Uplink Activity Report - 9/17/2008 1:02pm - 128 changes

[mike123abc]

I wonder if they decided to put the locals they removed from 61.5 on 77 instead? Or perhaps they changed their mind and are going to put them on 129 spots instead?

It is odd that they suddenly delayed so many promised markets, one would think that they could not have programming disputes with the stations in so many markets at once. I think it is more likely a change of plans. I wonder if the 77 satellite will have spot beam capacity when it launches, and they decided to put markets that would go on its spots on 77.

Maybe they are worried about the ability to carry all the channels from the existing available markets in HD with the recent satellite losses and want to clear enough space to pick up the secondary channels. E2 goes belly up and all progress stops on the locals front.

It is a major bummer seeing them remove my market from the uplink when I was hoping to have HD locals for this programming season. Well I guess it is a good thing I have TiVo to cover OTA.

 

[Jim S.]

It's not helping the people who don't have OTA reception. As far as I'm concerned, Dish had no right to fail to meet the July 30th launch date, never mind taking them down altogether now.

If they're going to put them on one of the Eastern Arc birds, which is what I fear, it's inexcusable since they're only offering it to new customers. When they do make it available to everyone, it will be inexcusable if they don't replace the dishes for free. (But if we have to switch to EA for the HD locals, there's the issue of the reduced resolution on the SD channels! Someone said that D* is using the same resolution now. Well, I've seen SD channels on D* on a screen my size. They're unwatchable!)

 

[TNGTony]

Did Dish ever OFFICIALLY announce that the locals you want were going to be available 7/30, or was it a post of information from plans at Dish that were leaked? If the former, please show me the document (CSRs hear-say doesn't count). If the latter, Dish never announced it so they didn't fail any deadline.

See ya
Tony

 

[Jim S.]

I can't remember where the July 30th date came from, but here's http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=25042&d=1211559897 a shot from a retailer chat saying "this summer". I hope you're not going to try to claim that retailer chats don't count as an official announcement. Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, "official" doesn't matter. If they were uplinked, they should've been made available. If they weren't going to be made available in the immediate future, they shouldn't have been uplinked.

 

[TNGTony]

Be mad all you want. Dish never announced them as definitely coming to customers. The had a plan for summer releases that was buggered up by 1) a failed satellite launch and 2) TV stations that want more than Dish is willing to give/pay to get your business. I suggest you call up your cable company or DirecTV and have them get your business.

By the way, I am sure they said PLAN, not promise, not deadline, not "to be available by 6/30". The word is PLAN. Plans change! Circumstances make the plans change. YOUR local channels could have been part of that change in plans because they want to extract cash from your pocket (directly or indirectly).

See ya
Tony

 

[mike123abc]

I realise Dish has never promised a date for my locals, just the nebulous fall/summer during the Charlie Chats, now I think the last one was this year. And I realise that an "uplink report" does not mean that anything is actually uplinked.

I just wonder why they removed the table entries. If they are going to do it via a different satellite than originally planned because E2 went south? Or were they forced to cancel a bunch of markets all together because of satellite losses.

 

[Jim S.]

I suggest you call up your cable company or DirecTV and have them get your business.

This is quite stupid. The cable company's channel selection is hopeless, as is their equipment. Direct's picture quality on SD channels was terrible the last I saw it, as I already mentioned, and I haven't seen their DVRs but people here seem to think Dish's are better.

By the way, the local stations have said numerous times that they want to be on Dish and they don't know why Dish hasn't put them on yet. This could be spin of course, but somehow D* and the cable companies don't seem to think they're being overcharged.

 

[harshness]

anything definitive about that hunk-o-junk 129s replacement?

anik updated the Ciel 2 launch date to December 3rd a couple of days ago. Later than originally projected, but now we have a day.

 

[Bobby H]

Whether the additions were "planned," "promised," "pledged" or whatever really makes no difference. Dish Network DID make it public knowledge on which markets would have their HD local channels added. Every one of the HD locals markets that were deleted from 61.5° last week were among those originally planned and publicly announced for addition.

Dish Network showed on screen graphic lists during the last two Charlie Chats viewable by Dish Network customers. They gave timelines for the additions. Those timelines were moved back 3 times. First it was "Spring '08," then it was "Summer / July 30" and finally there was the "30-45 days" claim during the last Charlie Chat. Then all of those channels were simply deleted last week.

