# Dish vs Media General 6/30 deadline extended to 9/30... Now what?



## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

The Southwest Times of SW Virginia says that Dish is still trying to work a deal with Media General's 17 stations before a June 30 deadline.
http://www.southwesttimes.com/2013/06/wsls-channel-10-threatens-to-block-dish-customers/
TV Predictions agrees.
http://www.tvpredictions.com/dish062713.htm

According to TV Predictions, here are the affected stations:

WVTM Birmingham AL
WKRG Mobile AL
WFLA Tampa FL
WJBF Augusta GA
WRBL Columbus GA
WSAV Savannah GA
WHLT Hattiesburg MS
WJTV Jackson MS
WNCN Goldsboro NC
WNCT & WSPA Greenville NC
WJAR Providence RI
WCBD Charleston SC
WBTW Myrtle Beach SC
WJHL Johnson City TN
WCMH Columbus OH
WSLS Roanoke VA (not "WSLA" as stated)


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## oljim (Aug 6, 2002)

Dish customers should call the people that buy adds on the TV station, they are spending the same money for a 30 second add but dish customers will no longer see it.
This will make think about where the real money comes from


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## RBA (Apr 14, 2013)

Ho hum another DISH dispute. June 30th stations go dark. By July 14 th one of the 2 caves in and everything is back to normal. Smart customers have installed a TV antenna and didn't really see any problem.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

RBA said:


> Ho hum another DISH dispute. June 30th stations go dark. By July 14 th one of the 2 caves in and everything is back to normal. Smart customers have installed a TV antenna and didn't really see any problem.


+1

I do watch OTA as well as Dish....


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## jacksonm30354 (Mar 29, 2007)

FTA Michael said:


> According to TV Predictions, here are the affected stations:
> 
> WVTM Birmingham AL[/size]
> WKRG Mobile AL[/size]
> ...


WNCT is Greenville, NC
WSPA is Greenville/Spartanburg, SC


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

As I said when dtv dealt with tribune. Shut them down and make the other side cave. There shouldn't even be fees for over the air.


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## redsoxfan26 (Dec 7, 2007)

I just saw a crawl at the bottom of my screen saying they have extended a deal for another 90 days. So in three months we can do this all again.


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## tombo114 (Jun 29, 2013)

RBA said:


> Ho hum another DISH dispute. June 30th stations go dark. By July 14 th one of the 2 caves in and everything is back to normal. Smart customers have installed a TV antenna and didn't really see any problem.


You realize that SCAM DIGITAL OTA signals do not travel as far as the old ANALOG OTA so your suggestion for those people just to put up an OTA xhannels is malarkey, since MANY people who before could get ANALLOG OTA channels cant get nothing OTA since the bogus digital the FCC allowed signal does not travel as far.

All this is babysteps to elimanating OTA all together, by 2020 you will either need cable or Satellite or ISP deliveed for locals, since they are being phased out


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

RBA said:


> Ho hum another DISH dispute. June 30th stations go dark.


Raycom Broadcasting and Mediacom cable are fussin' at each other too (unless they settled today).


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

tombo114 said:


> You realize that SCAM DIGITAL OTA signals do not travel as far as the old ANALOG OTA so your suggestion for those people just to put up an OTA xhannels is malarkey, since MANY people who before could get ANALLOG OTA channels cant get nothing OTA since the bogus digital the FCC allowed signal does not travel as far.
> 
> All this is babysteps to elimanating OTA all together, by 2020 you will either need cable or Satellite or ISP deliveed for locals, since they are being phased out


Where did you get all that stuff about Digital not working as well as analog? I know of places where they get reliable digital TV at well over a hundred miles. The biggest difference is between the "slops all over everywhere" nature of low-band VHF analog signals, and the "line of sight" nature of UHF channels (which many digital signals are, now).

