EchoStar Seeking 120-Day Transition

[nitstalker]

Ok, well I was bored for a few mins... I put a list together of who Dish does not serve.... Was an interesting finding....

There are 39 DMA's not served by Dish and the US VI.

Using the 2006-07 Nielsen Rankings that is a total of

3,457,770 unserved households

which represents 3.103 percent of the country.

In those 40 Markets, there are a total of 346 channels...

Of course a percentage of those are b.s. low power stations but does E* have the space available to add that many new stations not including the logistics needed to recieve and uplink them???

Attached: PDF of the list. Included the sat-guys logo on it in case it gets into another site's hands... (they have everything *but* this list....

 

[JohnH]

Yes.

 

[mecro]

According to the list, Lafayette, DMA 188, Lafayette includes all of the locals from Indianapolis? Is this true? If this is true, why won't DISH turn on Indy locals for Lafayette subscribers?

 

[minnow]

Great work Nitstalker. :up Maybe you should send this to ceo@echostar.com
I wonder if even they have this information. Now that you've done their research for them, they can focus their efforts on getting these DMA's served.

 

[Derwin0]

According to the list, Lafayette, DMA 188, Lafayette includes all of the locals from Indianapolis? Is this true? If this is true, why won't DISH turn on Indy locals for Lafayette subscribers?

Because to use SV, first requires the DMA's own locals up first.
So they have to have Lafayette up before they can give Indianapolis SV.
Then they have to negociate to be able to carry the channels as SV.

Dish and Directv are both complaining about the negociation part, saying that channels are unwilling to negociate.

 

[nitstalker]

mecro, that is an interesting point. I do not know if it is a mistake on the DMA lists, but Im sure the layfayette dma is not the only one like this... I looked it up at a couple sources and all but one show all those as "Broadcast television in the Lafayette, Indiana market (Nielsen DMA #188)"

One source has one channel, a cbs channel as the only one operating in the dma (Back Channel Media Planner)

On the lists for each dma were significantly viewed channels, both available on cable and adjoining dma's... I did not include them on the list that I compiled...

It would be a good idea... send it to ceo@... and on the next charlie chat maybe I can ask him if he got the 'Satellite Guys List of Channels you dont have" HAHAHA

 

[dishcomm]

EchoStar Seeking 120-Day Transition
Courtesy MultiChannelNews.COM
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6371889.html

By Ted Hearn 9/13/2006 5:11:00 PM

In a court filing late Tuesday, EchoStar Communications asked for at least 120 business days to comply if ordered by a federal judge to terminate Big Four network programming to more than 800,000 subscribers largely located in rural areas.

EchoStar is facing a sweeping injunction from a federal judge in south Florida that would bar it from selling ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox programming to a class of subscribers who qualify under federal law to purchase imported network signals because local affiliates can’t be viewed with off-air antennas.

News Corp. -- which controls DirecTV, EchoStar’s main rival -- is insisting that the scope of the injunction should include all four networks. But EchoStar claimed in the court filing that because 95% of network affiliates have settled, any injunction should be narrow, applying just to the delivery of Fox programming in the 25 markets where Fox owns TV stations.

EchoStar is in legal trouble after court rulings found that the direct-broadcast satellite company sold distant network signals to hundreds of thousands of ineligible customers. The sudden cutoff of popular network programming has some on Capitol Hill worried. Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is trying to pass legislation that would avoid a massive cutoff.

EchoStar told the court it would need at least four months to help consumers find alternative means of receiving network programming, including purchase of a local-TV-signal package in the 165 markets where that option is available.

The company added that another option for cutoff subscribers was an “off-air antenna,” but that seemed a strange rationale for extra time because the distant network option was created by Congress to serve viewers for whom off-air antennas were useless.

Lastly, EchoStar said that without a reasonable transition period, it feared that 10 company-owned-and-operated call centers would become “clogged,” upsetting existing and potential customers seeking personal service.