The impending HD locals additions for the Wichita Falls, TX / Lawton, OK market was the deciding factor for me to upgrade my old Dish 500 service to Dish HD Absolute. DirecTV doesn't have local channels at all for that market, but they do have a better collection of HD nationals channels.

To me, it appears Dish has gone back on its word. They announced it numerous times the Wichita Falls, TX / Lawton, OK market would have HD local channels added. Now it looks like that is not going to happen at all. If E* had no serious intention of adding this market they never should have made any announcements about it at all.

I'm stuck with Dish Network for now (unless I want to pay a huge sum of money to break my contract). Basically, it's like this. E* has only so much time to get something positive done about those HD local channels before they end up losing my business.

 

[kstuart]

To me, it appears Dish has gone back on its word.

Bobby, if I promise to pick you at 5:15pm and at 5pm, I get into my car, get 10 feet and it throws a rod, did I "go back on my word" ?

 

[Jim S.]

What does the satellite failure (that I assume you're referring to) have to do with it? The locals we're referring to were still uplinked after that. In fact, they were only taken down last week, hence the discussion in this thread.

 

[jwill]

Locals Removed

There may be an argument on what "planned" means, but the additional Lansing HD locals were removed after Charlie’s graphic listed Lansing as complete. Two out of four channels is not complete. If it is a matter of contract, why remove them all? If they plan on going to another satellite, I just paid to change satellites to 61.5 (where the existing Lansing HD locals are) to get the Lansing locals.

Jim

 

[tinydoughboy]

I do recall a couple retail chats, the list of DMA's planned for summer/fall WAS by July 30th, now I have looked all over for that recap but I can't seem to find it. But I do recall that being in a retail chat.

So if that isn't an announcement to at least the retailers. then they didn't come clean on there own dates.

I would think though that they would take those locals( ie....Greenville, NC) off 61.5 andput them on another sat so I wn't have to get a new sat.

 

[Bobby H]

Bobby, if I promise to pick you at 5:15pm and at 5pm, I get into my car, get 10 feet and it throws a rod, did I "go back on my word" ?

Is that supposed to serve as some sort of defense for Dish Network in deleting the uplinked markets they deleted last week? E* didn't "throw a rod" in any of its satellites.

Where exactly am I mistaken on this? Dish has STATED IN PUBLIC its intention to add HD local channels in certain markets (like the DMA in which I live). They showed it on the freaking TV screen IN PUBLIC. They did this multiple times. They stated in public on their own "Charlie Chat" broadcast. Not the "retailer's chat," but the in public "Charlie Chat". They did it at least twice that I saw, if not 3 times or more.

If you're running some sort of business and state something to the public that you intend to do -such as "we intend to add the HD local channels in these markets by X date," then that is as good as a promise. When you don't deliver then you did indeed screw with your customers.

I wouldn't be anywhere near as annoyed by this situation if the folks at E* had simply kept their mouths shut on what local markets they intended to add in HD. Instead, they showed on screen, in public broadcast graphics listing 16 specfic markets they intended to add HD local channels support. They deleted nearly every one of those markets on the list! I don't understand how that nonsense can be defended.

The Wichita Falls, TX / Lawton, OK market in which I live isn't exactly miniscule. Close to 400,000 people live in that viewing market. It's one that E* has had exclusively to itself on SD local channels coverage. What seems like a late year goof on the part of E* presents itself as a major opportunity for rivals such as D*, Time Warner Cable (in Wichita Falls), AT&T and others. Lots of people in this area have been upgrading to HD and usually doing so through Dish based on its local channels support. But many are also aware of this very odd uplinked and now NOT uplinked situation. If E* doesn't get a handle on this they're going to see a lot of negative churn in what has long been a very E* friendly market.

 

[TNGTony]

The key word is INTENTION!!!!

It was a plan. PLANS CHANGE. The thrown rod statement didn't help things because people cannot see past their anger! Like children who were promised ice cream just before something happened changing the circumstances and they couldn't get any (search your childhood memories, I'm sure this happened to every one of us at least once) the tantrum is inconsolable. All you can do is wait for the child to return to sanity before you can calmly explain why we couldn't get ice cream and how sorry you are that you couldn't follow through on your "promise". sh*t HAPPENS and it's sometimes out of your control!