As for the government and the broadband industry trying to eliminate OTA TV altogether............I agree with you, 100%.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Resurrecting this topic from the dead... since the 90 day extension has now expired.

Last I looked, I still had WNCN on my receiver... but haven't heard if there has been another extension OR if we are just waiting for the shoe to drop.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Apparently the takedown happened around 2:00am EDT. I wasn't watching then to know for sure, but WNCN is gone and replaced with a slate saying Media General wants 4x the money and doesn't want to accept an offer from Dish to pay what their competitors are paying and did not agree to let Dish continue having the channel while they talk.

Will this last? Who knows... but I assume the other Media General owned channels went dark at the same time.


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## festivus (Nov 10, 2008)

WCMH in Columbus is now off.

Not a big deal to me since I have an antenna in my attic and I can get the signal OTA. But of course the guide does not show the correct programming. I wish that Dish could figure out a way to have the guide correct for the OTA channels when this type of thing happens.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

There is no "figuring out a way"... Dish has no motivation to help the OTA station when they are in a dispute... so they don't. Dish could uplink EPG data if they wanted... although as James described in another thread, the data does take bandwidth so they can't just go nuts with the data... but it isn't a matter of being unable to keep EPG data, it is a matter of being unwilling.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I'd think puttin the data in would put more pressure on the channel because the consumer wouldn't even know the difference for the most part if they are using over the air.


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## festivus (Nov 10, 2008)

Well, if Dish could show the guide data for the OTA channel and they choose not to do so, it's kinda infantile, isn't it? It's not going to stop anyone from getting around it with a manual timer. It just makes it inconvenient.

Now I'm mad at Dish.


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

From today's Multichannel News story:

In a statement, Dish said Media General rejected its request for a second extension until Media General is acquired by Young Broadcasting, a broadcaster with which Dish already has an existing retrans agreement. That deal that is expected to be completed later this year.


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## hasbeen29650 (Mar 25, 2012)

I am one of those impacted by this mess. Any chance of getting a free OTA adapter from Dish. It would go a long way to allowing me to say, hold out for ever Dish.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Doesn't your TV have a built in OTA ATSC tuner ?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

festivus said:


> Well, if Dish could show the guide data for the OTA channel and they choose not to do so, it's kinda infantile, isn't it? It's not going to stop anyone from getting around it with a manual timer. It just makes it inconvenient.
> 
> Now I'm mad at Dish.


Usually I find that BOTH sides in these kinds of disputes do things that are "infantile"... Both sides end up negotiating from a point of "I'll take my ball and go home"... which is, frankly, their prerogative to do so... but it doesn't win any friends.

I'm for stations asking for whatever they can get... and I'm for Dish trying to pay as little as they can get away with... and while I'm affected by this particular dispute, I hold fast to my "let it go dark if that is what it takes" mantra. Whether it is a channel I watch or don't watch... I'm ok... I do wish these companies would learn to do these negotiations better.

I mean... Media General wants to be carried by Dish... Dish wants to carry these LiLs... they should be able to agree on something without throwing tantrums, name-calling, starting "be my friend but not THEIR friend" Web sites, etc. etc.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Stewart Vernon said:


> I mean... Media General wants to be carried by Dish... Dish wants to carry these LiLs... they should be able to agree on something without throwing tantrums, name-calling, starting "be my friend but not THEIR friend" Web sites, etc. etc.


Especially with Media General selling out to Young. It is almost like it is one last hurrah for a dying company.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Yep - I agree Stewart. I'm affected by the same channel you are, and if I REALLY want to watch that channel OTA - I can. But there is not much (if anything) on NBC that I watch.

Besides OTA antenna - those members that have cable internet may want to hookup a TV to that connection and do a channel scan for cable channels. It's possible that your local Media General station is available on cable. It certainly works in our area (except for the ABC station) - at least for now.


