Chance Dish will move minor stations

[Brett]

What do you predict the chance Dish moves the minor stations to be with the major network affiliates in a given market? (Example the minor NYC stations on CONUS(spot), then possibly all Harrisburg moves to 61.5, or all Dallas to CONUS(spot) then possibly all Waco to 148).

Or even half of the minor stations. Philly has 7 minor stations on 129 plus reservations for 4 more stations. Dish could move WFMZ, WGTW and WYBE to please some stations (the more popular of the minor stations - the ones that atleast get significantly viewed ranks in their home counties).

I say about 10% chance and even then it wont be every market. Philly and few markets will still be "special" markets.

A new complaint has been filed by some Tulsa stations.

From Daily Digest:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-471A1.txt

Now if these Tulsa stations get action done, will it affect the other minor stations in the bigger markets?

[Mike123abc]

The FCC did not order Dish to move the Tulsa locals from the wing satellite. They essentially agreed with the stations that E* is not properly implimenting the 2 dish system, and told them to start doing it as ordered before and to report on progress:

In addition, the
Report should provide the percentage of local-into-local subscribers who requested a second dish in the
Tulsa market, the number of second dish installations completed, an explanation as to why any requests
could not be completed, and an estimated date of completion for the remaining installation requests.
EchoStar should also provide details about current and future customer notification efforts,
advertisements about its local package offering, and CSR training efforts (including sample scripts). In
this regard, EchoStar should state whether it directly notified (e.g., by letter) individual local-into-local
subscribers in Tulsa that they are not receiving all of their local stations and that EchoStar, as part of its
local package offering, will provide the additional satellite dish antenna, including its installation, free of
charge.

Note it is much easier to read the PDF link:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-471A1.pdf

The only way I see Dish ending the 2 dish policy is to buy R/L DBS out and put the Rainbow-1 satellite at 110 and use the 22 spot beams to pick up the slack.

[JayeDVXIII]

I kinda agree that the "second dish" policy is sorta sucky--especially for people (like me) who live in apartments and dont' have the amount of available "sky look area" to see 110, 119 and something as farther away as 148

[boba]

Dallas locals are leaving conus and going to Spot Beams, this has already been announced by DISH.

[FTA Michael]

If the FCC ever blocks the two-dish plan (after over a year! of operation), it would overhaul E*'s locals, period. And by extension, the entire satellite lineup might get shuffled to accomodate whatever alternative plan they come up with.

I would be surprised if anything like that would happen this late in the game. IMHO, the two-dish plan is a great compromise that provides the must-carry stations for subscribers who really want them and makes life simpler for the subs who don't care. Sorry about all you apartment folks. :)

[Chris Freeland]

Originally posted by carload
If the FCC ever blocks the two-dish plan (after over a year! of operation), it would overhaul E*'s locals, period. And by extension, the entire satellite lineup might get shuffled to accomodate whatever alternative plan they come up with.

I would be surprised if anything like that would happen this late in the game. IMHO, the two-dish plan is a great compromise that provides the must-carry stations for subscribers who really want them and makes life simpler for the subs who don't care. Sorry about all you apartment folks. :)

I agree, in fact if E* does get around to adding Chattanooga locals, I hope they do place one of the two PBS channels on the 61.5 bird, then I could get a 2nd dish for FREE and would likely add Sky Angel ;). Even though I have no problem with the 2-dish solution, E* probably could do a better job implementing it, the 2nd dish install probably should be automatic unless a sub requests Not to have it installed.

[scooper]

Unless the FCC does a 180, there is about a ZERO chance that E* will ever VOLUNTARILY take the minor stations off the side slots.

While E* doing the way they did was not necessarily the way the FCC and certain other parties thought was the "correct" way to do it, I think their solution is allowing the largest number of people to get the stations that are most watched. If they were to backtrack now and require all stations for a given DMA to use just one dish, you would see ALOT of teeth knashing of subscribers if they were told they now had to get their locals only from a sideslot, when they have been perfectly fine with the current arraingement. Personally, I'd be rather upset, but conversely, since the Carolinas spot isn't overpacked, it probably wouldn't be an issue.