I'm confused. It appeasr that fedral regulation allow the reception of distant locals..Yet the writer of this story indicates E* is is legal trouble for doing what is permitted undr the law..
It alos appears that Newscorp in waht seems to be a predatory action is petitioning the court to rule that all networks be included in any future ruling..

What gives?...I realize that it is in Newscorp's (D*) best interest to give as much as a hard time to their competition as possible..But this thing looks like a conflict of interest...
I don't Charlie is going to take this laying down..IMO this case will end up in the US Supreme Court..

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Of course a percentage of those are b.s. low power stations but does E* have the space available to add that many new stations not including the logistics needed to recieve and uplink them???

Attached: PDF of the list. Included the sat-guys logo on it in case it gets into another site's hands... (they have everything *but* this list....

Nice chart! It will be changing over the next few weeks. There will be a few additions over the next 6 weeks.

Will be added with 2-6 weeks...
Harrisonburg, VA,
Odessa-Midland TX,
Beaumont - Port Arthur TX,
Rochester - Mason City - Austin MN

Also coming in the 4th quarter of this year...
Bangor, ME,
Palm Springs, CA,
Dothan, AL,
Butte-Bozeman MT

Now it should also be noted that in most cases Dish is not required to carry the low powered stations. So most of those stations can be removed off the list. The only low power stations they carry is ones with pro sports coverage of the local teams which is not available elsewhere.

 

[BobMurdoch]

Too late, the Supremes already refused to block it (Thank Clarence Thomas who wrote the letter denying to review the case)

 

[dishcomm]

But what will happen to those of us who's DMAs do not have all four networks, and therefore have waivers for the remaining networks? Example: Lafayette, IN (47909) has only a CBS affiliate, and is nearly 60 miles from Indianapolis broadcast towers. Indy ABC, NBC, and FOX issue waivers for those who cannot receive it.

So, if they uplink the one channel, CBS, that lafayette has, what will the rest of us do? I don't need our local CBS affiliate on DISH, because its a high power station less than 5 miles from anywhere in Lafayette. You can pick it up with a paperclip.

this may sound a bit crass but nobody is entitled to tv reception..In a world without satellite or cable tv,those who lived in underserved areas would be at the mercy of the marketplace..in other words if one lives in an area with just one channel available then that's all they get...Now that does not apply here for obvious reasons...I have a copy of the nielsen map and notice that some markets such as Lima OH are just one county..I see your DMA is just 3 counties...One thing I don't understand is how Nielsen can consider an area to be a DMA if that area does not have even the 3 original nets..That does not seem right...But it is what it is.....
Anyway. I hope the courts use their common sense ansd scrap these silly restrictve regulations...I believe we as consumers should have the choice to buy(within limits) whatever we wish..my suggestion is that DNS should be available to everyone as long as they buy their LIL...Good luck to you..

 

[JohnH]

I'm confused. It appeasr that fedral regulation allow the reception of distant locals..Yet the writer of this story indicates E* is is legal trouble for doing what is permitted undr the law..

They are not permitted to deliver Distant locals to everyone. Only those that are predicted to not be able to receive their own locals. The court found that E* violated this many times.

 

[Peter Parker]

I'm confused. It appeasr that fedral regulation allow the reception of distant locals..Yet the writer of this story indicates E* is is legal trouble for doing what is permitted undr the law..
It alos appears that Newscorp in waht seems to be a predatory action is petitioning the court to rule that all networks be included in any future ruling..

What gives?...I realize that it is in Newscorp's (D*) best interest to give as much as a hard time to their competition as possible..But this thing looks like a conflict of interest...
I don't Charlie is going to take this laying down..IMO this case will end up in the US Supreme Court..

Well the plaintiffs are alleging that DISH's implementation of Distant net qualification violated the law and they sought an injunction to stop Echostar. An appellate court has ordered the District court to issue an injunction against Echostar. They were given until the 12th to show cause why the injunction should not be issued.

In fact DISH has been judged to be in violation. the question is can the settlement they reached with every party but Fox be seen as an adequate changed circumstance to prevent the issuance of the injunction ---or limit it to Fox stations.


