The scape-goat tactic. Dish is a sinking ship right now, and they're dying against the DirecTV competition. Instead of cutting 15 channels and "adding" 22 more, they should look at what the competition has to offer. D* has other things to offer in HD besides The Weather Channel, Bass Fishing, and Tennis. Sure, E* has a few movie channels, but come on, let's be serious here.. Don't ditch good channels for trash. It really boils down to "I'm sick and tired of being an overlooked niche". I'm a comic book collector; it's impossible to find any around here (there's one comic book store in the whole state). I'm a horror fan; if it's not mainstream (Freddy/Jason/Michael Meyers) it's impossible to find locally. There is nothing wrong with having niche tastes, and regardless of whether or not E* wants to see that, there's 230 people on that petition who will attest to it. I'm sure both parties would be willing to overlook personal differences if it meant money. Sounds to me like VOOM didn't read the contract too closely and Dish took advantage of them, not the other way around. "Our numbers are down, blame that 15 channel block and let's get rid of them." Besides, things like Tennis/Bubba's Bass Fishing/The Weather Channel make great filler. That way they can fill out the basic HD channels, and then get you into that upper bracket. Just like your signature, it's a classic bait and switch.