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Comments on news posted 2014-04-01 08:47:16: Cable One is one of hundreds of smaller cable operators who removed more than a dozen Viacom-owned channels like Comedy Central and MTV after Viacom and the cable operators couldn't come to terms on new retransmission fee rates. ..

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gatorkram
Need for Speed
Premium Member
join:2002-07-22
Winterville, NC

gatorkram

Premium Member

Who will notice?

Will anyone even notice these channels are missing?

battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000

2 recommendations

battleop

Member

It's time to stand up to the bully.

Maybe they will grow a set of balls and give Viacom the finger. If more companies would do this Viacom would get the hint to stop producing garbage shows and stop doubling their fees every time a contract comes up for renewal.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to gatorkram

Member

to gatorkram

Re: Who will notice?

Although it's an oldie, my youngest loves SpongeBob and I find some scenes with Patrick/Squid amusing. However, I don't think any of my kids watch MTV/VH1 (boys 18, 16 and 11). I think Nick at Night has reruns of Friends that sometimes put me to sleep but I agree... not much there to miss.

caseywor
join:2004-04-19
Mobile, AL
·Verizon Broadban..
·AT&T FTTP

caseywor

Member

Comedy Central would be the only one I would really miss

The only channel I think I would miss would be Comedy Central, although I don't watch it as much anymore. However, if I recall correctly, in some of CableOne's service areas like Coastal Mississippi close to where I used to live, they don't even carry Comedy Central. South Park, one of their more watched shows can be viewed online for free on the South Park Studios web site.
political_i
join:2013-11-12

political_i

Member

Is Content still King?

The main issue I have is Viacom is asking for more money and targeting the small cable operators like a school yard bully. The only two shows I would consider watching are the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Honestly, everything else I see of Viacom is not worth watching.

Issue #2, if you are not performing financially, why should operators pass the buck on if you are losing viewers? If they want to start a death spiral in 5 years, that is more than fine by me!

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH

buzz_4_20 to gatorkram

Member

to gatorkram

Re: Who will notice?

I've noticed... if only from the lack of Colbert and Daily Show on my "DVR" this morning.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

CMT

CMT has totally jumped the shark, they used to be strictly music videos and now it's just trash TV. I don't even watch it anymore. They have CMT pure country but I liked it better when it was VH1 Country. GAC is much better and DirecTV does carry it.

Viacom is notorious for trashing networks. They trashed MTV from its original glory of Music Videos to the Jerry Springer quality shows they market to Tweens. I'm surprised they don't own the Weather Channel because their owners did the same thing. But the Weather Channel does offer excellent coverage of severe weather and they do preempt their reality garbage when a tornado is hitting or a blizzard is coming.

We'll have to see how WeatherNation's coverage is during a tornado outbreak. I have many friends in tornado country and I'm worried about them considering it's tornado season.

gatorkram
Need for Speed
Premium Member
join:2002-07-22
Winterville, NC

1 recommendation

gatorkram

Premium Member

No middle man..

I've always wondered, how did TV get to be like this?

I remember those really big sat dishes, where you pretty much got all the channels in existence at one point in time.

How on earth did we end up with cable tv, or these smaller sat dishes..

I always thought it would be better to just get everything right from the source.

Hmm.
The Antihero
join:2002-04-09
Enola, PA

The Antihero to battleop

Member

to battleop

Re: It's time to stand up to the bully.

I would love to see that happen. If the cable companies stopped carrying their channels, then no one would see their crappy programs. Then where would they be?

battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000

battleop

Member

I wonder how things are working out for The Weather Channel?
IantoJones
Premium Member
join:2011-11-11
San Leandro, CA

IantoJones to gatorkram

Premium Member

to gatorkram

Re: No middle man..

said by gatorkram:

I've always wondered, how did TV get to be like this?

Good question. Growing up I was always interested in BUDs... unfortunately I was just a kid and couldn't have one, but my friend did and I remember watching TNG/DS9 before it would be shown locally, in amazing quality.

The system is so messed up at this point....

CableHistory
@google.com

CableHistory to gatorkram

Anon

to gatorkram
said by gatorkram:

I've always wondered, how did TV get to be like this?

How on earth did we end up with cable tv, or these smaller sat dishes..

Here is a good history of cable tv: »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca ··· d_States

davidc502
join:2002-03-06
Mount Juliet, TN

davidc502 to gatorkram

Member

to gatorkram

Re: Who will notice?

Quoting from Viacom Website

"TONIGHT your TV Provider will drop up to 24 Viacom channels, including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, TV Land, CMT, BET, Spike, VH1 and more.

We are offering your TV Provider a double-digit discount off of our standard rate card. It is a better deal than HUNDREDS of other TV providers in the country have agreed to. We have been actively trying to get a deal done with your TV Provider for months and they have refused to negotiate in any meaningful way. And now, on top of this, your TV Provider is throwing out numbers which simply aren't true. Our expiring deal with your TV Provider is nearly five years old. In that time, we have been great partners and given your TV provider more channels, more on demand content and access to our content beyond the TV %u2013 at no additional cost. We don't understand why your TV Provider has chosen to negotiate in this manner. And now, as a result of their lack of interest in coming to a mutually beneficial agreement, you are at risk of losing up to 24 Viacom networks. We are serious about getting a deal done - please call your TV provider and tell them to get serious too."

machpost
join:2002-01-11
Washington, DC

machpost

Member

Didn't lose any channels... yet

My provider fortunately has been able to keep all the channels up during negotiations. Authenticated apps still work, as well.
desarollo
join:2011-10-01
Monroe, MI

desarollo to gatorkram

Member

to gatorkram

Re: No middle man..

