Dish has the uplink cost, the sat cost and etc. Why should a station get $.30 for contributing nothing.
Except the costs associated with producing some of the most populars shows on television, along with local news, sports, etc.
For the record, the ratings of the most popular cable shows cannot compare to those of the broadcasters (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC)...yet, subscribers are paying far more and receiving far less (ratings wise) for channels like ESPN, USA, TNT, TBS, etc. Personally, I would be more concerned about ALL SUBSCRIBERS having to shell-out $2-$3 for the the ESPN channels, even those who do not watch sports. Does this make any sense?
If you take a closer look, just about all the "cable favorite" channels are running commercials, and several are broadcasting countless hours of informercials late-night and during the weekend morning hours. I can see these channels are giving me a lot of value for my 30 cents...like never being watched, and wasting bandwidth and space in my guide.
Also, the last time I looked, E* was a PAY TV service, and they are charging you a fee for your local programming. No? Nobody is forcing you to pay for your locals...spend a few dollars on a quality OTA setup and be done with the issue. It's funny that D* doesn't keep having these programming disputes, and I certainly don't have any of my locals yanked off of FiOS TV.
Until consumers are provided with substantive a la carte options, I am all for the broadcast networks getting whatever then can for the most popular programming from these PAY TV providers. To be honest, why are we paying anything for Cable or DBS service? Just about all the "Cable Favorites" are accepting advertising dollars and running commercials? Why don't they pay for carriage on the MSOs and, in turn, free programming can be provided to the customers? Personally, I like this programming/delivery model much better.
People spend $100+ monthly on their Cable/Satellite service, and complaint about spending $5 to watch their locals on a PAY TV service when, in fact, most of their TV viewing is spent watching the broadcast networks. Again, spend a few dollars on a quality OTA setup if you unhappy with this situation. Personally, I feel it is reasonable for the broadcasters to demand up to a $1 per subscriber to be carried on a PAY TV service.
Anyway, compare the television and cable ratings and judge for yourself. Personally, I would be a little more upset with paying big bucks to ESPN, USA and TBS for their far less popular programming and (sigh!) commercials.
Zap2it - Weekly TV ratings
Zap2it - Weekly Cable ratings