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## tenwinecans (Aug 21, 2012)

Stewart Vernon said:


> Media General wants 4x the money and doesn't want to accept an offer from Dish to pay what their competitors are paying


Does anybody know what exactly is Dish and it's competitors paying for these local channels?

I pay $6 extra each month to get 5 local channels on my Hopper. Since two have disappeared
due to this dispute with Media General, shouldn't Dish only charge me only $3.60 per month?

Will an USB OTA adapter for the Hopper allow me to get those two channels? Or are they also 
blocked from the program guide?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

You will get OTA channels if you have the OTA adapter... but you will not get EPG data for dropped channels. We've discussed that a few times in this thread and others... so you can watch OTA live and set manual timers to record when you know something you like will be on... but no traditional timers or PTAT will be useful while the dispute is ongoing for that particular channel.

Meanwhile...

I forget where I read it... but I read somewhere a quote from a Media General rep that said they were only asking for "pennies a day per subscriber"... so, one has to assume that means at least 2 cents per day right? 2 cents per day is 60 cents per month... that seems like a lot compared to some other channels that we know about.


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## kregster (Mar 16, 2012)

Dish's announcement on the channel now says Media is wanting three times more. It was five times earlier today. Sounds like Media is coming down on the asking price. Hopefully things get worked out soon. I don't like it but I really don't see why the stations should get paid because the more people that see the station the more their revenues. Without Dish they have less advertising revenue plus no money from Dish. Dish might lose some subscribers but the stations really stand to lose out.


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## Daggett (Mar 20, 2008)

The one or two shows I watch on NBC can easily be seen OTA. I hope Dish really creams them.


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## festivus (Nov 10, 2008)

Yeah, I too forgot to mention that I currently watch very few show on NBC. I was looking at my timers just yesterday to see what I'll need to manually program. One show.

Also, I typically take the provider side of things. If the provider has to pay a lot more, we pay more. If the provider pays less, we pay less. It's as simple as that to me. My bill goes up and up when my programming doesn't change. I'm OK with it from an inflation perspective but not from a greed perspective.


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## hasbeen29650 (Mar 25, 2012)

scooper said:


> Doesn't your TV have a built in OTA ATSC tuner ?


Yes but it does not have DVR capability so that I can record programs when I am not home to watch them.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Things on my local "Don't drop WNCN" Web site that are screwy...

"*4. Does DISH Network pay to acquire other channels?*

Based on publicly available information, all cable and satellite companies, including DISH Network, pay the owners of most channels that they carry, even those with few or no viewers. We understand that companies such as DISH Network pay substantial fees per month for the right to carry ESPN, TNT, Disney Channel, and others. These channels have NO local programming, NO local employees, NO local investments, and far fewer viewers than WNCN."

So... let me take that last sentence one part at a time...

ESPN has "no local programming"? Well, they do sometimes... when they televise local sporting events.
"No local employees"? Well, they do sometimes... when they are in the area televising local sporting events.
"No local investments"? Perhaps. I don't know how things work with the camera assets and how much of that stays in the area when they leave.

But the last one is a kicker...

"far far viewers than WNCN"? Ok, WNCN is an NBC affiliate... last I looked NBC was in last place... and I daresay ESPN has more regular viewers than our local NBC affiliate!

"*5. Won't my rates go up if DISH Network has to pay WNCN for its signal?*

Whether rates go up depends on decisions made by DISH Network. Like all cable and satellite companies, DISH Network is already charging you to receive WNCN as part of your monthly satellite bill. In fact, over the past two years, DISH Network has made a profit of more than $2.1 billion on combined revenue of more than $28 billion. DISH Network could simply re-allocate the fees its pays among those channels that the public really wants to watch. Thus, DISH Network could pay less for, or refuse to carry altogether, channels that its customers don't value nearly as highly as they value WNCN. In any event, we do not control how much DISH Network pays others, how much it charges you, or how it manages its business. We are simply requesting that DISH Network pay a fair market price for our signal, just as DISH's competitors do. We have and will continue to negotiate with DISH Network in good faith in an effort to successfully complete a deal with them."

