Live Retailer Chat Updates (November 23, 2004)

[Scott Greczkowski]

Welcome everyone to SatelliteGuys EXCLUSIVE Live coverage of Today's Dish Network retailer chat!

As always we will only be only discussing items of interest to you the consumer. If you are a retailer and want to discuss Dealer sensitive issues please visit our sister site at http://boards.dishretailer.com

The show opens up with Jim and Amir (No Charlie) and they start off by talking about the Satellite home Viewers Extension Act. They are happy with what they go however they didn't get everything they wanted.

They expect it to be signed into lay in the beginning of December.

White areas have been extended for 5 years.

Digitial Signals will be available in white areas with no Digital Signals. Customers with Weivers will not quality for Digital's at least at first.

They are happy that signagantly viewed channels will be made available to other DMA's. (Ie Baltimore will be able to Get Washington DC etc.)

They are still talking about the new law.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Dish now has 151 locals up now.

El Paso now has ABC

A list of upcoming local cities is shown, it is the same list from last time.

Now talking about Comcast Sports Net, sacramento is up and Chicago will be up by April 1st in time for Baseball.

Now talking about PPV

 

[Cyclone]

Need to know about Dish Pro Plus LNBs.

Shame it would require a SuperDish to get the Baltimore Channels from the D.C. DMA. I wonder if you get charged for the 2nd set of locals?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Not much to report they have been talking about The Retailer Website, commercial Dish Network installs and selling old Dish Network vans.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No mention of DishPro Twin LNB's so far. Still talking about selling Vans.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Now going over the 921 new pricing of $549.

LCD Monitors are still not available yet, they hope to have them available in December.

Sirius Boomboxes are now available after being held up for months by customs.

 

[David_Levin]

Have they mentioned direct selling the 921 or 921+HDTV package?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No they will not be selling it direct. And the HDTV's are almost all gone.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Well no more news to report now they are taking questions.

Another eventfull Retailer chat. (Thats sarcasim folks)

 

[Darkman]

Next Retailer Chat - Dec 15, 12 Noon.. wasn't it?

 

[t00ld00d]

Is there a map of the white areas in question? Really looking forward to getting digital locals since our nearest broadcaster is 220 miles away but some posts in the forum have me wondering if we'll qualify or if we'll have to wait for more legislation.

 

[RBBrittain]

Is there a map of the white areas in question? Really looking forward to getting digital locals since our nearest broadcaster is 220 miles away but some posts in the forum have me wondering if we'll qualify or if we'll have to wait for more legislation.

You probably will (220 miles sounds like you're very much eligible), but the best way is to go *right now* (preferably before SHVERA is signed) to:
http://customersupport.dishnetwork.com/customernetqual/nqCustomerLocalsCheck.jsp
Once you enter your address, look to see if it says you qualify for "Distant Network A La Carte" and/or "Distant Network Packages" for the network in question. If you do, you are outside the "grade-B" contour, and should qualify for digital distants once SHVERA is signed.

The reason you need to check *right now* is in the event you ALSO qualify for a "Local Network Package" (i.e., LIL). If you do, then you will NOT qualify for analog distants once SHVERA is signed--though you WILL qualify for digital distants IF you also take LIL. (It's not clear right now if E* will offer digital distants immediately, though Charlie once hinted they would.)

Merely having analog distants now doesn't mean you can get digital distants, because you may be grandfathered (i.e., within grade-B contour but outside grade-A, and had it since the days when E* gave distants out almost on demand) or have a waiver from the local network station. In those cases, you probably won't qualify for digital distants.

The FCC does have some grade-B contour maps in its "TV Query" database, but I don't think they take into account all the factors of the ILLR model (which is used by law to determine if you really are outside grade-B). The maps of all Little Rock "big-4" stations include the area where some of my relatives live in north-central Arkansas, yet E* says they "may be eligible"--though it may be thwarted because they ARE well within the grade-B of a PBS station (E* says you must qualify for PBS distants to get any others).

 

[t00ld00d]

Thanks for spelling that out for me. I do qualify for the a la carte stuff, and get everything but ABC. ABC refuses to sign the waiver despite the fact that I can't get their signal. I don't qualify for the local network package since the closest DMA is that same 220 miles It seems ironic to me that a Reno station is the one that denies my waiver when I don't live close enough to Reno to be in their market.

Sounds like I'll be in good shape when they get around to rolling out the distant digital and/or HD broadcasts. Thanks again for the explanation.

 

[BobMurdoch]

The best news seems to be for those people in DMAs scheduled to be used as a digital distants city...... NY, LA, Chicago, and Denver should be the first batch put up in my estimation....... (NY and LA were the first local broadcast networks made available in the late 90's.... Chicago and Denver are assumed to be added to match the "same time zone" requirement of the law)

 

[n0qcu]

Bob, as far as network programing is concerned NY and chicago are the SAME time zone. There would be absolutly no need to add chicago. NY would work just fine for both central and eastern time zones.

 

[BobMurdoch]

Oops. You're correct. Then Chicago and Denver become less critical.....

 

[tomo]

Locals

Why Are The Locals Promissed By The End Of The Year
Now The End Of Febuary?

 

[Bobby]

Maybe because the 105 satellite placement has been delayed.....