Charlie Chat Summary (Joined in Progress)
TNGTony
9:10pm and by the time I got ready to type the Charlie Chat Jim and Charlie
were talking about:
Signal levels will only improve slightly with E*7 and more with E*8 but they
will always require a larger dish.
Programming news!
ABC/Disney and E* have settled their problems. ABC Family will continue on
AT150 and ESPN Classic sill be coming back on April 17. We don't have to
raise price. We solidified our relationship. We kissed and made up. They
are the nicest people ever to do business with. We love them. Boy are they
nice people! Did I say we love them?
Jim says from time to time a programmer goes off the air. CNN SI will be
discontinuing service May 15 so it will be going off the air.
International programming: TV Polonia's contract is up at the end of April.
They haven't renewed that contract so they may be going off Dish's line-up.
We offered them the same deal and they haven't responded.
Charlie says they have other contractual issues we do not control. We want
a fair deal.
Jim sets up the question about YES Network.
Charlie is very disappointed that they could not come to a deal with YES.
We all worked hard but we could not come to a deal that made sense. We only
wanted to get the same deal as other cable systems. That didn't work. We
offered them a channel they would set the a la carte rate and they would
keep the money, Yes said no. The other option was to raise the national by
about a dollar or raise the NY Yankees areas prices by $4. Didn't make
sense so no Yankees for you! We want your business, but Time Warner
2523580900, Directv 8003573288 have the Yes network and we probably wont.
We're still open for negotiations but it doesn't look realistic.
They show a slate of all the Yankees games available without the YES
network.
Oregon zips 974xx-977xx will now get Fox Sports Northwest
Indiana zips 460xx-463xx and 465xx-479xx get a Fox Sports Midwest now.
AT150 $100,000 sweepstakes video runs.
Giveaway time!!! Lots of videos...over 100 video in all Jim says
First caller who can call and give the names of the Rat Pack win the prize.
Charlie says "As opposed to the Brat pack!"
Jim stumbles a little.
E-mail: How will the merger give affordable broadband?
Dish and Direct have expensive service and we lose money. When we combine
efforts with new satellite technology we can bring costs down along with
economies of scale. Only with the merger would there be a large enough
customer base to bring costs down and revenues up.
Ben Wolfer says I've had the distant networks since the beginning of time.
Now I get a letter that the FCC and SHVIA wont let me get the networks.
Databases changed and part of the settlement with Disney now you don't
qualify. Some cities anywhere in the DMA due to settlements with suits we
do not provide distant signals at all.
Call: When Dish was installed they used my old cable. Picture suxs. Dish
says it's the cable. The installer says "Nuts"
Charlie says 99% of the time it is NOT the cable. We're probably not using
enough bandwidth for the channel because of must carry we are squeezed fro
bandwidth. The new satellite in the next few weeks will help. Check back
May 13 for the Tech Chat.
John e-mails: Any chance of adding Canadian channels to the line-up and
more Audio channels like ESPN Radio.
We can't sell Canadian channels int he US due to lack of reciprocity between
US and Canada. They are working on that, but it's the government so don't
look for anything to happen for at least a year or more.
E-mail congratulates E* for the PVR new software but what about slow mo?
Ain't a gonna happen.
When is the 508 coming out?
In a month or two and will run about $100 more than the 501.
Call says Congratulations for getting channel 13 (Home of the Dodgers) on LA
locals but what about Fox Sports West 2?
Same problem as YES. We're still talking.
We can provide all the channels everyone is asking for, but then you
wouldn't be very happy about it when the bill comes. We have to strike a
balance for the programming. We are disappointed about YES and FSN West.
Bill knew the rat pack. Frankie, Dean, Sammy, Peter Lawford and Joey
Bishop.
Greg and Sharon Chamberlain are on the phone? No...Greg! There he is.
Greg won the $100,000 Club Dish referral sweepstakes giveaway prize. They
have a phone interview. Charlie says you get all the money at once, not
like the multi-million dollar state lotteries where you get a dollar a year
for a million years.
Jim starts to shill Club Dish referral program. Roll the video. Charlie
shows the selling materials for the referrals. They then go over the
benefits of Club Dish. Go to www.dishnetwork.com for the details.
Michelle is on the phone: Dish is great! Great pic...we love it. What do
you do with the Club Dish certificates? (Was this a planted question?)
They go over the club Dish referral procedure.
Speaking of loyal customers, lets look at the a video of the Kings one of
the most loyal customer. They show DishMAN! See the humor section at
http://echostar.swiki.net to see a picture of DishMAN! But then they sell
the service. Boy are they happy about the Dish! Love the service. Boy do
they love the service.
