Charlie Chat details

[kornkid81]

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to know if someone can give any highlights from tonight's charlie chat

Thank,
Kornkid

[SParker]

BORING!!!!!!!

[David_Levin]

Wow, thank heaven for the PVR - I avoided 10 minutes of soapnet crap - and probably another 15 minutes of the same questions we hear over and over (where's my locals, why can't I get my neighbors locals, when will there be more hdtv).

But - the threat to get rid of TNT at the end of the year was amusing (...they are not giving us a good deal...).

This is a major channel - I'd assume the chances of losing it (permanently) are slim.

[platinum]

what were his merger thoughts

[David_Levin]

Originally posted by platinum
what were his merger thoughts

The deadline with DirectTV (~1/5?) comes before the final FCC decision (~1/21?). So it's an "up hill battle". Not much optimism there (dead in my opinion, but please let's not divert this thread into yet another merger debate).

Charlie mentioned that E* is working on new technologies for the non-merger world. Not much else mentioned.

There's really so little to say about the chat that it's amazing they spent the bandwidth (except it doesn't cost them anything).

[Marcus S]

To much corn gives me gas. Charlie Chat. I missed the intro discussion on the 6000, but caught the tail end that told all subs to replace them with their new upcoming HD PVR followed by an episode of Hee Hah. Charlie, needs to get a life. I have lost more friends & family referals because Dish simply does not offer a 4900 like receiver, and HD wishers... want OpenTV, and no one wants to pay $800 for the experience.

The other sad fact is that CSR's now read the letters or email received, but you think it's a LD call. The lady from the soth was ligit, but obviously pre-recorded, and a few screw ups on the set reading prepared response script on the transponder, and pretending to have a live chat. I am more impressed that friends and family are now doing their homework before choosing *D or E*. To bad for Charlie. :(

[Bob Haller]

Charlie looks sad, or at least doesnt sound upbeat. OK if the mergers dead MOVE ON, tell EVERYONE how great things are going to be anyway...

Soap business I FF too. How wonderful PVRs are but my DP had trouble getting audio and video together. That appears to be gettuing worse. At least last night it was...

[razorbackfan]

It was interesting to see that two guys who run a multi-million dollar company were awkward talking to a pretty girl.

I thought the call from the guy in New Jersey "Hey the next caller from New Jersey gets $25,000 right?" was great.

[Geronimo]

Well we at least solved the issue of whether KWGn is in the CS locals. Thery said it is.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Last night's Charlie Chat had to be the worst piece of garbage I have seen on my television set in a long long time.

With the announcement that TNT and NESN would more the likely be dropped January 1st my heart sunk and it blew the rest of the chat for me.

Charlie always talks about doing whats best to keep customers bills low. While he does make points his ideas also not logical. I mean I will be loosing 2 Channels (TNT being my wifes second favorite to CourtTV and NESN which is my Red Sox Station) when I loose these two channels will my bill go down because I no longer have these channels?

People called and asked about new channels and Charlie's answer was basically he does not want to add new channels because he does not want to raise our bills. This is total hogwash in my book, first he's threatening to take away two channels from our lineups with no replacements or reduction in our bill and then makes a dumb comment about not being able to add channels because he does not want to raise our bills.

Come on Charlie we were not born Yesterday, we all know a rate increase will be coming this year from Dish Network, we know you are waiting to announce the price increase because at the moment cable customer are switching to satellite in droves due to their recent price increase announcements. And then once the people move to satellite and are locked into 1 year contracts the Dish Network price increase will be announced.

A number of channels were requested those channels being Oxygen, Trio and one other. Again your answers did not make Logical sense whatsoever. You Charlie must remember that your Company name is Dish Network, NOT STALE Network.

Lets look at Charlie's (paraphrased) answers regarding some of the suggested new channels.

Charlie on Oxygen - We hear Oxygen is a good channel, but we already have channels for Women, including Lifetime and WE.

Charlie on Trio - This is a Canadian Channel and who wants to watch Canadian TV?

Yes Oxygen is another womans channel, and what is wrong with that? Looking through Oxygen's Lineup there are shows that I would enjoy seeing which are not available elsewhere including Xena and La Femme Nikita. Oxygens website is http://www.oxygen.com

Trio was at one time indeed a Canadian Channel but then the channel was Purchased by the same company who owns USA Network and SCI-FI. Trio has a unique programming outlook and a diverse schedule of shows which are not available anywhere else. And the comment about no one wanting to watch Canadian TV is totally false. We have people coming here all the time looking for information on how to get ExpressVu and Starchoice. Check out Trios Website at http://www.triotv.com/

And the filler with the woman from SoapNet was the worst filler I have ever seen (what was with her lips anyways?!) From her asking Charlie if he liked to cook to Charlie asking her if she had a family and her asking Charlie if he liked playing Strip poker, this folks was just BAD TV, and I was watching I was wondering to myself why was the Peanut gallery laughing so hard during that segment? Were the comments so funny? Or were people laughing to create a happy atmosphere? Or were people laughing to keep their boss happy because they think their jobs are on the line? Im not quite sure why they were laughing.