Those big sat dishes received stations BECAUSE of cable TV, not the other way around. People with the means (money and space) could bypass the cable and get watch TV essentially at the cable head-end without paying.

Not saying it is right or wrong, but I was amused at the backlash when they started deplying videocypher.

I really think the cable companies should be billing the channels for the number of households on their systems and run a cable to anyone that wants it. It is truly silly that in this day and age we have to pay to receive channels that have more than 50% commercial load. If your channel works, it will have eyeballs. If not, well it was nice knowin' ya.

jap
Premium Member
join:2003-08-10
038xx

jap

Premium Member

Makes me wonder if TDS & TCR will look for a way out

The writer's strike & previous pricing disputes have got to be wearing on their flagship show producers. I'd be surprised if Stewart, Colbert and their co-producers weren't weighing options with the lawyers.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

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Member

to IowaCowboy

Re: CMT

So have MTV and VH1. They use to be all music and now their???? Crap shows about what I'm not sure.
political_i
join:2013-11-12

political_i to jap

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to jap

Re: Makes me wonder if TDS & TCR will look for a way out

That is what I have wondered if they would consider moving off to another venue. Makes me wonder if they would do okay on broadcast or online?
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to desarollo

Member

to desarollo

Re: No middle man..

Didn't satellite video down links exist before cable? I thought that's how the original major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and probably PBS) provided feeds to stations across the country. I'd bet cable piggybacked on this technology first.

I like how you mentioned cable should bill content providers. That's exactly how ISPs think. Funny how perspective changes views.
rradina

rradina to gatorkram

Member

to gatorkram
The big dish systems were a PITA. My parents are farmers in a rural Missouri. Before digital, they received ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS. Around 1985 they purchased a big dish. Even though they paid thousands for a professionally installed '10 or '12 dish (forget size) with a six-inch aluminum tube buried in several feet of concrete, when the wind gusted to over 30mph, all the channels would ghost and get static. Stronger gusts momentarily took out the picture. When VideoCipher was introduced, the entire picture blacked out and then returned. If the wind was strong enough, they had to point the dish to a different satellite to change the wind angle. They live in a flat area and the wind always blows.

The big dish was also slow to change satellites and when I visited, I could spend hours channel surfing satellites for something to watch. They had a guide but it never provided info on feeds designed to be recorded by television stations and broadcast at a later date. It was also interesting to watch the network feeds and see what the news anchors did while they cutaway to commercials.

When the small dish appeared, they switched and liked it much better. Way more reliable because the wind didn't bother it. Severe weather (hail mostly) affects the signal but that's not as often as the traditional cable companies like to advertise.

davidc502
join:2002-03-06
Mount Juliet, TN

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to gatorkram
Absolutely no middle man needed.

We all watch the dang commercials, and that's payment enough to the networks. Apparently the networks have gotten greedy by not only charging for commercials, and by chargine large fees for re-broadcasting.

Enough is enough!

dcurrey
Premium Member
join:2004-06-29
Mason, OH

dcurrey to machpost

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to machpost

Re: Didn't lose any channels... yet

Seems Cincinnati Bell viacom channels are all still up. I know they are in the contract dispute.

Jim Kirk
Premium Member
join:2005-12-09
49985

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to political_i

Re: Makes me wonder if TDS & TCR will look for a way out

TBS would probably snap them up.
ke4pym
Premium Member
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC

1 recommendation

ke4pym to battleop

Premium Member

to battleop

Re: It's time to stand up to the bully.

said by battleop:

I wonder how things are working out for The Weather Channel?

I actually dialed up DirecTV to tell them I approve of them dropping TWC. They said what? Apparently, I was the only one that day who did.
ke4pym

ke4pym to IantoJones

Premium Member

to IantoJones

Re: No middle man..

If you buy a BUD, you can still get a-la-carte programming.

Only want TWC? $1.80/mo (or some such - been awhile since I looked up a rate card - but you get the idea).

battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000

battleop to ke4pym

Member

to ke4pym

Re: It's time to stand up to the bully.

I think the people who approve just don't care enough to say they don't.

Killa200
Premium Member
join:2005-12-02
TN

Killa200

Premium Member

Channels

We have had more people call in asking to make sure we are putting in replacement programming to fill the gap than have asked to get the Viacom channels back.

If that is any indication...
jdofaz
join:2013-04-15
Phoenix, AZ

jdofaz

Member

Retrans?

I thought Retrans generally referred to local TV stations and not cable networks?

Killa200
Premium Member
join:2005-12-02
TN

Killa200 to Jim Kirk

Premium Member

to Jim Kirk

Re: Makes me wonder if TDS & TCR will look for a way out

TBS and their parent turner broadcasting are just as bad, if not worse, than Viacom in negotiation practices like what is going on.

Just a few months ago, with Cable One to boot: »variety.com/2013/biz/new ··· 0765065/
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

Member

Selco out of shrewsbury ma

They lost Viacom and I did not hear anything about them possibly losing the streaming options as well.
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