Jim says that's an interesting story. Giveaway time from Tribune. Home
theater system with DVD! Good prize!
Who is on the cover of last month's Dish Entertainment Magazine? Confusion
about the month then settles to March is what they are looking for.
More questions
Sy asks what equipment will be use and what PVR will we use after the
merger?
When we find out, we'll let you know. If you will need new equipment for
the SAME LEVEL of programming, we will replace it for free. PVR..we plan to
keep all the current contracts with TiVo Ultimate and our own PVRs.
Again Tech Chat is on May 13. They run the tape.
Last question: Frank wants to know if XM or Sirius will be on Dish?
We are evaluating the products now, and we hope to make the decision soon.
We'll let you know when we know.
Winner in Texas. answer was Jennifer Anniston.
Call the Tech Chat in May!
Jim says "We Appreciate your support" Was he playing Earnest or Julio? Oh
wait, that was "Thank you for your support!"
That's it. Next Charlie Chat in June!
See ya
Tony
Sorry I don't have a tardy slip! :-)
73115...@compuserve.com
>Signal levels will only improve slightly with E*7 and more with E*8 but they
>will always require a larger dish.
>
Well, ok... But noone except possibly Alaska & Hawaii have problems with signal
levels. What's PQ going to be?
>International programming: TV Polonia's contract is up at the end of April.
>They haven't renewed that contract so they may be going off Dish's line-up.
>We offered them the same deal and they haven't responded.
Bummer. The full frontal nudity female models lipsyncing to top 40 hits was
mildly amusing...
Involuntary
Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:02:04 -0400:
> Jim says from time to time a programmer goes off the air. CNN SI will be
> discontinuing service May 15 so it will be going off the air.
I won't miss it. I thought the channel sucked, but then if I ever do watch
the news, I only watch it for the news and weather and that's it. Sports
sucks.
> Winner in Texas. answer was Jennifer Anniston.
Jennifer Anniston? The singer/actress? The one who probably wipes her
boohiney with hundred dollar bills? Why does she win the prizes some of us
might not be able to afford?
Involuntary
--
Do you watch TNN (The National Network)? Do you hate the
black bar across the bottom of the screen? If you do, go to
http://www.tnnonline.com and tell them you're sick of that
stupid black bar because it serves absolutely no purpose at all!
Mike H
news:6dm4bu03gsaj1ebnm...@4ax.com:
> "TNGTony" <tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote:
>
>>Signal levels will only improve slightly with E*7 and more with E*8
>>but they will always require a larger dish.
>>
>
> Well, ok... But noone except possibly Alaska & Hawaii have problems
> with signal levels. What's PQ going to be?
Signal levels do impact just about everyone. Stronger signal levels at the
satellite decreases the occurance of rain fade and helps some people with
less than perfect line of site (Trees).
E*7 was/is supposed to replace E*4 which has been degrading since it was
launched. E*4 and E*7 have high powered transponders.
<http://sat-nd.com/failures/index.html?http://sat-
nd.com/failures/echo4.html>
Mr. S.
than Dish does ?"
Show me where DTV is cheaper. Channel for channel Dish is the better value.
Of course there are certain packages, i.e. NFL Season Ticket, that DTV has
the exclusive rights to. But unless you are a DIE-HARD sports fan, then it
really is no big deal. There are plenty of other games aired.
>"We can provide all the channels everyone is asking for, but then you
>wouldn't be very happy about it when the bill comes"
As far as customer service....there is no comparison. DTV isn't EVEN CLOSE
when compared to Dish Network. For example: My sister and her husband
have/had/have DTV. The reason I put those slashes is becuase they have
disconnected their service BECAUSE of the extremely poor customer
service...of course they always go back because they find out the value of
Sat TV compared to digital cable.
Sorry to rant here, but, the last time they had problems...they had a
problem with DTV's billing, specifically with PPV. After several minutes of
volleyball banter, the DTV rep finally just asked my brother-in-law if he
wanted him to just disconnect his service. WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMER SERVICE is
that? A company that asks you to quit using there product should not be in
business.
Anyhow..thanks for letting me vent. Merger will soon take care of all
that...or most of it.
Have a nice day!! Mr. S.
"Richard" <n...@mail.com> wrote in message
news:m2p5busig6a29iq8s...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:02:04 -0400, "TNGTony"
<tng...@remove2reply.one.net>
> wrote:
>
> >We can provide all the channels everyone is asking for, but then you
> >wouldn't be very happy about it when the bill comes.
