How to find out if there is a chance Dish will carry your locals

[Mike123abc]

I see the same question over and over: will Dish carry my local market XXX?

Here are some tips to see if it is likely:

1. Is your DMA one of the top 80 or so?

2. Examine the spot beam map: http://wvjw.info/dbs-beam/

Look to see if there is a spot beam covering your DMA. Note: the beam has to cover more than just the city, it has to cover the surrounding area that would be included. If the boarder of the spot goes right through your city, then most likely the spot could not be used.

Note the satellite New Echostar-1 will probably never be built because it was for the merger. 119 Echostar-7 and 110 Echostar-8 serve Dish Network at this time.

3. Look at what is already on that spot beam: http://www.lyngsat.com/dig/dish7.shtml http://www.lyngsat.com/dig/dish110.shtml

8 stations is about idea for a transponder, but dish occasionally crams up to 13 on a transponder.

4. Look to see what other DMAs that could be larger than yours that could be under the spot and not served at this time: http://www.nielsenmedia.com

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Now you can have an educated guess as to if Dish is even trying to negotiate for locals in your market. If the spot has room for your local stations and you are the largest market under the spot not served then it is likely Dish is at least trying to get your locals.

Note: local stations have to "permit" Dish to carry them. Dish of course wants to pay as little as possible, the stations of course tend to want money or other pet channels carried. For example NBC affiliate may want to have a couple of other small "independent" stations that it happens to own carried too, plus wants them on the spot not on a side. Maybe even stations that are cable only, owned by the big affiliate. These issues may never be resolved and LIL may never come to some of the larger markets because of them.

[jerryez]

Is each spot limited to one transponder, which would equal 8 locals per spot? How many locals can you get on one spot?

[Mike123abc]

There are multiple transponders in most of the spots. Dish seems to run 2 in most spots, but varies from 1-3. Note on the bottom of the spot beam map there is a list of which transponder numbers are being used in that spot. Each spot has to use different transponders from the ones next to it. But, when separated enough, the same transponder number can be reused because they will not interfere with eachother.

Also note that there are some spots/transponders that are turned on yet on 110 (echostar-8). This represents coming capacity for more cities.

[shilton]

Originally posted by Mike123abc
I see the same question over and over: will Dish carry my local market XXX?

Is your DMA one of the top 80 or so?


What about Dish's own "vague" email that says "We can effectively serve about 100 markets with our current fleet". You say maybe the Top 80, Dish says they can do 100. Will they really do 100 or do you think that they are just buying themselves some time to wait things out and see if the technology changes to allow them to cram more into less space?

I live in market #93 (I think...I know its in the mid to low 90's). A few locals confirm talks with Dish, but no one seems willing to say when or if it will ever come to be for me. To make matters worse, being in Johnstown/Altoona, PA market, I am smack dab in the middle of the crowded north-east.

Many on this board say it cannot be done, but Dish says "yes it can". How so I know who is right???

[Mike123abc]

Dish has been squeezing in small markets on empty spots... TX has 1 now (waco) and another one about to come (tyler) both DMAs below 100. All the larger DMAs under the spots were already being served (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, & Austin). Now if you are the largest DMA under your spot that has room and not being served, there is a good chance. But, dish has passed up markets that they cannot get good agreements with the big stations. Being in the NE your chances are slim to none until Dish decides to put up another satellite. Yes they will probably grow to 100 but some will be in 100-150 as they have room (look in TX and California)

[Jacob S]

Mine should be coming soon as it is DMA #61 (was 62) with a hilly treed out terrain. Will have to wait for the new satellite though. Business will be booming at this time. This is what I have been waiting for before I call it quits, because I know there will be a good opportunity. The locals coming to satellite may boost business enough to keep the business alive with enough customers.

When is the next satellite going up and what is the capacity going to be and where are the beams going?

[forklifter]

I am serviced my two networks one in nebraska Kearney Hasting Grand Island and Lincoln the other is in Kansas Wichita Hutchinson which is 66 in the dma which one would i qualify for if they came on line my zip is 67661

[bryan27]

When is the next satellite going up and what is the capacity going to be and where are the beams going?

Back up a bit :) When the spot beam sats were ordered they were to accomplish two tasks.

1: Provide spotbeams to carry more cities thatn coupd be carried by a CONUS Service Satellite.

2: Provide back-up and replace older satellites.

The two spot beam satellites have done just that.

Satellites are so very expensive to build, launch, and maintain that you don't just have them being built all the time and launching a few every year for you slots.

E* has no satellites on order, nor do they plan to order any for a long time. Even if E* ordered a satellite today it would take two years to build it, and upto a year to find a time and place to launch it. It will be several years before we see another E* launch.

The only DBS sats due to launch are:

Rainbow-1 61.5w March/03
DirecTV-7 119w Nov/12/03
Angel-1 61.5 Early 2004