New idea for DBS companies. Ability for more channels!

[AJ2086]

OK I've been thinking. PBS has a national feed right? Well why cant ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,UPN,and The WB have national feed both East and West. It would be a total of 12 channels that have only the network shows and could be off air or play music or run headlines or something when the Network doesn't have a show on. As for the local news. Several states and regions have there own news networks similar to CNN but closer to home. If they were to carry 1, just one from each state that would be 50 channels plus the 12 network feed. That's 62 channels rather than double or triple that for the local channels. This would free up so much space for new channels. Why they cant just do this is beyond me.

[Chris Freeland]

Its called copyright laws, the local network affiliates from across the country have exclusive rights in their DMA fore these network shows. Now that spotbeam satellites are up or soon will be, less bandwidth is needed for locals now anyway.

[Steve Mehs]

AJ, thats an idea that would have been a great alternative to LIL. I really wich that could happen and Ive been pushing for it after the fact, but as Chris said copyright laws prevent that from happening. National PBS is now only avaliable to people who's DMA is not being carried on DBS.

[Geronimo]

And, as I said in the other forum, people would cry aboutt he loss of local news sports and weather.

[QualityIsJobOne]

Originally posted by AJ2086
Well why cant ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,UPN,and The WB have national feed both East and West.

Hmm....On my StarChoice mini-dish system I have...

ABC- Buffalo+ Spokane
CBS- Buffalo+ Spokane
NBC- Buffalo+ Spokane
PBS- Buffalo+ Spokane
FOX- Rochester+ Spokane
UPN- Boston
WB- NYC + LA

[Karl Foster]

Originally posted by QualityIsJobOne


Hmm....On my StarChoice mini-dish system I have...

ABC- Buffalo+ Spokane
CBS- Buffalo+ Spokane
NBC- Buffalo+ Spokane
PBS- Buffalo+ Spokane
FOX- Rochester+ Spokane
UPN- Boston
WB- NYC + LA

That is all well and fine, but for those of us the US who want to LEGALLY receive DBS service, these stations are not availble to the masses.

[jrjcd]

golly-this sure sounds familier:rolleyes:

-people wouldn't cry for their local news, at least not as bad as you might think(it sure wasn't a problem when all you could get was NY and LA several years ago) and if the nets created the channels for dbs only and paid the local dmas that the customer's lived in a portion of the proceeds, that would take care of that-remember, if this was something that the networks WANTED to do, the local affiliates would go along with it(copyright laws be damned), esp if they got a piece of the action(this is why by the end of 2003, ALL the majors will have some kind of hdtv signal on sat-it's the best carrier for their signal AND too much R & D has been put into hdtv to leave it to some garbage OTA signal, not with consumers spending big samolias for hdtv related equipment...)

when i was getting just LA & NY nets, when the news came on, i switched to my rabbit ears-most people don't need to get the local news in digital pic and cd quality sound...

[Steve Mehs]

I still think PT24 was the best solution of the past.

[QualityIsJobOne]

Originally posted by karl_f
but for those of us the US who want to LEGALLY receive DBS service, these stations are not availble to the masses.

Hmm....I'm certainly no lawyer.....however I am not aware that it is breaking a law to watch TV via a Canadian DTH system in the US.

....Sure, you do need a Canadian mailing address (summer "cottage", family, friends, sat dealer, sat programming broker) for activation......

......I doubt that ExpressVu or StarChoice worry about the US folks who bother to sub. JMHO :rolleyes:

[gcutler]

AJ,

In theory great Idea, but it is nothing new, we all wish it was that way and have been having the discussion for years. But those in Congress have voted and it will NEVER happen.