Then at the end of the show it had to be one of the most glum depressing sounding goodbyes I have ever heard on any TV show.

I am sure people are going to ask me why the negative review of the Charlie Chat when I am working we have been working so nicely with Echostar as of late on products such at the 721, I will be honest, I will always call things as I see them when Echostar deserves praise I will give it to them, when they do something I am not happy about I will tell them about it too.

From my standpoint it's the only right thing to do both for myself and for you the members here at DBSTalk.COM.

My advice to Echostar would be to burn the tape of last nights Charlie Chat and never air it again, overall it leaves a bad taste in viewers mouths and I am sure that's not the marketing engine that they want to keep repeating.

[Geronimo]

Don't be so sure that TNT and NESN are gone. This is negotiation posturing. I have no inside info and don't calim any but we have been here before.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Geronimo when Charlie says "at this time we are not overly optimistic" it does not give me too much hope.

[FTA Michael]

That "other channel" that was requested was PBS Kids, and Charlie went out of his way to describe exactly what a redundant piece of garbage he thinks it is.

Which tells me that Denver-area-based Charlie doesn't have any kids watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood, which the two local PBS stations broadcast it a total of three times a week, leaving two episodes unshown.

When I chose my satellite company in mid-2001, I saw that E* had the PBS national feed while D* "only" had PBS Kids. Now E* subscribers get whatever their local station wants to give them between pledge drives, and D* still has PBS Kids.

I've called in this request, and I've posted it on Dish Network feedback, and I'm posting it again here. If Dish Network folks actually read these posts, they'll know why DirecTV looks better and better to me.

Scott,

Thanks for the honest and to the point review. I did see the last 2/3 of the chat. I missed the first part. If the first 1/3 WAS ANYTHING like the last 2/3's, I DID NOT MISS ANYTHING. I don't think there was ANY decent information given out las night in what I saw. Thanks again for your information.

[Geronimo]

I negotiate for a living. People oftens talk one way at the table or in public and then settle at the last minute. This is not GOOD. Anything that endangers the God given right of the people of New England to watch the Red Sox is a bad thing. But I would not give up all hope.

[JStanton]

If NESN isn't on E* on March 31, 2003 (MLB Opening Day), I'm gone. No questions asked. D* here I come.

- Jim

[PeterB]

Yep, my grandmother in waaaaaaaaaay up in northern Maine has been a dish sub for years, one of the first, and is a huge RedSox fan. If dish drops NESN im going to have to make a 600 mile trek to swap her to DTV.

I guess it will work out, her reciever has a really, really old access card and I can throw it up on ebay and make some money back. :D

[J.W.]

What about us NASCAR fans (TNT)? WTF? Even the sh*ttiest cable company (AT&T) has TNT!!!!

[Chris Freeland]

If I was a betting man, I would bet that TNT and NESN will still be on E* come January. We have seen this same kind of postering by Charlie before, we have heard these same words come out of Charlie's mouth before.

One comment I did notice that no one here seams to have picked up on is the comment by Charlie that HBO Zone would not likely be added, however we currently only have 3 Cinamax channels compared to 8 HBO channels and their are another 5 or so .Cinamax channels that we might consider adding. It appeared to me that Charlie was hinting that maybe a few more Cinamax channels will possibly be added. The MultiMax package is the one premium movie package in the most need to expand.

[MattJ]

On Cinamax, could he have been alluding to Max-HD, which will be late next year?

[Mark Holtz]

Last summer, Charlie said that there was a possibility of losing Fox O&O stations and Fox-owned RSNs. That didn't occur, and instead we got the National Geographic channel.

As for Oxygen/Trio/PBS kids, write a polite snail mail letter to EchoStar. Of course, I would like to see west coast feeds of a couple of channels.

[bills976]

Now you Red Sox fans know what we Yankee fans have been going through the past year..... not to mention Nets fans....

[Jacob S]

I think there is a chance that TnT will still be on Dish, a more likely chance, he is just playing hardball like the local stations do to him.