Interesting... so, by Media General's own statistics, Dish makes less than 10% profit margin on their revenue. That doesn't pain Dish as a greedy corporation does it? 7.5% profit margin is pretty darn slim isn't it? And if Media General truly is looking for 3-4 times their current rates (as Dish has proclaimed) wouldn't Media General be the one trying to grab for profits here?

And... in their own "what to do" scenario, they are actually saying Dish should cut funds to less popular channels! Which is likely what they are doing in the case of Media General  Just giving them what they ask for... stopping paying channels that are less popular 

"*7. If DISH Network stops carrying WNCN, will I get a refund on my satellite bill?*

It is up to DISH Network to determine whether they will give you a refund or credit. You should contact DISH to let them know that you will be unhappy if you have to pay for a service you are no longer receiving.* The best thing DISH subscribers can do to get our channel back is to call DISH and tell them to stop their DISHruption! Tell DISH you are not getting what you are paying for. DISH is offering some customers rebates of $5 a month AND MORE, so be sure to ask for yours. Contact DISH at 1-888-389-1496 and make your voice heard.*"

Now this one made me laugh... So... they are telling you to call Dish and get your $5 discount for not having this channel... kinda says to me that I should be happy if Dish dropped WNCN, doesn't it? I lose my last-place NBC affiliate AND can get my bill lowered by $5? And even better... Dish is willing to give me a $5 discount than to pay whatever WNCN wants... doesn't that imply that WNCN is "worth" $5 per month? And is that really what they are asking to be paid? I don't know... but if you read between the lines, it sure as heck sounds like they want you to think their channel is worth that!


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Stewart Vernon said:


> Media General: "In fact, over the past two years, DISH Network has made a profit of more than $2.1 billion on combined revenue of more than $28 billion."


Over the past two years? Wow ... talk about inflating figures. The last reported quarter DISH lost $11 million. 3rd Quarter 2012 DISH lost $158 million. The other two quarters were decent but in the past four reported quarters DISH cleared $255 million ... on ~14 million customers ... roughly $1.52 per customer per month.

A profit of $1.52 per month per customer doesn't sound good, so Media General has to pad it by going back TWO years ... which is actually a total of $1.483 billion for the past eight reported quarters. Quick ... pad some more by using 2011 and 2012 figures only. 

On an average revenue of $80.90 per month $1.52 profit is 1.9%. Not much.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

*Media General Stations To Go Back on DISH to Provide Tropical Storm Karen Coverage*

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Media General today announced that in order to provide the company's local television station viewers with important information about Tropical Storm Karen it has asked DISH Network to restore a number of its stations to the satellite service.

"Providing our viewers with important weather and safety information during storms is an integral part of our responsibility to our local communities," said George L. Mahoney, president and chief executive of Media General. "We will continue to do everything we can to reach a fair resolution with DISH on our retransmission consent agreement that has expired and have our programming permanently restored to the DISH satellite system as soon as possible. We look forward to continuing the conversation with DISH."

The following stations will be back on DISH for the specified periods of time:

Saturday, October 5 at 6:00 AM until Monday, October 7 at 12:01 AM

WJTV / Jackson, Miss.

WHLT / Hattiesburg, Miss.

WKRG / Mobile, Ala.

WVTM / Birmingham, Ala.

As is the case with all extreme weather events, Media General stations also keep people informed on their television station websites as well.

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20131004-908213.html


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

They haven't been keeping up with Karen, have they?