Some are insisting that there is no room for manuevering. That the injunction must be issued no mater what. Others say that there is still room.


Stay tuned and see.

 

[dishcomm]

What consititutes Significantly Viewed? In Lafayette, IN, all our cable systems pull locals from Indianapolis with no problem, and even offer them in HD to our little town. Is this something DISH cannot or will not do?

Here in lies the problem. Quite frankly ,the rules are different....Cable is subject to must carry laws...
for years now cable cos. have been sending out of market sigs to their subs..For example, I had a friend thta lived in Ocean County NJ...His cable co. gave him most of the chs in both the Philly and NYC DMAS..Of course the weaker UHF stations were not included due to poor reception.....I used ot live in Hiton head SC....We got nets from Savannah,GA and Charleston,SC....All due to must carry..
Of course you may know this already and if so I apologize for stating the obvious..
Significantly viewed are channels that apply to the examples above..These are channels that viewers from market receive in another adjacent market..

 

[Hall]

What consititutes Significantly Viewed? In Lafayette, IN, all our cable systems pull locals from Indianapolis with no problem, and even offer them in HD to our little town.

You mentioned earlier that Lafayette has a local CBS. At 8pm in the evening, what does your local cable company show on the Indy CBS channel ?? They should not be showing primetime programming but instead infommercials or syndicated shows or something.

 

[mecro]

At 8 PM, they show both WLFI Channel 18 (Lafayette CBS) and WISH Channel 8 (Indianapolis CBS) both live, both primetime programming.

 

[ScottChez]

What about North Platte Nebraska's DMA (one of the smallest)? All thats in there DMA is NBC.

Everyone in that DMA gets approved waivers for ABC CBS and FOX all the time.

Cable pulls from the nearby Kearney-Lincoln DMA via translator feeds.

This is why both of Nebraskas congress men have said they will go along with the Colorado Congress men to file an investigation on Murdock as a conflict of interest or violation of there Direct TV purchase agreement to not abuse there new power since they own direct TV and some fox.

Worse case the stations get pulled for a few days, this is why Dish wants a 120 day buffere so the investigation will have time to work its way through. Its not so they can do Super Dish (althought that is I am sure a contengency plan to make stock holders happy).

 

[Stargazer]

Wouldn't 105 and 121 have enough space to put up the rest of the local markets?

 

[Chris Walker]

I'm torn on this one. On one hand, I've said all along I will go to D* the second E* cuts distants off (if worse comes to worse and this happens) but Murdoch/FOX is the only reason that the settlement wouldn't be accepted by the court, so can I support FOX and Murdoch for their low-class actions? Hopefully the settlement will be signed off on soon and we can all start talking about something else.

 

[ThomasRz]

I'm confused.

You certainly are.

It appeasr that fedral regulation allow the reception of distant locals..

By qualified individuals.

Yet the writer of this story indicates E* is is legal trouble for doing what is permitted undr the law..

Have you been incommunicado for the last six months?

It alos appears that Newscorp in waht seems to be a predatory action is petitioning the court to rule that all networks be included in any future ruling.

Predatory? You'll have to explain that one.

What gives?...I realize that it is in Newscorp's (D*) best interest to give as much as a hard time to their competition as possible..But this thing looks like a conflict of interest.

Ah, the old conflict of interest. Pray tell us what you think conflict of interest is. And please pay special attention to the word "conflict."

I don't Charlie is going to take this laying down..IMO this case will end up in the US Supreme Court.

Or even lying down - although Charlie does lie. What grave constitutional issue is at hand that SCOTUS would spend any time on this case? Justice Thomas has already given short shrift to E* and I don't think the rest of the gang is any more excited to give an opportunity to a gross violator of the law who has no compelling argument for his misdeeds.

 

[RVD420]

Wouldn't 105 and 121 have enough space to put up the rest of the local markets?

They could put up the rest of the local markets at 105. And if things do not go their way look for more superdish 105 to be installed