Why do we have to pay for locals with Dish?

[KAB]

Your OTA module picks up ALL you local channels. Now, whether or not guide data is provided depends on the stations.

 

[navychop]

Our PBS affiliate has 4 channels, our ABC affiliate has 2, but Dish only carries the first channel of each. I'm glad I'm grandfathered so I don't have to pay $60 a year for less local channels than my OTA module provides.

Enjoy it while you can.

Actually, I lost grandfathering when I moved to the HWS. Frankly, it's been a good thing. The -00 channels from Dish are not affected as much by weather as the OTA -01 etc.


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[mitchflorida]

Our PBS affiliate has 4 channels, our ABC affiliate has 2, but Dish only carries the first channel of each. I'm glad I'm grandfathered so I don't have to pay $60 a year for less local channels than my OTA module provides.

Our PBS affiliate has 4 channels, our ABC affiliate has 2, but Dish only carries the first channel of each. I'm glad I'm grandfathered so I don't have to pay $60 a year for less local channels than my OTA module provides.

What kind of electronic guide listings does Dish supply? Are you able to DVR any of the local channels?

 

[TheKrell]

I lost grandfathering when I moved to the HWS. Frankly, it's been a good thing. The -00 channels from Dish are not affected as much by weather as the OTA -01 etc.

Well, that's rather astounding and I imagine results from a really really crappy antenna. My situation is the reverse.

What kind of electronic guide listings does Dish supply? Are you able to DVR any of the local channels?

Absolutely. I get guide data in the Washington DC area for all of my 01 channels and most subchannels as well. I'm only missing subchannels on our local Ion affiliate and our local MHz affiliate.

 

[mitchflorida]

How difficult is it to record your OTA local channels? I guess if you can see it in the guide , you can also record it?

 

[Hall]

Yes, you can certainly record them.

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[KAB]

How difficult is it to record your OTA local channels? I guess if you can see it in the guide , you can also record it?

Super simple with locals in package. Without them, there is no programming info, so you would have to find it elsewhere and set manual recordings...a big hassle.

 

[Scherrman]

How difficult is it to record your OTA local channels? I guess if you can see it in the guide , you can also record it?

If you have a DVR now and know how to set recordings then you already know the answer. Setting timers for OTA channels is no different. The only way it would be different is if they do not have guide data.

 

[mitchflorida]

Are you saying that Dish provides guide data for stations you are getting over the air?

 

[Bobby]

Absolutely...

 

[mike123abc]

Are you saying that Dish provides guide data for stations you are getting over the air?

They have guide data for stations they carry (and subchannels sometimes).

 

[Hall]

Are you saying that Dish provides guide data for stations you are getting over the air?

Only when they carry the "primary" channel. For instance, my local FOX affiliate, which Dish carries, has MyNetworkTV as a sub-channel. Even though Dish doesn't carry this sub-channel, we still get guide data for it. To the contrary, we have a TBN affiliate that's available OTA. Dish does not carry them and in turn, we get no guide data for these channels.

 

[Scherrman]

Are you saying that Dish provides guide data for stations you are getting over the air?

BINGO!

 

[dwarren2]

I live close enough to a 2nd city that is not my DMA. The guide is fully populated for the ota channels from that city.

 

[navychop]

Well, that's rather astounding and I imagine results from a really really crappy antenna. My situation is the reverse......

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[Hall]

mitchflorida: Here's the guide with OTA channels

Channels 2 and 7 are "local", hence channels in gray (satellite-delivered) and yellow (OTA). Channel 5 is a Cincinnati channel that I get by antenna. Note guide data for ALL of them.

This is showing another Cincinnati channel as well as my local PBS station and it's subchannels. Dish only carries the -01 channel (they remap it to -00) but all of the subchannels get guide data except for one of them. The station changed something and Dish no longer fixes these issues.

This shows a TBN affiliate. Dish does not carry them and in turn, no guide data is shown.

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[sam_gordon]

The local affiliates sell local advertising and therefore would not let the networks drop them. They have lobbiest in Washington to prevent Congress from letting the Networks go National. That is why Dish has so many spotbeams at a very high cost. I am sure they make no money on locals.

What law prevents networks from going away from local broadcasters?

Dish makes money because if they didn't provide locals, their subscribers would drop.

Does Dish make money from the LiL fee? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know.

 

[Hall]

I suppose the networks could do that, just deal directly with the cablecos, satellite providers, etc. Consumers wouldn't like it because they'd lose their local news. I don't think they'd care as much about the loss of local advertising.

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[mitchflorida]

The networks would never do that willingly, they prefer to sell "franchises" to each different locality. It is part of their monopoly power.

Congress could pass legislation to allow it, probably the only way it could happen. It would be opposed strongly by the National Association of Broadcasters, the networks.

 

[mike123abc]

What law prevents networks from going away from local broadcasters?

Dish makes money because if they didn't provide locals, their subscribers would drop.

Does Dish make money from the LiL fee? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know.

I do not know of any law that would prevent it. But, the affiliates have contracts with the networks, that would dictate the terms. Without knowing all the agreements one could not predict how hard it would be for a network to either cancel or allow to expire all the contracts (i.e. do the contracts have a renewal under generally the same terms clause).

As far as what Dish makes from a LiL fee, since they do not charge one, it is hard to know what they allocate to that expense. I bet they allocate more than what they discount for the grandfathered people.