Looks like some technical people are getting laid off and right before the holidays, how nice of ATT to do that. Some I know are responsible for the quality of your DirecTV signal, so I hope the overall signal quality is not affected.
More ATT/DirecTV layoffs
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The quality of a particular channel can depend on where its uplinked from. Many times an anomaly or outage is uplink site specific, so if that site has a problem with a transponder or channel for a specific area like Milwaukee on a spot beam, the rest of us are not going to be aware of it.
I agree ...
However, some just like to nit pick and of think they see something ...
As a satellite professional and past employee of DirecTV, I can say with all honesty that the overall quality has dropped noticeably in the last few years. Go back 5 or 10yrs and you could watch DirecTV for weeks or months without a single glitch on any channel. Back then I believe the goal was 99.97% on air availability and that included internal hardware problems and weather. I can't imagine they are anything close to that today. Now most people I know with DIrecTV complain about freezing or serious lip sync problems that are wide spread and not a local receiver/monitor problem.
I'm convinced the old way of monitoring at uplink sites with crews of humans watching every single channel caught way more problems and they were addressed immediately, but that is apparently more expensive. Now its mostly automated systems monitoring and that cannot catch some kinds of problems. Plus the video distribution within a broadcast center is IP based now instead of the older hard wired coax and SDI routers and an IP router problem at one site can cause widespread problems over many channels even at other sites.
I'm convinced the old way of monitoring at uplink sites with crews of humans watching every single channel caught way more problems and they were addressed immediately, but that is apparently more expensive. Now its mostly automated systems monitoring and that cannot catch some kinds of problems. Plus the video distribution within a broadcast center is IP based now instead of the older hard wired coax and SDI routers and an IP router problem at one site can cause widespread problems over many channels even at other sites.
- Nov 29, 2003
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found this-
Labor on the chopping block
AT&T's cost-reduction program initially will include a 4% cut in the operator's labor expenses -- representing roughly $1.5 billion of the operator's finances -- next year. During an investor event last week, AT&T CFO John Stephens explained that the initiative would target employees, contractors, benefits "and so forth."
Today, AT&T's John Stankey -- the executive in line to take over leadership from Randall Stephenson -- offered a few additional details. He said the operator aims to reduce labor costs by looking into the "effectiveness" of its call centers, management structures and distribution strategy.
And though he didn't specifically mention the word "layoffs," that's a distinct possibility.
AT&T employed roughly 252,000 people at the end of September. However, about 40% of those employees were represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, a situation that could complicate any planned layoffs by AT&T.
www.lightreading.com
Labor on the chopping block
AT&T's cost-reduction program initially will include a 4% cut in the operator's labor expenses -- representing roughly $1.5 billion of the operator's finances -- next year. During an investor event last week, AT&T CFO John Stephens explained that the initiative would target employees, contractors, benefits "and so forth."
Today, AT&T's John Stankey -- the executive in line to take over leadership from Randall Stephenson -- offered a few additional details. He said the operator aims to reduce labor costs by looking into the "effectiveness" of its call centers, management structures and distribution strategy.
And though he didn't specifically mention the word "layoffs," that's a distinct possibility.
AT&T employed roughly 252,000 people at the end of September. However, about 40% of those employees were represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, a situation that could complicate any planned layoffs by AT&T.
AT&T Targets Labor, Wireline Footprint in New Cost-Cutting Effort | Light Reading
'Everything is on the table,' AT&T exec John Stankey says, with former Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow hired as the hatchet man to lead its cost-cutting efforts.
www.lightreading.com
Have a friend just lost his job at a TV station in Hattiesburg Ms....Been their 33 years, everything going automation...After 33 years gave him 22 weeks of severance pay.....But the CEO of Gray broadcasting got a very nice rise.....Welcome to America where only profits matter!
The "effectiveness" of its call centers? How do they measure that, if people complain AT&T's customer service sucks the CEO says "well I guess the call centers aren't very effective, let's lay off people" and then people will only complain more about customer service 
Hmmm,
I read somewhere today I think it was that VERIZON is Laying Off as well, imagine that .
I read somewhere today I think it was that VERIZON is Laying Off as well, imagine that .
Wouldn't surprise me if ATT gets rid of every DTV employees.
I asked the guy who helped me a while back how long he's been with DTV and he said only a year or two.
He's a ATT guy. And he said there are a couple old DTV employees there in the retention dept.
And everyone goes to them as they know everything and have the all the answers compared to the ATT workers.
But definately didn't get the vibe many older DTV employees were still around.
bjf
I asked the guy who helped me a while back how long he's been with DTV and he said only a year or two.
He's a ATT guy. And he said there are a couple old DTV employees there in the retention dept.
And everyone goes to them as they know everything and have the all the answers compared to the ATT workers.
But definately didn't get the vibe many older DTV employees were still around.
bjf
They are there, obviously not like they once was, remember, they are all contractors now, since ATT didn't hire them, but they are around.
The guy I worked with last week was one, I've worked with him previously, good guy, see him 3-4 times a year.
Keep in mind, they don't report to my area, let alone my garage.
Its called metrics
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The "effectiveness" of its call centers? How do they measure that, if people complain AT&T's customer service sucks the CEO says "well I guess the call centers aren't very effective, let's lay off people" and then people will only complain more about customer service
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Just golden parachutes for union people...packages to get people to retire...management is a different story
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Sure, I just wonder what metrics companies actually use since terrible customer service is epidemic across pretty much all cable/satellite/cellular/ISP companies. Pretty much the entire consumer tech industry too, with a few exceptions.
As far as I can tell, all any of them care about is spending the fewest dollars on CSRs they possibly can, without any regard for the level of service they provide to their customers or their customers' satisfaction with that service.
I'll note that the service I get from Directv and now AT&T's CSRs as a commercial customer spending five digits a year is almost always great. Totally different experience than what consumers get from the same company.
Simple stuff..time on call etc etc...not anything about fixing troubles or customer service
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I like when people love to give crap to unions, as they are the little people who make up a company....
Yet the cheer on Corporate America and get robbed!...lolo
How much does CEO of AT&T make?
Randall Stephenson, the CEO of AT&T who spent 2017 feuding with his frenemies in the administration of President Donald Trump, earned a total compensation package of $28.7 million, according to a proxy statement AT&T filed with the SEC
He is so worth very bit of 28.7 million a year!...lol
Bet he could singe handily lower your monthly costs, if he wanted to!
Its cheaper to buy them out...they give generous packages to management...usually but not always
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Big Pro Union person.
The Internet would NOT exist had the union era never occurred.
There would be NO middle class.
There would have been much much worse public education.
There would be no social programs to help Americans.
You think no union is a good thing.
Try going back to the years prior to any unions.
Unions have their problems but I am thankful to those
who built the unions and created the America that we have.
<portions redacted, political or statements against those with an opposite viewpoint>
The Internet would NOT exist had the union era never occurred.
There would be NO middle class.
There would have been much much worse public education.
There would be no social programs to help Americans.
You think no union is a good thing.
Try going back to the years prior to any unions.
Unions have their problems but I am thankful to those
who built the unions and created the America that we have.
<portions redacted, political or statements against those with an opposite viewpoint>
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