ABC just went off the air

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Zee

Diamond Member
Nov 27, 1999
5,171
3
76
No LOST?
Wow. There's gonna be trouble!

is LOST that show on abc that contains the 1 hour of commercials with bits of interruptions in between?

Fuck abc/disney.
 
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shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
I cant even remember the last time I watched broadcast TV. It must have been in May of 97, right before I joined the Navy.
 

TackleDummy

Member
Aug 18, 2004
180
0
71
As one of their customers I would rather CV piss all over ABC then jack up our bill because ABC demanded more money. If ABC were worth watching maybe they would make more money from their advertisers and this wouldn't be an issue.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
As one of their customers I would rather CV piss all over ABC then jack up our bill because ABC demanded more money. If ABC were worth watching maybe they would make more money from their advertisers and this wouldn't be an issue.

Yes, because when the free ota networks go out of business, Comcast will of course lower their prices.

NOT:eek:
 

MJinZ

Diamond Member
Nov 4, 2009
8,192
0
0
Modern Family
Lost
20/20
Nba
stfu

Lost <- critically acclaimed
Modern Family <- best sitcom on TV bar none
Castle - refreshing

And popular ones I do not watch like:

Grey's Anatomy & spinoffs
Scrubs


Fox used to have the best line up, but this year they've stumbled. 24 sucks, Family guy sucked, Fringe sucks, etc.

They do still have some good shows like House, Human Target, Lie to Me, Glee, and I can't believe I still watch Hell's Kitchen but that show just makes salivate sometimes. ^_^
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
Lost <- critically acclaimed
Modern Family <- best sitcom on TV bar none
Castle - refreshing

And popular ones I do not watch like:

Grey's Anatomy & spinoffs
Scrubs


Fox used to have the best line up, but this year they've stumbled. 24 sucks, Family guy sucked, Fringe sucks, etc.

They do still have some good shows like House, Human Target, Lie to Me, Glee, and I can't believe I still watch Hell's Kitchen but that show just makes salivate sometimes. ^_^

Now that ota networks are beginning to get paid by cable networks I predict much better shows in the future.
 

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,205
165
106
hah, i dont know enough about this to comment, but my sister-in-law work for abc disney (pretty low on the totem pole). I got to see her office in nyc a week or so ago. Man that must've been the nicest workplace Ive ever seen. It was like being in an art deco lounge complete with a ultra modern kitchen. From what she tells me, her bosses, all of them middle managers, make around quarter of a million dollars
 

TackleDummy

Member
Aug 18, 2004
180
0
71
Yes, because when the free ota networks go out of business, Comcast will of course lower their prices.

NOT:eek:

Who said anything about comcast?

No one said anything about lowering prices either. If ABC starts charging CV, who do you think is going to pay for that?
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
they could, but most people don't have antennas anymore.

In NYC you really need a roof antenna due to all the buildings. Some people can get decent ota without it, but most can't. When I lived in the Bronx I could get two channels that you could actually make out thru the all the static, but it was unwatchable.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
The story was on NPR repeatedly yesterday. Apparently, CV pays Disney (owns ABC) 200 million for the rights to broadcast ABC. Disney wants them to pay an extra 40 million or they'd shut it off.

Isn't ABC available over the air for free? CV should just build ota tuners into their cable boxes, wave the middle finger (also a story repeated several times on NPR yesterday), and save 200 million.
 

Narmer

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2006
5,292
0
0
Is it even legal for a cable company to take a broadcast channel off the air?
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
Is it even legal for a cable company to take a broadcast channel off the air?
I believe ABC took themselves off of Cablevision, not the other way around.

the OTA signal is still available, but who but the nerds have antennas for their digital tv's?
 

MJinZ

Diamond Member
Nov 4, 2009
8,192
0
0
I believe ABC took themselves off of Cablevision, not the other way around.

the OTA signal is still available, but who but the nerds have antennas for their digital tv's?

LOL, I have a 40" 1080P and I do not use cable. Pointless since I can download the series I want, Hulu everything else, and watch/play on the TV during "live" moments.

Cable is for suckers.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
LOL, I have a 40" 1080P and I do not use cable. Pointless since I can download the series I want, Hulu everything else, and watch/play on the TV during "live" moments.

Cable is for suckers.
like I said.

your average 40+ year-old probably has no clue what hulu is or how to download tv shows via
usenet
... my dad would be aghast at the idea of watching his tv shows while hunched over his laptop and I can't imagine trying to explain mythtv to my 83 year-old aunt.
 

TangoJuliet

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2006
5,595
1
76
I can see both sides in the matter

ABC says CV charges $18/m for basic TV which people can get FREE via OTA. That $18 doesn't go back into the pockets of any of the networks.

CV says they pay ABC/Disney $200 million for the rights to broadcast basically everything ESPN/Disney and in the deal ABC is thrown in for free. They don't want to pass down the $40 million dollar increase to its customers.

The real losers are the people. For me, CV is the only cable provider in the area. Fios is not available yet and TW is not on Long Island. I hate all of this monopoly crap and how networks are now holding the viewers hostage. Seriously didn't they learn anything with the music industry and napster?

If it wasn't for my wife and how much she loves Food Network, Bravo, Lifetime, etc I'd cancel all of that crap and download whatever I wanted or watched online without the hassle of a cable provider.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
I can see both sides in the matter

ABC says CV charges $18/m for basic TV which people can get FREE via OTA. That $18 doesn't go back into the pockets of any of the networks.

CV says they pay ABC/Disney $200 million for the rights to broadcast basically everything ESPN/Disney and in the deal ABC is thrown in for free. They don't want to pass down the $40 million dollar increase to its customers.

The real losers are the people. For me, CV is the only cable provider in the area. Fios is not available yet and TW is not on Long Island. I hate all of this monopoly crap and how networks are now holding the viewers hostage. Seriously didn't they learn anything with the music industry and napster?

If it wasn't for my wife and how much she loves Food Network, Bravo, Lifetime, etc I'd cancel all of that crap and download whatever I wanted or watched online without the hassle of a cable provider.

Well, other "networks" that have a few cable channels don't have to give one to CV for free, do they? And, local channels are a main reason many people get cable, since they can't get reception, or because its included in their cable. Look at how many people didn't get satellite before they had local channels.

IIRC under the law, there is a "must carry" rule that says cable companies must carry any ota within a certain distance. This was instituted to protect ota from the monoply that is cable television from putting them off the air, to further their monoply. And because it was obvious the cable companies as a monoply could deal unfairly with ota's.

However, there is nothing in the law that says the cable companies have to pay the ota networks. So if an ota wants money and the cable company doesn't pay then its the ota that is really putting itself off the cable.

Lastly, the cable company is using its monoply against ota's that would be prosecuted if they did the same thing. Clearly, if all the ota's in an area got together and said pay us or you can't carry us, the cable companies would lose scads of customers because the local channels are the most watched and demanded channels. Just ask Direct TV how important they are. But the ota's are prohibited from acting in unison by anti trust laws. The cable companies ar exempt because they have a government granted monoply.
 
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