Trio is on DirecTv offered in the USA

I bet we do see a rate increase. Maybe Charlie just dont want to raise the rates every single year. If he goes ahead and raises the basic package up to $25 now and the others to follow and gets it over with maybe he would not have to raise them for a good while, keeping it at a level price. A rate increase whether he drops TnT or not, I dont think that one channel is going to affect rates that much.

[Steve Mehs]

Charlie on Oxygen - We hear Oxygen is a good channel, but we already have channels for Women, including Lifetime and WE.

Can't argue facts like that :D

[Randy_B]

Witchblade was the only show I watched on TNT, and it got the ax even though it got respectful ratings (for a cable channel).

And with 3 kids age 7 and under, PBSKids would be a GREAT addition for them (and thus for me)!

[Mark Holtz]

Dish's address is readily located through Yahoo's Corporate Profile (http://biz.yahoo.com/p/d/dish.html) page.

And today's announcement shows why Charlie was in the dumps last night. He probably reached the agreement last night with GM, but couldn't say anything until GM issued the press release this morning.

Anyone want to take any bets as to whether or not TNT will be renewed, but moved to AT-100? Also, since we're dealing with Time-Warner, there is the possibility that the negotiations for TNT may also involve rights to other Time-Warner properties, including possible west coast feeds and additional HBO/Cinemax channels.

And, you can't convince me that the executives of the programmer providers don't watch Charlie Chat, even on a tape-delayed basis. They may not watch it directly, but probably one of their assistants.

[Darkman]

NO Chat Recap any1? :)
I know it was a bad chat - but - lol - i missed most of it (aka didn't watch it as closely as i usually do), cuz was too busy chatting at the DBStalk's chat :)

[FTA Michael]

Z'Loth, Re: West Coast feeds.

One word: PVR. Look into it. We've got enough duplication up there; let's get some fresh ... something!

Side-effect: Raising toddlers who can watch Teletubbies on demand at any time of day. :)

[Unthinkable]

Originally posted by JStanton
If NESN isn't on E* on March 31, 2003 (MLB Opening Day), I'm gone. No questions asked. D* here I come.

- Jim

I hear you Jim. That one will be a deal breaker for me if its dropped.

[dlsnyder]

Look on the bright side...

People in the LA area had been asking for FSW2 for Dodger games for years. They finally got it this year after some tough negotiating with FOX (whose local stations didn't go away as they suggested). The same thing will probably happen here although TNT very well might go into the AT-100 layer, in conjunction with a price increase that was probably in the works for next year anyway.

[djlong]

I blieve the TNT problem is because Turnet want to create a TNT-Plus channel that concentrates on sports - want the cable companies and satellite companies to pay for this new channel while keeping the high price of TNT.

In other words, he'll degrade TNT by removing programming but not cut the price.

...or so I've heard. I could be wrong.

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by carload
Z'Loth, Re: West Coast feeds.

One word: PVR. Look into it. We've got enough duplication up there; let's get some fresh ... something!

Gee, what do I have humming in the background.... gee, it's my 501 transferring Taken to VHS to send to a friend stationed overseas in Australia.

A two-tuner PVR would be nice, but I am not going to switch to DirecTV and lose my superstations.

[Chris Blount]

I know this may not be the popular opinion but I thought the chat was rather humorous. I watched it delayed on my PVR and was expecting to skip over the Soapnet segment but ended up watching the whole thing. I thought the lady was funny and was getting a kick out of how she was making Charlie squirm. You have to admit she lit up the room and it's probably the most laughter we've ever heard on that set. My only advice to her would be to lay off the Botox for her lips. Even Mick Jagger would be amazed on how those things flapped.

As for the rest of the chat, it just seemed like the normal banter. I wouldn't say it was the worst chat I've seen, but definitely the funniest in more ways than one.

[normang]

Why would anyone change Their whole TV service over a sports channel... I like sports, but I don't let them run my life or my tv...

My two cents...

[Scott Greczkowski]

My father is a Die Hard Red Sox Fan, it's what he looks forward to all winter long. If he can not get his Red Sox in the Spring he will do whatever it takes to see the Red Sox, and if that means dropping Dish for DirecTV then he would do it without thinking twice.

Sports are important to many folks, to me I could care less I am not a sports watcher.

[Geronimo]

The Red Sox are not just a baseball team. they are a regional obsesssion. And if the Bruins keep on as they are it may not take till Spring for people to be angry.

[Jacob S]

Why doesn't TnT create a brand new channel instead of trying to force everyone into a more expensive TnT ?

[dbronstein]

Originally posted by normang
Why would anyone change Their whole TV service over a sports channel... I like sports, but I don't let them run my life or my tv...

My two cents...

