New Year, new local dispute

[Mr Tony]

I remember reading somewhere over a year ago (online, so it must be true) that Dish would prefer not to deal with "mom and pop" stations and deal with owners of many stations.

doesnt matter if you own 1 station or 200 stations. If its a full powered station you can get must carry on satellite and they HAVE to deal with them
Now Dish probably feels "powerful" when taking on the "mom and pop" companies. I mean its different if they deal with Sinclair and lose stations in like 120 markets. When they deal with a "mom and pop" and they may lose folks in (using Hall's example) Lima, OH or Bangor, ME (the CBS is a locally owned station...only station the company owns) they have the power there

 

[harshness]

I find the bolded interesting (assuming it's true). Why would Dish NOT extend?

I can see extending by a number of weeks, but two days? It seems like kind of a hollow offer to me.

 

[sam_gordon]

I can see extending by a number of weeks, but two days? It seems like kind of a hollow offer to me.

But that's at least two more days to try to work things out and not inconvenience customers. The only reason I see not to agree is to piss off customers... it can't be money.

 

[harshness]

The only reason I see not to agree is to piss off customers... it can't be money.

It depends on how far apart they parties are. Given that DISH is having to negotiate with a new business entity, I'm guessing that the new owners are trying to throw their weight around and right all of the old wrongs. Giving up two days at whatever the existing rate is represents a pretty feeble showing of earnestness.

 

[sam_gordon]

It depends on how far apart they parties are. Given that DISH is having to negotiate with a new business entity, I'm guessing that the new owners are trying to throw their weight around and right all of the old wrongs. Giving up two days at whatever the existing rate is represents a pretty feeble showing of earnestness.

It's better than nothing. Dish had agreed to pay $x for the channels. The contract expires on 1/7. The channel says "hey, we'll let you keep paying $x for two more days while we work something out". Dish says "we're not interested." To me, that says Dish isn't interested in carrying the station (which is fine), but I'm sure their PR machine is saying "the channel caused the blackout". You get two days now, work on the contract some more, then get either another extension or black it out. The extension (no matter how small) at least shows me the station cares that people can watch them. Apparently Dish doesn't care.

 

[Hall]

Apparently Dish doesn't care.

It gives Dish more leverage (effectively, Dish is calling the bluff of the TV station's request/demand for higher rates).

 

[Laddyboy]

It's better than nothing. Dish had agreed to pay $x for the channels. The contract expires on 1/7. The channel says "hey, we'll let you keep paying $x for two more days while we work something out". Dish says "we're not interested." To me, that says Dish isn't interested in carrying the station (which is fine), but I'm sure their PR machine is saying "the channel caused the blackout". You get two days now, work on the contract some more, then get either another extension or black it out. The extension (no matter how small) at least shows me the station cares that people can watch them. Apparently Dish doesn't care.

It may be that they were so far apart on the details of any agreement that Dish decided to just not go the 2-day extension route to indicate there was no point until the TV station owners got realistic. I've done that before with suppliers that caught a case of the extract some more money virus. I just said no and refused to talk with them any longer until they reassessed. It's easy to do if you have an alternative supplier. It's a bit more dicey if there isn't an alternative. I have discontinued selling a product because I knew I couldn't sell it and make a reasonable profit based on what the wholesaler was trying to charge me. Sometimes the supplier comes back with a lowered price, sometimes not. Such is life and business.

 

[sam_gordon]

It may be that they were so far apart on the details of any agreement that Dish decided to just not go the 2-day extension route to indicate there was no point until the TV station owners got realistic. I've done that before with suppliers that caught a case of the extract some more money virus. I just said no and refused to talk with them any longer until they reassessed. It's easy to do if you have an alternative supplier. It's a bit more dicey if there isn't an alternative. I have discontinued selling a product because I knew I couldn't sell it and make a reasonable profit based on what the wholesaler was trying to charge me. Sometimes the supplier comes back with a lowered price, sometimes not. Such is life and business.

OK, let's say you sell widgets. Your customers like the widgets. You can only get these widgets from one supplier. The supplier tell you they're raising the cost of the widgets. You tell them you don't want to pay the higher price. They say they'll sell you two more boxes of widgets at the old price. You say "no", I guess because of the principle of the thing? You're now out of widgets, which means your customers aren't happy because they can't get widgets from you any more.

I still say this example indicates Dish doesn't "care about the customers". If they cared about the customers, they'd accept the extension.

 

[harshness]

If they cared about the customers, they'd accept the extension.

You are entitled to your opinion but I suspect that a shrewd professional negotiator would disagree.

In my mind, if they're too far apart, the negotiations need to get serious as opposed to making negligible offerings in the name of conciliation.

 

[sam_gordon]

You are entitled to your opinion but I suspect that a shrewd professional negotiator would disagree.

In my mind, if they're too far apart, the negotiations need to get serious as opposed to making negligible offerings in the name of conciliation.

OK fine. I wonder how many of viewers that lost at least two days (who knows if another extension would have been offered) are ok with the "it's a negotiating technique" argument.

 

[Hall]

In my mind, if they're too far apart, the negotiations need to get serious as opposed to making negligible offerings in the name of conciliation.

Based on past disputes -- and what information the public had -- Dish tends to operate that way as well. If they're "close", they frequently go with extensions. Just look at the recent CNN or CBS disputes.

 

[harshness]

OK fine. I wonder how many of viewers that lost at least two days (who knows if another extension would have been offered) are ok with the "it's a negotiating technique" argument.

I would imagine that the majority of the viewers in the market remain oblivious to the embargo. Much of the programming that the station cited as must see isn't happening right now.

 

[sam_gordon]

I would imagine that the majority of the viewers in the market remain oblivious to the embargo. Much of the programming that the station cited as must see isn't happening right now.

Maybe. Do they do local news? Local news brings in lots of viewers.

 

[Mr Tony]

yes and this weekend is the NFL playoffs. When you lose both CBS & FOX and one game is the LOCAL team (Indy) folks gonna be PISSED!!!

 

[ChadT41]

Unless they have OTA.

 

[harshness]

yes and this weekend is the NFL playoffs. When you lose both CBS & FOX and one game is the LOCAL team (Indy) folks gonna be PISSED!!!

This is where the fecal matter is going to hit the impeller. Of course WEW wasn't offering the weekend programming as part of their "gesture of goodwill".

 

[harshness]

Maybe. Do they do local news? Local news brings in lots of viewers.

While this used to be the case, I don't think it has the impact that it used to.

 

[Hall]

While this used to be the case, I don't think it has the impact that it used to.

That's not the impression I've seen with local channels, via their Facebook pages, for example, when Dish, Time Warner, or Directv drop them.

 

[Mr Tony]

Maybe. Do they do local news? Local news brings in lots of viewers.

While this used to be the case, I don't think it has the impact that it used to.

Try telling that to older people who only watch one channel's newscast. My grandma is one of them. She only watches WCCO (CBS) news (except for 4:30..then its ABC 5 as thats the only one who has a 4:30 news)

One day I left it on KSTP 5 and at 5:00 grandma yells from the other room "why the hell you got that on? turn it to channel 4"

 

[Bobby]

And, of course, you immediately change it to channel 4. Grandmas are always right!!!