Fisher Communications Channels are BACK on Dish!

[kingbiged]

I don't know about the rest of you, but almost 4 months, and no end in sight has me thinking about switching. Everytime I pull up the guide on the locals, it just gets me going. Not to speak of the wife and teenage daughter, they told me to switch in January.

This is simply out of hand, and both FISH and E* are at fault here. They should have both realized this before E* went a year without paying, and in 12 months should have came to terms before the channels were removed.

I got to say, here in Portland, I used to watch KATU for news every night. I can't see how everyone is sticking with them in the effected area's very long. And if FIOS is available, I would have already made the move, but Qwest doesn't have an offering and I would not go with them anyways.

I have OTA, but due to trees in the area, only a light wind takes the signal out, and it is common where I live.

 

[gdarwin]

Try the antenna in my .sig. It is pointing through a big pecan tree and never fails...

 

[kingbiged]

I have tried 3 kinds, all outdoor mounted with and without amplifiers. No luck, and still guide dvr scheduling is almost impossible without data. Manual recording sucks.

Are you in PDX? Where and what antenna? I am 24 miles out from the signal.

 

[Shortfork]

It's almost like a guy selling hot dogs from a cart.. he's got a sign up that says... "Hot Dogs 50 cents..." but the problem is, he don't have no dogs on board the cart. Seems he's got a problem with his supplier. Something like a reselling copyright issue over the term "hot dog" so he ain't got no doggies on the cart. But... he'll gladly give you a little note that tells you how screwed up the hot dog suppler is, how he, the hot dog vender that ain't got no hot dogs cause of the mean ol' hot dog supplier.... oh.. and he'll also take your friggin 50 cents!

Dog or no dog..

Gimme yer money...

**Sigh**

 

[whatchel1]

So sorry

It is really to bad that you can't get the channels. Thing is if E* gives in it will make it so all stations try the same strong arm tactics. Fisher is asking way more than it has the rights to get paid. As far as D* having it they probably haven't had to renegotiate their contract yet and so aren't paying the exorbitant fees that are being asked of E8 by them. So I'm sorry you can't get your stations but I hope E* holds out till Hell frezzes over or Fisher gets it through their heads they aren't gonna get more than the rest of the stations.

 

[bebop]

I have tried 3 kinds, all outdoor mounted with and without amplifiers. No luck, and still guide dvr scheduling is almost impossible without data. Manual recording sucks.

Are you in PDX? Where and what antenna? I am 24 miles out from the signal.

Too bad you can't get the OTA working , because you could use the sling guide to record everything. I'm doing it all the time and it's way better than the locals I get on dish through the receiver guide recording.

Oh yeah, and by the way - I emailed Fisher tonight and told them to end the standoff - so that should be settled here in a couple of days. (Always happy to help!)

 

[gdarwin]

I have tried 3 kinds, all outdoor mounted with and without amplifiers. No luck, and still guide dvr scheduling is almost impossible without data. Manual recording sucks.

Are you in PDX? Where and what antenna? I am 24 miles out from the signal.

Winegard HD9095P

 

[kstile]

If you can get the channel OTA, go about 4 or 5 days in advance on the guide and you'll see the actual info. The guide (at least on the 622) goes for 9 days but Dish only puts about 4 days worth of "Important Info" in at a time.

It means setting up recordings well in advance, but at least you can get the info. Also, if you look at the full guide info for any of the "Important Info" shows, the title and description are, of course, useless, but the Episode Number and Original Air Date are, in fact, correct for the real show. This helps a little bit.

And if you go through SlingGuide Login, you even get the proper little picture icon and the real description (though not title). I recorded Cupid last night for my wife and looking at it on Sling was almost tolerable.

 

[bebop]

If you can get the channel OTA, go about 4 or 5 days in advance on the guide and you'll see the actual info. The guide (at least on the 622) goes for 9 days but Dish only puts about 4 days worth of "Important Info" in at a time.

It means setting up recordings well in advance, but at least you can get the info. Also, if you look at the full guide info for any of the "Important Info" shows, the title and description are, of course, useless, but the Episode Number and Original Air Date are, in fact, correct for the real show. This helps a little bit.

And if you go through SlingGuide Login, you even get the proper little picture icon and the real description (though not title). I recorded Cupid last night for my wife and looking at it on Sling was almost tolerable.

I called and chatted online with a CSR from Dish to see if I could get the correct guide info - but no luck.

Anyone else look into this? It looks like Dish is changing the guide data at day 4 on the guide with a comment about the local provider refusing to deliver the signal. I wish I could figure out who exactly is changing the info and get them to stop it - because the OTA recording alone with correct info would be awesome.

-Sigh

 

[Joe Capitano]

FISH vs. DISH - Viewers Held Hostage, Day 121: It's the law of the playground.

Two kids don't see eye to eye. Little Colleen picks up a rock, Little Charlie does likewise. Little Colleen says "Put down the rock." Little Charlie says, "Put yours down first." Little Colleen says, "No, you put yours down." Little Charle says, "You first." And it goes on and on and on until one kid gives in - or the playground monitor intervenes.