You're obviously not a very big fan of a particular team. My brother switched from Dish to DirectTV last spring so he could get the YES network to watch the Yankees, and I'm sure a lot of other people did as well.

If you have a choice of two providers that cost the same and one carries your favorite team's games and the other doesn't, why would you pick the one that doesn't have the games?

Dennis

[hockeynut]

I surely will drop dish the minute they drop NESN. Can't live without my bruins


Antonio

[Jacob S]

Dish does not like to carry expensive sporting channels in which would increase the price of their programming.

[reddice]

Yet they stiill raise there rates everyyear.

[dlsnyder]

Yes, it's funny how that works. D* and E* have comparable pricing (D* maybe having a little bit of an edge right now), yet D* carries the sports programming that many people want. Perhaps E* is not able to negotiate as good a deal with the programmers? Maybe they "need" a higher profit margin?

Although we are currently satisfied with our E* service it wouldn't take too much incentive to get me to switch. My sister recently got D* and I got a chance to play around with it a little. I was shocked at how different the two services are. Of course my equipment is a little old now (a 2800 and a 3900) but even the base model RCA unit that my sister has beats the pants off anything I have seen from E*. :eek:

[Jacob S]

Thats what I cannot understand either, how Dish cant get the deals and Direct can. Maybe its the extra subs that Direct has in which that is just enough to get those extra channels. Dish has lately seem to be making a profit while Direct hasn't. Maybe this is the reason behind that.

[Richard King]

Perhaps E* is not able to negotiate as good a deal with the programmers? Maybe they "need" a higher profit margin?I think it is all related to the exclusive NFL package. Dish realizes that most real hardcore sports fans are going to go with D* because of this package, so, they don't look at sports packages as being as important.

[HTguy]

Originally posted by Chris Blount
IMy only advice to her would be to lay off the Botox for her lips. Even Mick Jagger would be amazed on how those things flapped.


Actually, FWIW, Botox is what they inject into the facial skin to paralyze it in order to prevent or reduce wrinkles.

It's cologen, a cell protein, that they inject in the lips. It's gradually absorbed so they have to do it repeatedly if they want to keep those big flappers.

I think it's a big turn-off. :rolleyes:

[James_F]

But TNT is a huge Channel. I doubt there are many cable companies that don't have it. Dish without TNT would be a huge mistake. NBA, NASCAR, Golf, XFiles, Law & Order, NYPD Blue are all on TNT. :nono:

[jeffwtux]

I would hardly count XFiles, Law & Order, and NYPD Blue as being "on TNT". Those are re-runs. As for the NBA, all of you are missing the point that TNT will be getting fewer NBA games not more. There is no reason to charge more when they have less, and there is certainly no reason to create a sports network unless it's for a sport they don't already carry on TNT or maybe programming in addition to TNT's not instead of.

[Randy_B]

Originally posted by hockeynut
I surely will drop dish the minute they drop NESN. Can't live without my bruins


Antonio

Doesn't WSBK broadcast a lot of Red Sox and Bruins games? That was why I switched my UPN shows timers to WWOR. I got tired of getting Boston sports.

[Maniacal1]

Randy, things have changed at UPN 38 (WSBK). NESN now has 74 of the Bruins games and 130 Red Sox games next year.

WSBK hasn't shown a Red Sox game in 5 years, but beginning in the spring, they'll have 28 broadcasts for 2003 (every Friday, plus Opening Day and Patriots Day).

Since affiliating with UPN, WSBK is not much of a sports station any more.

[Win Joy Jr]

Originally posted by jeffwtux
I would hardly count XFiles, Law & Order, and NYPD Blue as being "on TNT". Those are re-runs.

Ah, but the repeates carried on those channels allow people who discovered a series late a chance to get caught up. There is a LOT of value here, IMHO.

[Mike123abc]

I doubt that TNT will end up being dropped. If it fell off dish's 8 million homes, it would lose almost 10% of its audience. A deal will be made, but it will not be as good as TNT hopes for.

[Randy_B]

Originally posted by Maniacal1
Randy, things have changed at UPN 38 (WSBK). NESN now has 74 of the Bruins games and 130 Red Sox games next year.

WSBK hasn't shown a Red Sox game in 5 years, but beginning in the spring, they'll have 28 broadcasts for 2003 (every Friday, plus Opening Day and Patriots Day).

Since affiliating with UPN, WSBK is not much of a sports station any more.

Thanks. The last time I used WSBK for a PVR, ST Voyager was still on, so it has been a while.

[Jacob S]

Dish KNOWS this would be too much of a loss for TnT, more of a loss for them than it would be for Dish, so there is more at stake for TnT than Dish.