>
> I love this broken record statement from Charlie and co.
>
> Charlie, please explain how DTV can suck up all these new channels the day
> they go live and still manage to have a LOWER plan rate for their
customers
> than Dish does ?
>
> I'm glad that if/when this merger happens, Charlie will not be where the
buck
> stops like now.
Jeff Burris
> On Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:02:04 -0400, "TNGTony" <tng...@remove2reply.one.net>
> wrote:
>
> >We can provide all the channels everyone is asking for, but then you
> >wouldn't be very happy about it when the bill comes.
>
> I love this broken record statement from Charlie and co.
>
> Charlie, please explain how DTV can suck up all these new channels the day
> they go live and still manage to have a LOWER plan rate for their customers
> than Dish does ?
DTV has NEVER had a profitable quarter. IIRC, DISH has.
--
Jeff Burris
Salina, Kansas
Ken Kapson
<tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote:
> Jim says "We Appreciate your support" Was he playing Earnest or Julio? Oh
> wait, that was "Thank you for your support!"
Since you are probably thinking of Bartles and James, it seems pretty
obvious that Jim would be James.
--
Ken Kapson
America's Scrapbook
If replying by e-mail, be sure to remove "misdirect." from the address.
Eric Gorr
Scott Greczkowski
>No word on the 721?
Not a damn word.
I am begining to think that the 721 is VAPORWARE.
Scott
DBStalk.COM
Mike H
news:i376busa0380ndp6g...@4ax.com:
Ya know if there was a word, it would be to tune into the tech chat next
month for an update on Great New Products coming up...
John Lodge
Jennifer Anniston was the answer to the question about who was on the cover
of last months Dish Entertainment Mag, and not the winner of the contest.
John
TNGTony
<tng...@remove2reply.one.net>
> wrote:
>
> >We can provide all the channels everyone is asking for, but then you
> >wouldn't be very happy about it when the bill comes.
>
>
> Charlie, please explain how DTV can suck up all these new channels the day
> they go live and still manage to have a LOWER plan rate for their
customers
> than Dish does ?
Because DirecTV has never made a nickel in profit or even had positive cash
flow over it's history. It's hemoraging money so badly that the parent
company is DUMPING it. Echostar, on the other hand, now has positive cash
flow and is on the way to actually making profit (which is the only way any
company will survive very long) even though Dish Network has been in
existance for less time than DirecTV. That is how DirecTV can offer
expensive channels at what appears to be a lower price (but it's not...just
good marketing)
> I'm glad that if/when this merger happens, Charlie will not be where the
buck
> stops like now.
No but Charlie will have 3 of the 9 votes in the board of directors and
he'll be the chairman. Close enough.
See ya
Tony
TNGTony
"Ken Kapson" <k...@misdirect.amscrap.com> wrote in message
news:ken-090402...@216-80-74-130.d.enteract.com...
> In article <ub4isn4...@corp.supernews.com>, "TNGTony"
> <tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote:
>
> > Jim says "We Appreciate your support" Was he playing Earnest or Julio?
Oh
> > wait, that was "Thank you for your support!"
>
> Since you are probably thinking of Bartles and James, it seems pretty
> obvious that Jim would be James.
LOL! Goes to show how effective that ad campaign was on me!
See ya
Tony
stdo...@hotmail.com
<tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote:
>ABC/Disney and E* have settled their problems. ABC Family will continue on
>AT150
So they moved it to AT150?
>and ESPN Classic sill be coming back on April 17.
Is this coming back to AT100 or is it going to AT150 also?
TNGTony
<stdo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8q47bukvsue4mfqqe...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:02:04 -0400, "TNGTony"
> <tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote:
>
> >ABC/Disney and E* have settled their problems. ABC Family will continue
on
> >AT150
>
> So they moved it to AT150?
No, no...that was a slip of the finger on my part. ABC Family stays on
AT50... (fifty) Sorry about that!
>
> >and ESPN Classic sill be coming back on April 17.
>
> Is this coming back to AT100 or is it going to AT150 also?
AT100 like it was before. That I'm sure of.
See ya
Tony
stdo...@hotmail.com
<tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote:
>> >and ESPN Classic sill be coming back on April 17.
>>
>> Is this coming back to AT100 or is it going to AT150 also?
>
>AT100 like it was before. That I'm sure of.
>
Good. I'm hesitant to admit, but I actually watched that channel from
time to time. Nice to see the old baseball games from the '50s and '60s.
John Lodge
Actually both channels are in the Top 100 Package.
