Already being nickled and dimed to death? If Fox has its way we'll all pay a lot more for cable

[ddeclue]

or satellite TV.

They want $1.00/channel per month!

Instead of paying $39.99 or $59.99 a month for cable or satellite we'll be paying $200/month if every channel provider follows suit. (Assuming you get 200+ channels and most of them get these "per channel" fees).

If this happens I'll simply have to drop satellite (DirecTV) or I'll have to demand a totally a la carte program where I pick the 10 or 12 channels I actually watch and totally cut Fox (and other channels I don't watch) out of my lineup.

Tell your paid TV provider, tell Fox, tell Congress, tell the White House, tell the FCC, tell the FTC, this is an unacceptable gouging of the consumer. It's bad enough we have to watch commercials at all on paid TV, now they want to jack up the bill 200, 300, 400% or more.

Tell them NO. Tell them you'll cancel your subscription if they do this. Tell your electeds you expect them to stand up for you not the corporations - tell them it's time to break up these mega media conglomerations and put some balance back in the market place.

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[flvegan]

1. Bright House Networks is dropping Fox at midnight tonight here.

It's funny to watch how Fox is spinning this, like they don't make any money off ads, etc.

[glowing]

4. I thought Fox was dropping them because they wouldn't agree to the fee hike.

There was an ad about calling them not to drop of people would miss a bowl game on New Year's Day.

[flvegan]

15. As I understand it

BHN is retransmitting Fox free of charge. Fox wants to get paid (no idea the sum). The two entities can't come to an agreement, so BHN will no longer retransmit Fox to their customers.

[GoCubsGo]

35. What is really funny is...

If you unhook the cable, you can get the network Fox for free via an antenna (and converter box if you have a CRT set). It's FX, Fox Movies, Fox Sports, and Fox News that require the cable. The one that has "The Simpsons"--free.

The folks at DishTV were fighting with one of the big cable networks over price increases a year or two ago. IIRC, they came out on top there. If Murdoch tries his crap with them, I am not sure he will win, either. I wouldn't miss any of the Fox channels if they went away, save the one with Homer and Bart.

[Cleita]

2. I would have no problem turning my TV off as much of what is on TV

is available on line. I did dump cable years ago for the lack of decent reception and poor service. I have satellite instead, but if they try to increase the fee I will dump them too.

[phasma ex machina]

21. I tried cable for a couple months 15 years ago. Too stupid.

[customerserviceguy]

3. Maybe they just ought to pay

the infomercial channels, the shopping channels, and the religious channels nothing.

I know Fox is unloved by many here, but I enjoy football and most of the animated comedies. Sure glad that Cablevision is not part of this game of "chicken". If it happened, I'd probably switch to a satellite provider, but what's to stop the same bullshit from happening with them?

[Donnachaidh]

5. I'd love an ala carte program -- I could get rid of Faux and all the bullshit religious programming

But if they plan on doing anything close to charging a dollar a channel, they'd better drop the ads IMMEDIATELY.

[ddeclue]

13. You don't pay to put those religious channels on there. The religinuts pay.

Doubt me?

Don't pay your bill for several months and guess what? (I was in this situation at the beginning of the year due to unemployment.)

The only channels you'll get will be religious channels.

THEY pay to force you to have them in the line up whether you want them or not.

[RoyGBiv]

29. No, they do not ...

Most of that religious programming is broadcast via over-the-air UHF channels. These then fall under "must carry" rules.

[Donnachaidh]

37. OMG!!! That would be a real kick in the head!

I was flipping thru channels last night and counted about 12 of those stations. We have had tight months where we were temporarily blocked -- but they blocked ALL of it, including the holy rollers...

[SoCalDem]

6. I'd be money-ahead with that plan..as long as they do not have commercials, I'd like it

Right now I pay $118.86 a month for the Dish Everything plan..with 4 tvs & 2 DVRs (one is a recorder with 150 hr max & controls 2 tvs)

MOST of the channels offered to us are NEVER watched by ANYONE.. I would not mind losing them

the problem with pay tv, is that channels like Link & FSTV, would be gone ..There is not a large enough group who would want them enough to pay for them:(

This would have to be with NO commercials, though.. No way would I want to pay per channel AND have the asinine commercials & infomercials on all night.

[LouKneeLib]

7. big deal

I wouldn't pay a nickel into the Evil Empire.