If it doesn't die out, it may not go anywhere near MS, at least not as any kind of threatening system.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

James Long said:


> Over the past two years? Wow ... talk about inflating figures. The last reported quarter DISH lost $11 million. 3rd Quarter 2012 DISH lost $158 million. The other two quarters were decent but in the past four reported quarters DISH cleared $255 million ... on ~14 million customers ... roughly $1.52 per customer per month.
> 
> A profit of $1.52 per month per customer doesn't sound good, so Media General has to pad it by going back TWO years ... which is actually a total of $1.483 billion for the past eight reported quarters. Quick ... pad some more by using 2011 and 2012 figures only.
> 
> On an average revenue of $80.90 per month $1.52 profit is 1.9%. Not much.


I thought I remembered worse numbers for Dish... but even the "unicorns and rainbows" that were in what I quoted doesn't make it sound like Dish is stealing our wallets and running off to Bermuda or anything for a hot vacation!


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Stewart Vernon said:


> I thought I remembered worse numbers for Dish... but even the "unicorns and rainbows" that were in what I quoted doesn't make it sound like Dish is stealing our wallets and running off to Bermuda or anything for a hot vacation!


2011 was DISH's best year ever for profit. The only other time they cleared a billion in a single year was 2005. Through the end of 2012 DISH has made $4.8 billion over 18 years ($269 million per year average).


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Yeah... whatever else we can (and often do) say bad about Dish... it is kind of hard to talk about them being greedy to the point of lining their pockets with gold.


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## Daggett (Mar 20, 2008)

Dish replaced WCMH with WGN here. Turning up the heat a little I guess.


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## jefte1 (Feb 10, 2010)

yes, dish replaced wspa with wgn in south Carolina, called them when i found out. rep said they were working on our area now to get the station back up. gave me showtime, starz and epix plus blockbuster home for free for 3 months for my inconvenience.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Since my Media General station is an NBC affiliate, I've been able to catch the couple of NBC programs I want to see via a manual timer and then watch Sunday Night Football live all on OTA... it would be a little more difficult if this were a FOX or CBS station... but since its NBC I honestly barely notice the channel being gone.


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## jefte1 (Feb 10, 2010)

unfortunately ours is CBS and cw here, major inconvenience. If they don't agree soon i will cancel dish and go elsewhere. Where we live antenna's are not an option here up in the mountain area.Most of what we watch is on cbs, i can pull the shows from my computer from the cbs website, but that is getting old quick.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Media General has stepped up the negative talk lately... with some local radio spots... which strikes me as interesting. I mean, do you really need a radio spot to know if a TV channel is gone? Think about that for a second... IF I hadn't noticed my local channel was gone from Dish by watching TV... and I hear about it while listening to the radio... that kind of means I wasn't that concerned about it.

So... Dish will pay us $5 to not have the channel... and the channel owners will pay for radio spots to bash Dish rather than negotiate.

I think what is most telling is probably that the current Media General owners will not be in charge of things once their merger goes through... which is likely what Dish is waiting for... since they already have a deal with those new owners for other channels. Hard to blame Dish for not wanting to bend to extortion from the old guard that is on the way out.


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## hasbeen29650 (Mar 25, 2012)

I am in Greenville, SC and every day in the paper since this started, Dish has run a full page ad saying how the local station was more interested in money than its viewers, etc. I didn't notice the ad today. I wonder if that means Dish is tired of paying for it or if it has suddenly been settled. Since I have not seen anything here, I am assuming that Dish didn't feel like paying for the add and more. This is coming up on 3 weeks now.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I noticed something similar but opposite recently... my local WNCN had a "don't drop WNCN" Web site that disappeared within the last week at some point... so I don't know if that means an agreement is coming OR they too got tired of maintaining that site.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Not settled ... DISH is asking the FCC for help.

*DISH Calls on FCC to Intervene as Media General Prolongs Blackout*
(October 18th)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, DISH Network L.L.C. ("DISH") filed a complaint against Media General, requesting that the Federal Communications Commission immediately require Media General to negotiate in good faith to resolve a blackout that began Oct. 1.