Doug Ashford
>
> In news:alt.dbs.echostar, "TNGTony" <tng...@remove2reply.one.net> posted on
> Mon, 8 Apr 2002 22:02:04 -0400:
>
> > Jim says from time to time a programmer goes off the air. CNN SI will be
> > discontinuing service May 15 so it will be going off the air.
>
> I won't miss it. I thought the channel sucked, but then if I ever do watch
> the news, I only watch it for the news and weather and that's it. Sports
> sucks.
So it makes sense you wouldn't like a sports news channel, right?
Actually, CNN SI has about the only decent world sports news program
around, so it *will* be a loss to those who recognize (and follow)
sports that occur outside the US, like soccer and Formula 1.
Doug
TNGTony
"John Lodge" <jlodge...@mindex.com> wrote in message
news:3CB4338C...@mindex.com...
> St.
>
> Actually both channels are in the Top 100 Package.
ABC Family will continue to be available in AT50, AT70 (Alaska), AT100,
AT150 and America's Everything Pack as it is now. I just did a typo. In my
haste to keep up with the furious pace Charlie and Jim were keeping up, I
typed 150 when I meant 50. Sorry about the confusion
See ya
Tony
Rightlaws
charge as the "other" guys do. My question for Charlie: what's the 10
bucks I'm paying to use the 7200 for??? Is he really that much out of
touch? Or maybe he's just unconciously suppressing anything to do with
the DP's and really believes what he's saying is true......
John Lodge
He was right Dish doesn't charge a PVR fee for their own PVR 501, 508,
and the Vaporware 721. The Dishplayer is a Microsoft Product just like the
DirecTV Ultimate receiver is. Microsoft required a PVR fee for the
development of the Dishplayer. Dish did have a free Dishplayer offer for a
while to help unload Dishplayer receiver stock by offering a three year free
PVR subscription, this was quite a while back. Dishplayer is no longer being
sold so all current Dish Network PVR's have NO PVR fees.
John
Heywood Jablomi
cash to bolster GM. You know better than to make that statement. Say that
nonsense ad dbsdish.com and you'll go down in ashes.
"TNGTony" <tng...@remove2reply.one.net> wrote in message
news:ub6kp5s...@corp.supernews.com...
olc...@home.com
wrote:
>Right,
>
> He was right Dish doesn't charge a PVR fee for their own PVR 501, 508,
>and the Vaporware 721. The Dishplayer is a Microsoft Product just like the
>DirecTV Ultimate receiver is. Microsoft required a PVR fee for the
>development of the Dishplayer. Dish did have a free Dishplayer offer for a
>while to help unload Dishplayer receiver stock by offering a three year free
>PVR subscription, this was quite a while back. Dishplayer is no longer being
>sold so all current Dish Network PVR's have NO PVR fees.
>
>John
The 501 has a $5 month fee on the Digital Home Plan.
John Lodge
Everybody on the Digital Home plan pays $5 more it's a lease fee for renting
the receiver. It's just that the Digital Home Plan comes with a 501 standard now.
It's not a PVR fee at all.
John
TNGTony
<olc...@home.com> wrote in message
news:3s39bukg0fr5v4m3l...@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 10 Apr 2002 16:40:49 GMT, John Lodge <jlodge...@mindex.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Right,
> >
> > He was right Dish doesn't charge a PVR fee for their own PVR 501,
508,
> >and the Vaporware 721. The Dishplayer is a Microsoft Product just like
the
> >DirecTV Ultimate receiver is. Microsoft required a PVR fee for the
> >development of the Dishplayer. Dish did have a free Dishplayer offer for
a
> >while to help unload Dishplayer receiver stock by offering a three year
free
> >PVR subscription, this was quite a while back. Dishplayer is no longer
being
> >sold so all current Dish Network PVR's have NO PVR fees.
> >
> >John
>
> The 501 has a $5 month fee on the Digital Home Plan.
ALL receivers have a $5 fee on the lease plan! This is not a PVR fee. It's
the receiver's lease fee for that plan.
ALL receivers (Dish and DirecTV) have a $5 additional receiver fee for the
second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth receiver if you have them. It's
still not a PVR fee.
E* offered free monthly PVR service on the Dishplayers for some time running
to the end of 6/2003. I've had my receiver for over a year and have another
one to go and do not pay PVR fees. All Dishplayer customers who pay $10 a
month for PVR had the opportunity to pay for 10 months PVR service and get 3
years total at no extra charge. So the only reason anyone on E* pays $10 a
month for PVR is because they passed on the offer to get it essentially for
free for two years and two months.
