Senior CNET Writer Resigns Over Dish Controversy

[Claude Greiner]

Pretty sure there were way more than nobody that cared about it lol. I get what your trying to say but,there was a huge backlash over AMC being dropped.

Maybe online, but as a retailer I deal with customers on these issues every day. We got a whole bunch of calls in the first few days, but after that nobody seemed to care.

Customers where more irritated that Dish took the channel away without providing any type of bill credit, and simply stated their policy that "Prices and packages are subject to change without notice" than they cared that the actual channel was gone. Customers are tired of being stuck in the middle of channel disputes, with many customers stating to my sales staff that they are tired of Dish taking their channels away

When a local channel goes down in any given area, there is a ton of backlash we get on the phones from customers complaining that they are missing their favorite shows.

 

[Poke]

Yeah write up here as well.


Dish's Hopper Had Actually Won Best of CES
Before CBS Executives Had a Really, Really Stupid Idea

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Dishs-Hopper-Had-Actually-Won-Best-of-CES-122739

 

[Teehar]

Maybe online, but as a retailer I deal with customers on these issues every day. We got a whole bunch of calls in the first few days, but after that nobody seemed to care.

Customers where more irritated that Dish took the channel away without providing any type of bill credit, and simply stated their policy that "Prices and packages are subject to change without notice" than they cared that the actual channel was gone. Customers are tired of being stuck in the middle of channel disputes, with many customers stating to my sales staff that they are tired of Dish taking their channels away

When a local channel goes down in any given area, there is a ton of backlash we get on the phones from customers complaining that they are missing their favorite shows.

Yea,I agree that there will always be more backlash over the loss of a big 4 network channel.I think even Charlie was surprised how big the AMC deal got though.

 

[JerseyMatt]

While I don't have any facts to dispute what you say Yaz,it sure seems to me that there are more ads these days.When it takes 12-15 presses of the skip forward button for one break,that is too many in my book.

I believe the limit of 17 minutes per hour only applies to broadcast. Cable networks can go further. However, a program designed for a 1 hour time slot is normally 43 minutes long. So there is simply no room for adding extra commercials..
The exception to this rule comes with Viacom channels. In a total dickbag move, they have recently begun to add extra commercials without changing the length of the time slots.. This causes each show to go several minutes over its time slot - which screws up DVRs and also causes at least one "we now join our show already in progress" catch-up by the end of the night. I caught several of these overlaps on Spike before I just said screw it.

 

[Teehar]

I believe the limit of 17 minutes per hour only applies to broadcast. Cable networks can go further. However, a program designed for a 1 hour time slot is normally 43 minutes long. So there is simply no room for adding extra commercials..
The exception to this rule comes with Viacom channels. In a total dickbag move, they have recently begun to add extra commercials without changing the length of the time slots.. This causes each show to go several minutes over its time slot - which screws up DVRs and also causes at least one "we now join our show already in progress" catch-up.

That would explain it.I don't watch too many shows from the networks.

 

[JerseyMatt]

Yeah but as I said, except for Viacom channels, nobody adds commercials because the shows are cut 43 minutes and they have no room without extending the time slots or overlapping like Viacom does.

 

[JerseyMatt]

I sure do miss The Screensavers.

Kate and Leo FTMFW!!

 

[Ilya]

Of course, CBS has the right to disqualify the product they are suing for. But politically that's a very bad move! Sure they've helped their lawyers a bit. But at the same time they have damaged their own reputation tremendously. There is nothing worse for a news organization than to be accused of censorship. The damage to CBS caused by their own actions could be greater than any damage that Hopper could possibly cause.

As far as I am concerned, thanks to Hopper and its PTAT feature, I started watching much more primetime network shows than ever before. Shows that without Hopper I would probably never even looked at. And once I am really hooked on some shows, I am very likely to watch them live or on the same day, when the commercial AutoHop isn't possible. I think networks shouldn't be afraid of Hopper, they should really embrace it, as it makes them more relevant for viewers like myself.

 

[goaliebob99]

I dont get why people are so shocked... All news organizations operate this way... From Fox, to CBS, to CNN, ect. Were all spoon feed the news that the news organizations wants us to hear!

 

[navychop]

They lost the suits over DVRs long ago; that's why we still have DVRs.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say the suit is over AutoHop than over Hopper?

 

[Tony S]

The only thing CBS did wrong is that they should have told Dish that they do not qualify to be in the contest before CES even started, instead of pulling them out at the last minute like they did...

The only thing that they did wrong...You've got to be kidding!!!

CNET is a news service. When a news service is censored, it is worthless. How do you know that CBS hasn't already told their nightly news staff what they can and cannot report on? You cannot have a reliable news service with censorship.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

I dont get why people are so shocked... All news organizations operate this way... From Fox, to CBS, to CNN, ect. Were all spoon feed the news that the news organizations wants us to hear!

It's one thing to report news and it's another to have allegedly been giving us unbiased technology reviews all these years. At least now, the cat's outta the bag!!

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

CNET has responded.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30677_3-57563877-244/the-2013-best-of-ces-awards-cnets-story/

 

[GaryPen]

What dramatic increases in advertising? All the networks are regulated as to how much advertising they can show in any given hour.

I don't know that to be true. Can you site the regulation?

While I don't have any facts to dispute what you say Yaz,it sure seems to me that there are more ads these days.When it takes 12-15 presses of the skip forward button for one break,that is too many in my book.

There are definitely more ads now. This is why they cut bits from syndicated reruns, or time-compress them (speed them up a hair). They need more space for additional commercial time that wasn't there during the original airings.

There are also more commercials during the breaks in popular programming, and many times there are more breaks. How many times have you gotten annoyed when they cut away to a commercial break, after only just returning to the show from the previous break?

 

[GaryPen]

I believe the limit of 17 minutes per hour only applies to broadcast.

17??? Jeez. It used to be as little as 8. Take a look at DVD's or streaming videos of older TV shows. Early '60's shows like Outer Limits are 52 minutes. '70's and 80's shows like Starsky and Hutch or Hart to Hart are 50. 90's shows like NYPD Blue are 49.

It seems that it isn't until the '00's that first-run network shows shrunk to only 45 mins, and currently reside at the 43 minute mark. Is it any wonder people want to skip them? WTH wants to spend 28% of their time watching commercials?

 

[llzel]

I lost all respect for CBS and CNET. I will find my news elsewhere. But who's surprised that news media acts this way, I'm not. Media in this country is disgraceful. They act worse than 3rd world countries.

 

[harshness]

I don't agree that they where disqualified at the last minute, but I do agree with CBS stepping in and making sure the award was not given due to the lawsuit.

When it happens on the eve of the awards ceremony after DISH has already won the award, it is most certainly at the last minute, if not after the fact.

From the official statement (as quoted in Ms. Turrentine's explanation):

We will no longer be reviewing products manufactured by companies with which we are in litigation with respect to such product.

If it were a long-standing policy, they surely would have used words other than "we will no longer". See more at "henceforth".

 

[harshness]

I believe the limit of 17 minutes per hour only applies to broadcast.

I usually figure 20 minutes when deciding whether or not to postpone watching a recording. I'm pretty sure the number is much closer to 20 minutes than 17. This includes jamming the credits into promos for other shows.

The explicit FCC guidelines were removed in 1992 in a consent decree with the NAB.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Does anyone want to bet that as soon as this lawsuit is resolved, CNET, CBS or whoever is going to go back and give Dish their Hopper award?

 

[JerryDowning]

I'm afraid the Hopper will be an antique by then.