In the Complaint, DISH explains how Media General has breached its statutory duty to negotiate in good faith: "Media General's conduct violates the Commission's rules requiring good faith negotiation for retransmission consent rights, because, among other things, Media General failed to respond for 11 days to DISH's last pre-blackout offer."

Media General blocked programming from DISH customers in 17 markets after a retransmission contract expired.

"DISH customers and Media General viewers were without their shows and events for 11 days before Media General would even contact us," said Dave Shull, DISH executive vice president. "We reacted with a counter offer within hours and Media General has yet to respond. DISH is asking the FCC to act expeditiously to address Media General's bad faith, push them back to the negotiating table and submit to mediation to get programming back to consumers."

In negotiations prior to Media General's takedown, the Richmond, Va.-based broadcaster rejected DISH's offer to match the rates paid by primary pay-TV competitors, and additionally declined to receive the same rates DISH pays to other area broadcasters.

Media General has also tried to force DISH to renegotiate its completely separate deal with Young Broadcasting. Media General is making this improper demand as it awaits its proposed acquisition by Young Broadcasting, currently under FCC regulatory review.

{Station List Removed}

To learn more about DISH's negotiations with Media General, visit www.DISHValuePledge.com.

To read DISH's Retransmission Complaint to the FCC, visit the following:
http://about.dish.com/document-library/verified-retransmission-complaint-against-media-general


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

Young Broadcasting is ten times worse as Media General.


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## Athlon646464 (Feb 23, 2007)

*Media General Issues Statement Regarding FCC Complaint Filed by DISH Network*

SOURCE Media General

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Media General issued the following statement regarding the retransmission complaint filed with the FCC today by DISH Network:

This is the first time in the history of our company that Media General has failed to reach an agreement with a cable operator or satellite carrier. DISH, in contrast, has been involved in 32 take-down disputes with local broadcasters in the past three years alone, affecting more than 120 local television stations. DISH is currently involved in two other take-downs, in addition to its dispute with Media General.

Full Press Release Here


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Non-sequitur.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

> 2011 was DISH's best year ever for profit. The only other time they cleared a billion in a single year was 2005. Through the end of 2012 DISH has made $4.8 billion over 18 years ($269 million per year average).


Was that before or after Charlies Billion dollar pay checks?

$269 Mill is a good net profit since that's AFTER all the employees were paid.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

damondlt said:


> Was that before or after Charlies Billion dollar pay checks?
> 
> $269 Mill is a good net profit since that's AFTER all the employees were paid.


When has Charlie ever gotten a "billion dollar" paycheck?

Also... how is $269 million a year a good average profit for a company taking in the gross that Dish takes in?

I'll just take a stab at math... I don't have all the data for that same 18-year period that was used to calculate the $269 average profit... but for the last 5 years or so, the average gross revenue was around 4 billion. I suspect their 18 year average gross revenue is lower than that... but lets just use that for fun.

$269 million profit on $4 billion gross revenue is only 6.725% profit margin.

You think that's good for a multi-billion dollar company?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

damondlt said:


> $269 Mill is a good net profit since that's AFTER all the employees were paid.


Profit isn't bad ... but the point is that Media General's inflated claims need to be read appropriately. DISH is surviving and reinvesting profits into their current and future businesses. They are not making a lot of money on each subscriber (only $3.77 per subscriber per month in 2012 - or 4.8% of the average monthly bill). DISH isn't averaging $2-$3 billion profit per year and making $17 per month per subscriber (17.7% of the average monthly bill).

I would not mind seeing DISH be more profitable but since they get their money from me I'd rather have the lower subscription rates. 

$269 million is good ... but it doesn't put DISH in the position to say yes to every big demand that little companies like Media General makes.


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## hasbeen29650 (Mar 25, 2012)

Well the Dish full page ads about the local media general station are back so I guess we are still going strong with no settlement in sight.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

Stewart Vernon said:


> When has Charlie ever gotten a "billion dollar" paycheck?
> 
> Also... how is $269 million a year a good average profit for a company taking in the gross that Dish takes in?
> 
> ...