See ya
Tony
TNGTony
"Heywood Jablomi" <HJab...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:zp_s8.16382$Rw2.1...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Actually Tony, GM is selling off the VERY profitable unit for much needed
> cash to bolster GM. You know better than to make that statement. Say
that
> nonsense ad dbsdish.com and you'll go down in ashes.
Sorry, I didn't realize that DirecTV was profitable. Oh, wait...IT ISN'T
:-) DirecTV is hemoraging money! Imagine that. I guess the point still
stands doesn't it. DirecTV can afford to carry this channel with no raise
in sub rates because they are eating the loss and just adding it to the red.
Or is that wrong too? (honest question)
See ya
Tony
MAC
"Doug Ashford" <dash...@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:3CB43AA1...@prodigy.net...
That's true, but as far as regular sporting news and events, ESPN News blows
it out of the water.
MAC
Former DTV customer
not crediting me on my bill for about 3 months. When I called they insisted
I had not paid despite that my checking count statement showed they had
taken my money. I finally got it resolved with them but it was too many
phone calls and aggravation.
DTV now has more locals in my area that Dish, so I was thinking of switching
back but it sounds like they still have customer service problems. I am
going to wait until after the merger to see what happens before I do
anything or invest in new equipment.
"Mr. S." <s.e.t...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:lWBs8.6378$F13....@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
Doug Ashford
Interesting use of the word "regular". I'm born and bred in the USA,
but I wouldn't assume that sports that occur in the rest of the world
(where 95% of the people live) are somehow "not regular".
Doug
Doug
KW
"Heywood Jablomi" <HJab...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:zp_s8.16382$Rw2.1...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> cash to bolster GM. You know better than to make that statement. Say
that
> nonsense ad dbsdish.com and you'll go down in ashes.
>
Would you care to provide some data that shows that DTV is profitable? I
don't think they have ever posted a profit.
KW
TNGTony
> Interesting use of the word "regular". I'm born and bred in the USA,
> but I wouldn't assume that sports that occur in the rest of the world
> (where 95% of the people live) are somehow "not regular".
These statements always get me. I agree that sports across the world are
different. But the channels we are talking about are U.S. channels and are
aimed at Americans. So the sports from around the world are NOT REGULAR
sports for an American audience being served by an American network.
Just to prove a point, how much time and effort is made by the rest of the
world covering US NFL Football in world wide networks aimed at their
respective indigenous audiences. Well, since I've been out of the country
during NFL Football season and wanted to keep up with the buffoons we
Cincinnatians call the Bengals, I can tell you from experience. It's nearly
IMPOSSIBLE to find any info about U.S. football in China, Japan, Korea and
Hong Kong on anything other than an American network. (CNN, CNBC). But I
could tell you all about their regular sports! :-)
Baseball info in Europe is nearly as difficult to get. I know that for a
fact as well. Why, because it's not a "regular" sport there either.
So, having said all that, ESPNews does a great job at covering REGULAR
sports. :-)
See ya
Tony
Doug Ashford
I've had different experiences than you in that regard. Many newspapers
in major European cities carry scores of American sports leagues.
> So, having said all that, ESPNews does a great job at covering REGULAR
> sports. :-)
Didn't mean to imply that this situation is restricted to Americans.
But I am constantly amused that so many people seem to think that
domestic = regular. It's a big world and we're all citizens in it. A
good listen to something like the BBC News will reveal how insular our
media is (and the BBC is not nearly as Anglocentric as some might
imagine). I'm not saying the way sports, news, etc. are handled in the
US is wrong, I'm saying there are options, and very few news outlets are
acknowledging those options. CNN SI has been one.
Doug
Mark Holtz
wrote:
>> He was right Dish doesn't charge a PVR fee for their own PVR 501, 508,
>>and the Vaporware 721. The Dishplayer is a Microsoft Product just like the
>>DirecTV Ultimate receiver is. Microsoft required a PVR fee for the
>>development of the Dishplayer. Dish did have a free Dishplayer offer for a
>>while to help unload Dishplayer receiver stock by offering a three year free
>>PVR subscription, this was quite a while back. Dishplayer is no longer being
>>sold so all current Dish Network PVR's have NO PVR fees.
>The 501 has a $5 month fee on the Digital Home Plan.
Yes, but under the digital home plan, you don't own the equipment, you lease
it.
--
Mark Holtz, Mere Mortal
http://www.deepspacefranchise.net
S. Hanrahan
IOW, same ol', same ol'