What's Right & What's Wrong In Television

Television Channels: Free or Not Free

I recently called Dish Network and complained because they are no longer showing our local CBS or FOX network channels. It's interesting that the customer service representative was cooperative and even offered us some free pay channels for three months. I have been a subscriber for several years and have been satisfied with the support from the company.

Our favorite shows are available on CBS and the morning news show is a good one. We don't really have any interest in NOT watching our shows when the season premiers arrive in September. Of course, the Detroit Lions are usually available on the local Fox network. TV 9&10 our local CBS affiliate has been off the air for several weeks. Fox 33 recently followed suit. I became frustrated with Dish Network because I believed the "hype" that suggested the local system was being bullied by the behemoth.

  

It suddenly makes sense to me that maybe it's the local channel that we should be questioning? Isn't it interesting to note that the local channels are actually free through the air — especially if you have an antenna. We don't have an antenna but maybe we should get one. The folks at Dish Network informed me that the company had been negotiating — they feel fairly — and offering to pay the local channels a fee that is comparable to similar situations across the country. So, if they're offering a fair fee AND the channels are available free with an antenna, it raises a concern.

And now, we have three months to decide what we're going to do next.