB than the FOX or ABC that they are threatening to take off. I get them in the superstations package anyways. I watch the national feed off of WPIX.

 

[dtanderson]

The only channels that I will lose are UPN and WB. I do not watch any shows on UPN so it will not be missed and the only show that I watch on WB is Smallville and the season finale is this week. If for some reason I do need UPN or WB, then I can sign up for the SuperStations and get both I guess that if Sinclair pulls there channels off of Dish then they need to give their advertisers a price cut since they will lose the Dish viewers. I will not switch over this. I think that if someone pulls something like this and causes viewers to lose locals then Dish should be allowed to give those customers effected by this access to another network (distant or the next closet to their region).

 

[Mr Tony]

I think that dish should offer those of us loosing both of those stations the distant package that you say for no additional charge so that we are still able to get those channels (though won't be the "local" ones) w/o having to pay cable or get a roof top antenna (which I would have to get cuz I am not near enough to use rabbit ears).

I know its a long shot but hell, it would keep most of us happy
Any thoughts?

Highly unlikely….then the people in areas where there is no UPN or WB OTA (like my area…Duluth, MN) would have a fit. I tried that approach back when Duluth got turned up.

If you only need one, you can get them alacarte for 1.50 : )

I have WPIX for 1.50

 

[Mr Tony]

I got the same message tonight on FOX while watching American Idol. I will have to check WB...my wife watches 7th Heaven on there...and have it recorded from earlier tonight.

It told me that I should go to Direct TV or cable. What the heck is going on?

EDIT...
Dayton WKEF 22 ABC
Dayton WRGT 45* Fox

Are you kidding me? I'm going to possibly lose ABC and Fox? That's Monday Night Football and Sunday football on FOX. I will have to switch to cable if that happens. Not a happy camper at all.

At least Desperate Housewives season is ending before the end of the month.

Perhaps I can negotiate a 942 at a much discounted price in order to keep me a customer.

dude...chill

When Viacom pulled CBS, we lost it for I think 2 days (maybe it was 3...I dont remember but we did lose CBS in Minneapolis and got to see Charlie talk about it for 2 days)....it will be back LONG before NFL season

 

[Stargazer]

I dont think Dish Network is allowed to even sell you the national superstations package (or certain channels within that package) if the local station denies you the automatic waiver that most people get. Sinclair could start preventing people from having that superstation package that they are getting now in their markets.

 

[Tech27]

Think $$$ and be smart about it

If you guys do end up losing these Loose channels it will only be temporary. Their is money involved in all aspects of this. In some new markets E* has opened up locals in, there were a station or two refusing to allow broadcast of their channel. This was due to the fact of some well fed cable co. owner who also happened to own a local channel. A little time went by and many people decided to give the "pigs" the boot and switched to Dish Network. This worried advertisers who fed their money to these local stations who were being stubborn. When they threatened to pull their advertising from the channel....well as you might have guessed it the greedy rich cable guy gave in. Thus everyone got their channels. All of them. I suspect that the same will be true in this case.

By jumping ship because these ***holes are greedy will only contribute to their cause. Anyone effected by this should cause a stink by complaints to the stations they are losing...and make it very clear to them that under no circumstances are they going to give in (cancel Dish).

These banners you are seeing are nothing more than propaganda and should be treated as such. In the end they lose and we win by keeping our costs down as a consumer.

Remember Charlie was on the forefront to get you your locals in HD via satellite. Although it hasn't happened yet, we all know it has been approved and is already in the plans. Sit tight and enjoy some of the other channels you get on satellite. Things will work themselves out.

 

[BobMurdoch]

It's all brinkmanship. Sinclair can't afford for 10% of its subscribers to just go away either or the ad rates will drop. Look for the channels to go dark for a few days and they come back on. End of story.

 

[dtanderson]

I dont think Dish Network is allowed to even sell you the national superstations package (or certain channels within that package) if the local station denies you the automatic waiver that most people get. Sinclair could start preventing people from having that superstation package that they are getting now in their markets.

According to Dish's website, I qualify for the SuperStations (WB and UPN) and the two stations in my area that are owned by Sinclair are WB and UPN affiliates. If they pull them off, then I can just call Dish and add the SuperStations to my package.

 

[Stargazer]

Yes, you qualify right now, but who says you will if the Sinclair stations go dark and they deny your waiver for the channels if they can find out that they can do so?

 

[fenwah]

I will let the channels go dark for a week or so. Hopefully a resolution will be put in place by then. I'm just so happy with Dish (except they won't lease me a 942) that I would hate to call it quits with them.

 

[mattb]

SINclair pulls this crap with the cable companies, so I can't blame Charlie for standing up to them.

 

[2extreme]

Highly unlikely….then the people in areas where there is no UPN or WB OTA (like my area…Duluth, MN) would have a fit. I tried that approach back when Duluth got turned up.

If you only need one, you can get them alacarte for 1.50 : )

I have WPIX for 1.50

haha it was worth a shot Iceberg

I didn't know you could get them alacarte, maybe if I get the need for them I'll have to do it that way. But hopefully what ppl are saying is that it will go dark for a few then come back on!

 

[Slamminc11]

My suggestion to everyone that doesn't want to lose WB's and UPN's is wait until around the 29th and then just sign up for one Superstation WB and one Superstation UPN (I think it is $1.99 per station or $5.99 for the whole lot of them and then let Sinclair go dark, you won't miss anything but your local commercials. If you have it before Sinclair goes dark, they can't come back and take it from you.
As far as their message that Dish is dropping the station, this is clearly a situation where Sinclair is holding YOUR stations hostage. Dish wants to air the channels, but Sinclair wants YOU to have to pay more to watch what advertisers should be paying to get you to watch.
As much as people bash Charlie, I honestly think his goal in these things is to keep your bill affordable, and so he is willing to hold out to get YOU the best price. If that means standing up and not paying some jerk-wad more than what a station is worth to you, then I say, by god, go get 'em Charlie!!!