[evan2]

8. Don't worry. Congress will force them to lower it to say fiddy sense per channel or...

fiddy sense per hour that your TeePee is on each month.

[lpbk2713]

9. I'd be happier without any Fox programming on my cable system.

Sports included. I need them less than they need me.


:thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

[JVS]

10. I would happily pay less and strip away shitty channels like Faux News

[HBravo]

11. Money it tight already. Shut it off.

What is next? I will miss watching sports but oh well.

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe New Year!

[lpbk2713]

18. Welcome to DU HB

:thumbsup: :hi: :thumbsup:

[yodoobo]

12. I hate the cable companys AND fox

SO I'm calling BS on both and I sure as hell am not taking the side of the cable company.

They do this crap every few years. Don't fall for it. they'll work it out.

[benld74]

14. Fox isn't worth $1 per channel per day,,,

[ddeclue]

16. It's "per month" but no they aren't worth THAT either.

:D

[Sebastian Doyle]

17. I'd like to see ala carte cable mandated by law.

You should be able to pay for the channels you want, and not for the ones you'll never watch. There is no longer any reasonable excuse not to do so, as each digital cable box or cable card is individually controlled and any channel on the cable system could be switched on or off from the cable company's local office.

Problem is that content owners like Murdoch or NBC/Universal would probably insist that you bought all of their channels as a package. I would hate to have to pay for FAUX Noise and FAUX "Business", which I would never watch, just to be able to see The Simpsons, House, and Family Guy.

And then when your delivery system and content owner are the same company, that could create even more problems. Murdoch owns Direct TV. Time Warner (owner of CNN and all the other former Ted Turner networks) is a cable company. And Comcast is attempting to buy NBC/Universal and their dozen or so cable channels.

None of those ownerships should be legal. The Comcast/NBC one should be stopped before it starts.

[ddeclue]

19. Murdoch sold off DTV as far as I know.

[ddeclue]

20. P.S: The technical term is "vertically integrated monopoly"

and YES it definitely SHOULD be illegal if it isn't already.

[Rosco T.]

34. Murdoch does not own DirecTV.. sold it quite a while back. n.m

[tavalon]

22. I'm paying exactly as much as I have for over a decade

Zero.

Edited to add: I don't have cable. I killed the TV a long time ago.

[barbtries]

23. it won't cost me any more

the only tv i pay for comes with my $10/month netflix subscription.

[angstlessk]

24. local channel or two., HGTV fer sure, anyone whoever plays CSI and

Law & Order..that would keep me entertained forever! Hell for 5 bucks per month I would do what I do today for $49.99!

[TroglodyteScholar]

25. I'll drop cable altogether if Fox gets their way

I've been considering having it cut off for several months, but this would be the straw that broke this camel's back. I'm already over it.

[557188]

26. All this does is encourage people to go to bittorrent

You may not get the shows "live" but you can get them pretty quickly afterwards anymore.

Not to mention that OTA TV is becoming more attractive with digital substation potential. The only reason to have cable, anymore, is for live sports. And streaming over the internet is becoming more attractive to a lot of people.

[Sebastian Doyle]

36. Some times you can get them before they're on TV

Like if you're on the West Coast, and all the 9:00 PM shows are available by 7:30, thanks to our friends on the East Coast

[Froward69]

27. I would like A-La-carte programming

As then $1.00 per-chanel would actually lower my bill. to around $25 per month as I only watch half that many channels.

Fox is just going for the jugular

[Obamanaut]

28. Netflix for movies, internet for news and weather. We read more now

and listen to music. No teevee since Feb.

[RoyGBiv]

30. These discussions are always fascinating ...

As though this whole deal with Fox and TW is a new thing ...

Fox has this battle, somewhere, every year.

[Dappleganger]

31. Yes they do.

It's like a gotdamn chicken fight at the public pool!

[RoyGBiv]

33. LOL!

:rofl:

I wasn't expecting that ... an apt characterization.

Thanks, I needed that.

[MetaTrope]

32. TV has been garbage for decades

I pity the people who need to have it on constantly, like some sort of electronic babysitter. Stopped watching 20 years ago, and aside from the occasional series I'll follow up on DVD, haven't missed it in the slightest.

[luckyleftyme2]

38. this is a typical right wing ploy

You always hear these right wing idiots yelling to privatize everything! this doesn't mean cheaper prices or taxes for you the working class; this means they have an open season license to steal you blind!
every time I hear a right wing shout keep it private! -I hide my wallet and run for the vaseline!