Locast.org Service

Gdetrailer wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:

hpdrver wrote:
I have never understood why Directv and Dish do not combine a OTA broadcast antenna with their satellite dish in metropolitan areas and mix the feed into the house receiver. OTA signals are strong in metro areas and locals could be provided without paying fees.

Dish has an OTA adapter option for their receivers that adds the OTA stations to the program guide from an external OTA antenna. Dish also allows dropping the sat locals for a $12/mo savings. In some cases, Dish will even supply and install an OTA antenna at no charge during retransmission contract disputes.

GOT PROOF?

I call BS.

I HAVE TRIED for years to have Dish remove the locals AND the UPCHARGE for them, they WILL NOT. I get MORE local channels than Dish carries (Dish only carries the MAIN OTA channel and not the SUB channels). Not to mention Dish only rebroadcasts the main OTA channels in 480i and I get a much better pix using my OTA antenna (1080i for main channels).

Believe it or not, Dish TURNS A PROFIT by forcing you to pay for the locals.

They do this in two ways, first they charge you MORE than what they pay for the local carry.

SECOND WAY IS THEY INSERT THEIR OWN COMMERCIALS (that DISHES sales people sell) OVER TOP OF THE LOCAL COMMERCIALS.

I used to install big dish C band systems and had one up until 2005 or so when the last non commercial C band programmer dropped out, many channels on the big dish would leave blank/black no sound spaces for cable and mini dish systems to insert their commercials.. For channels that do not leave blank spaces they simply cut over to their own commercials then cut back to the programming.. Dish IS SLOPPY at the cuts..

Don't be fooled, Direct and Cable COs does this also..

Yep, they DOUBLE DIP, and it IS LEGAL to do so :M

Call it whatever you want. The facts are that Dish allows dropping the locals with a resulting $12 savings on all but the loss leader Welcome Pack. It's as easy as unchecking the "Locals" selection in the "My Programming" section of your "MyDish" account.

If you've been paying any attention to the industry news, then you know that the locals retrans fees have skyrocketed over the past few years, currently averaging $4-$5/mo per subscriber per channel. Count the local primary channels in your area and multiply to get an idea of what Dish is likely paying for them. Perhaps the commercial inserts are helping to offset the loss Dish takes on the locals. If Dish was making any money from the locals, why would they break them out as a package and promote dropping them by offering the dual tuner OTA adapter that integrates the OTA locals with the EPG?