Really? if my company brought in a net profit of 270 million a year, yea I would say that's good.
Gross means nothing, and again everyone is paid including Charlie, and the company still has 270 million a year left?
Wow better close up shop fast!


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

James Long said:


> *I would not mind seeing DISH be more profitable *but since they get their money from me I'd rather have the lower subscription rates.


Why?


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

James Long said:


> $269 million is good ... but it doesn't put DISH in the position to say yes to every big demand that little companies like Media General makes.


Never said it did.

But I also don't get my rocks of watching Dish or Directv, raking in that kind of money, and crying poverty.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

damondlt said:


> Never said it did.


It isn't all about you ... it is about the thread. You know, the dispute between DISH and Media General? Media General noted how much DISH made over the past two years (going two years to give them a much bigger number than one and to include more profitable quarters than the current ones). Companies worth multiple billions should make multiple millions in profits ... or they can go the way of Media General and go out of business.

This is one last hurrah for Media General. One last attempt at victory before they cease to exist.



damondlt said:


> But I also don't get my rocks of watching Dish or Directv, raking in that kind of money, and crying poverty.


DISH isn't crying poverty ... they are promoting responsibility. DirecTV is doing the same in their disputes. And since at the end of the day they are spending our money I'm not going to complain too much.

Media General collected $5 million in operating income and had a net loss of $16 million in the 2nd quarter. Should they claim poverty? They are still worth $682 million.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

damondlt said:


> Really? if my company brought in a net profit of 270 million a year, yea I would say that's good.
> Gross means nothing, and again everyone is paid including Charlie, and the company still has 270 million a year left?
> Wow better close up shop fast!


I'll try this one last time.

IF you had to spend $95 to get $100 would you consider that "good"?

IF you had to spend $95,000 to get back $100,000 would you consider that "good"?

It wasn't that long ago that you could earn 5% in a savings account.... so most businesses would definitely NOT be aiming for 6-7% profitability!

Yeah, you'd rather make money than lose money... but if you have to spend 95% of what you make, then that isn't a great profitable business... and certainly not one that just has money to throw around at any and every company that wants to raise your rates.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

Stewart Vernon said:


> IF you had to spend $95,000 to get back $100,000 would you consider that "good"?


Yes I would


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

damondlt said:


> Yes I would


So... you would give your $95,000 away and couldn't use it for a year just to get $100,000 back at the end of that year?

That's what you're saying is "good" for a company... nobody considers <10% return on investment a good investment for a company. It's one thing if you do it with a personal savings account... think about investing in a multi-year-CD or something where you can't touch that money for 5-10-20 years and then only get 10% return or less... those are not good investments unless it is purely extra money that you wouldn't do anything with in the meantime.

At this point I can't believe you are being realistic, it sounds like you are just being contrary to be contrary. Dish is FAR from a perfect company... but they are by all accounts operating on the slimmest of profit margins for a company of their size.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Considering the state of the economy, 6.725% is not bad at all.

Solyndra would have loved to have those numbers.


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## festivus (Nov 10, 2008)

For those of us that can get the local OTA it would nice to have guide information. To me that's that's the most frustrating thing about this entire, infantile contest of wills. Since I went through the hassle of putting a good antenna in my attic it would be nice if Dish could provide a guide at the very least for network shows.

It's aggravating that for me, satellite ch 4 is out. OK, fine. But OTA ch 4.1 comes in just fine but I have no guide for that channel. But of course OTA 4.2 that airs reruns of old shows does have guide information! Why?! So I can see that MASH is coming on at 8:00 on 4.2 but I'm not allowed to see anything for 4.1?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Jim5506 said:


> Considering the state of the economy, 6.725% is not bad at all.
> 
> Solyndra would have loved to have those numbers.


OF course... but that wasn't the point I was making. Obviously some profit is better than no profit and both are better than losing money.