The "thrown rod" not a good reason for some one not picking you up when they say? The analogy not good? Okay, Pick one of the following that may fit the bill... The person that said he was going to pick you up at 5:15pm and didn't
-had Heart attack and died?
-Got arrested?
-the car was repossesd
-was pulled over and the cop held him up for an hour.
-his wife made him do 10 chores before he could leave.
-his DOG got sick in his car and he had to clean it!

There is a list a mile long as to why Dish could not follow through on their so-called promise. They didn't do it just to piss you off! Really they didn't! The reason they may have pulled the two stations that were being uncooperative was to show the stations that they were not going to wait for ever and negotiations broke down. Since they aren't taking any more Dish is sending the signal that they can get along very well without the TV stations.

Whatever the reason, there is a reason why they could not follow through on their PLANNED launches.

I am not trying to defend Dish because I know my TV market was passed over TWICE, But I do not like to see anyone being attacked for something that is most likely out of their complete control.

As to not announcing anything until it is done to keep people happy, I suggest you take a look at this forum's archives from about 8 months ago to see how well that works too.

BTW, if the statements are made with the INTENT to deceive or mislead the public or foreknowledge that the plans are unworkable, then that is inexcusable and a lie. However there is no evidence of that here. This is why I cry foul when some one calls another a liar when it could have been just changing circumstances.

See ya
Tony

 

[Jim S.]

BTW, if the statements are made with the INTENT to deceive or mislead the public or foreknowledge that the plans are unworkable, then that is inexcusable and a lie. However there is no evidence of that here.

So it would've been considerate of Dish to inform its customers of what's going on. But they've made no effort to do so.

 

[waltinvt]

So it would've been considerate of Dish to inform its customers of what's going on. But they've made no effort to do so.

They don't have to. They have enough apologists to "smooth" over their gaffs. And consideration has never been one of their strong points - unless there was a buck in it.

Of course Tony's right - sh*t happens......to some of the people some of the time. Dish however seems to have more than their share of it and not quite living up to it's own hype seems to happen more than it should. Maybe it's their complete lack of follow-up accountability when their "sh*t" does happen that makes it seem that way.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

What ever the case , I couldn't be happier with the HD line up I have right now with E* americas Everything pack + HD Platinum. But when watching football in SD because E* doesn't even have one HD local in my area is very disappointing. Being forced to lie about one address just to watch HD locals is unacceptable. Locals in HD should have been first with all providers. Not just E*.
I don't care what excuses are made for E* nonsence , But I as well as others are invested in this company ,and now we want our investment. July 30 was a Stated date on the Charlie chat. Thats FACT. 30 to 45 days from the last Charlie chat was also stated. ,And no one from E* said this may not happen , or could change, or any other statement ,giving the impression that these Locals would not launch on these dates. But we all know better then thats , but enough is enough. Lets get it together E*.

 

[kstuart]

What doesn't seem to be understood here is that Dish wants to add all markets HD locals this minute. They would love to suddenly be competitive in all markets with cable and ahead of DirecTV.

They don't fail to add locals so that they can piss off SatelliteGuys members.

They have not added those locals because something has prevented it.

Next you will tell me that RIMM delayed the US launch of their new Bold handset just to piss of customers - after all, it's worth losing millions of dollars to just to make all of you guys angry, right?

 

[Bobby H]

They have not added those locals because something has prevented it.

Which underscores the very obvious point they should have said nothing about adding those HD locals until they were truly ready to add them.

E* may indeed have valid excuses for why those previously named HD locals markets were not added. Nevertheless they've had customers in more than a dozen markets anticipating getting HD locals for nearly half a year only to see the situation change to where those HD locals may never get added at all.

My business, electric sign manufacturing, can't make promises to customers to finish a project by a certain deadline, only to miss it repeatedly and then just not deliver at all. Not only would we be refunding the customer's deposit -that customer might be dragging us into court over the fallout from failing to live up to our end of the deal. It takes weeks to manufacture electric signs. That's weeks of time that business' store front isn't communicating to customers.

It's kind of funny how E* rarely ever gets specific at all about adding any new national HD channels until maybe just a few days before they actually become available.

Just to rub a little more salt in the wound I see D* has added a few more markets of HD local channels coverage. They're up to 94 markets. What's the current total for E* right now? 68, or even that many?