Consider the rock in Little Colleen's hand to be that $1 Million lawsuit. Charlie's is what you make of it. But this standoff has dragged on for four months now.

Fish's latest salvo: a website called onlycharlieknows.com. Basically, it's all that spin Fisher had on their stations' websites with a big picture of Ergen on the homepage.

...and the saga continues.

 

[long_time_DNC]

The designer of that site is a moron...black text on a red background is supposed to make one angry...it does...because it's almost impossible to read! Idiots.

At this point, I don't miss KOMO anymore...I rarely even think about the situation. I used to watch the station...I have found alternatives and it wasn't difficult. So, who's getting hurt here? KOMO is losing revenue from advertisers. Dish is losing $1/month from subs not getting Fisher stations anymore. I wonder who's taking the harder financial hit?

Anyway, I feel badly for those not getting their Fisher stations that want them. This game they're playing is absurd...

 

[Laddyboy]

I have a feeling until the lawsuit is dropped or resolved this may be an ongoing issue. I don't think Fisher management did much research on E*'s history before they decided to sue E* and link the lawsuit with their channel carriage. Once you do that, it's hard to uncouple them, especially when the lawsuit seems frivolous from E*'s point of view.

 

[Shortfork]

On its Web site, Young's KRON told viewers, “We believe that a penny per day, per subscriber is a reasonable demand for our award-winning news, sports and entertainment programming. It is considerably less than the amount paid by Dish to less popular satellite/cable networks.”

Certainly seems like a fair price to me.. Wonder what Fish is actually asking?? Even though one would wonder why a "broadcast" station would care a wit if someone rebroadcast their signal, thereby, gaining their audience numbers.. but.. If disputed fees are in that range, I can't see how $.30 per month per subscriber is out of line, or even something Dish should worry about.

Wayne Sagar

 

[levibluewa]

I thought the debacle was brought about by DISH breaching a contract that they had with Fisher to carry KUNS. I may be wrong, I have been a couple of times before!

 

[iwc5893]

Certainly seems like a fair price to me.. Wonder what Fish is actually asking?? Even though one would wonder why a "broadcast" station would care a wit if someone rebroadcast their signal, thereby, gaining their audience numbers.. but.. If disputed fees are in that range, I can't see how $.30 per month per subscriber is out of line, or even something Dish should worry about.

Wayne Sagar

If that was all they were paying, then I would say Dish is in the wrong. However, they are asking for an INCREASE of a penny a day per customer, or an 82 percent increase (http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-ne...tions-11pm-seattle-cut-off-2.html#post1629556)

If your Dish bill, or any bill for that matter, suddenly increased 82% just because it was time to renew your contract, what would you do?

 

[long_time_DNC]

Just what Dish did...

 

[Shortfork]

82% sounds like a lot, until you think of it being 82/100's of a penny... or, less than $.30 per month.. so, that's going to give someone the bright idea of increasing our entire bill by 82%?

This whole thing is BS laden upon BS from both sides!

Comon folks.. Dish charges.. what... about $10. for locals?? Annnd they are paying something on the order of $.30 per month each? Let's see now, we have something less than 10 locals here, at that rate, it's costing Dish less than $5. per month and they charge us 10 bucks.. and they are worried about losing maybe less than 30 cents of that monthly?

Give me a break...

Wayne Sagar

 

[Laddyboy]

The subscription charge for locals is $5, not $10. Also figure in the cost of hardware at the PoP to receive the local signal and then the cost of getting those signals from the PoP to the uplink station via fiber. The lawsuit is apparently over a station that Fisher purchased from another company. The station had elected must carry, not pay to play.

“Fisher Communications’ lawsuit is without merit,” Dish Network said in a statement late Thursday. “They are asking for payment on a station that elected must-carry and, by statute, Dish Network does not owe any money for that station. We are bewildered by their allegation that any money could be owed on a must-carry station. Furthermore, Fisher has asked for over an 80% increase from our customers, who should not be required to ‘bail out’ Fisher management for underperforming stations.”

Multichannel News

If the above is factually true about the must carry election, it is hard to see how E* owes them any money.

 

[Cocophone]

I heard that Fisher is already paid closer to a dollar a subscriber. If that is true, then 82% would put them at close to $2 a month. Dish charges me $5 a month.

I have yet to see in any public source any factual amounts for how much dish or direct pays for retransmission.

I wish Congress would regulate this and set a national per subscriber rate for retransmission.

 

[david_jr]

The subscription charge for locals is $5, not $10. Also figure in the cost of hardware at the PoP to receive the local signal and then the cost of getting those signals from the PoP to the uplink station via fiber. The lawsuit is apparently over a station that Fisher purchased from another company. The station had elected must carry, not pay to play.

And don't forget that DISH normally carries ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CW & independants in SD in most markets. The stations get ADDITIONAL fees to allow retransmission of HD signals of the same channels carried in SD. $5.00 doesn't sound like that much anymore does it? If these increases continue either DISH will raise the cost of local packages or stop carriage.