BUT... this branch of the conversation started by noting how Media General was painting Dish as some mega-profitable conglomerate who could afford to pay whatever Media General wants... The facts don't bear that out. The facts support that Dish is a company that barely makes a profit and can't afford to just take whatever Media General or any other company wants to demand as pay for their channels.


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## Athlon646464 (Feb 23, 2007)

*Update: **CBS to stream Alabama-Tennessee game as Media General-DISH Network dispute continues*

Saturday's Alabama-Tennessee matchup might not pack the wallop of rivalry games past, but there remains plenty of off-field drama for some fans.

Due to an unresolved contract dispute, DISH Network subscribers in eight markets - including WKRG in Mobile and WJHL in Tennessee's Tri-Cities area that includes Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol - will not find the game among CBS' regularly scheduled programming because the stations are currently unavailable.

For the second consecutive week, however, Media General has negotiated alternative broadcast options for affected CBS viewers in danger of missing Saturday's 2:30 p.m. kickoff, pitting the unranked Volunteers against the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide.

Full Story Here









Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon dives for a second quarter 
touchdown against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, 
Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. CBS will allow stations affected by a 
DISH Network contract dispute to stream Saturday's meeting between 
the two teams in Tuscaloosa. (Mark Almond/ [email protected])


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## adkinsjm (Mar 25, 2003)

The only news is the streams will be offered on the stations' websites. CBS has streamed SEC football throughout the season.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/495378-CBS_Sports_to_Stream_SEC_Football_Games.php


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## festivus (Nov 10, 2008)

Bump!

So where does all of this now stand? I haven't heard an update for weeks. Again, it would nice and barely an issue (for me) if the guide still contained information for OTA...


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## Mike.H_DISHNetwork (Feb 1, 2011)

festivus said:


> Bump!
> 
> So where does all of this now stand? I haven't heard an update for weeks. Again, it would nice and barely an issue (for me) if the guide still contained information for OTA...


Scott,
I understand you're upset. I don't have any additional information for about the status of our negotiations with Media General, who owns your local station. DISH will update www.dishvaluepledge.com with more information as it becomes available.
Thanks


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Hey - check your EPG - I have my Media General station (WNCN NBC17) in Raleigh back.

However - the mapdown on my 311 receiver is not working yet - maybe a reboot / check dish will fix it


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I saw that... back in HD and EPG partially there... probably will not be fully back until after tonight's off-cycle... I am seeing some news around the internet now too saying a deal was reached.

Funny how it has only been a few days since the merger of Media General and Young (I think it was Young) and now we have an agreement and channels back... just like Dish had been saying all along, that Media General was playing unnecessary hardball knowing the people in charge at Media General were not going to be in charge after the merger completed this week.


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## gor88 (May 9, 2003)

I confirm that Media General station WJTV CBS in Jackson, MS is back on the air at 012-00. Some program details in the guide are missing, but I have CBS back again. Awesome! 

Now if Dish Network will add 12.2 CW in 720P to the locals. They haven't dropped 34 yet, which flipped to Trinity last May. My theory is that they have been holding that spot to use for CW. Time will tell.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Stewart Vernon said:


> Funny how it has only been a few days since the merger of Media General and Young (I think it was Young) and now we have an agreement and channels back...


DISH has an agreement with Young ... they wanted Media General to extend their agreement until Young's agreement took effect but Media General wanted to play rough. With the merger complete the channels are now Young channels and can be carried under Young's agreement with DISH.

Until the next dispute ...


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

Do we get any sub channels from this deal??


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## inmyopinion (Oct 12, 2012)

all channels are back guys :smoking:

dish and media generals reach an agreement already


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

Watch your local news personalities disappear. Ten years ago when Young Broadcasting fired most of the newscasters lost their jobs. KRON lost NBC affiliation. Now KRON has lots of infomercials.


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