President Trump Calls for Canceling AT&T DirecTV After Newsmax Dropped

Yes, but they are a station trying to broadcast nationally. As you can see the Must-carry rule is antiquated and in need of revision. So I’m wondering if they have a case or not.

All newsmax has to do is put transmitters in every media contour and they’ll be protected under the must carry rule.

 

Delete

 

yes I do. That will be ABC, CBS, NBC, and ABC. It does not include other channels like GodTV or The Inspiration Channel, or specialty language channels. those are added cost and I have that added to my Satelite package. Care to guess which language it is? But it also means carrying local broadcast stations. In both instances, that does not include Newsmax in any degree.

 

The must carry rule is the default option. NewsMax instead opted to allow DirecTV retransmit its signal for a fee.

 

The must carry rule protects anyone who broadcasted from an antenna in a local contour or media market. remember those UHF channels that carried the Spanish channels among others? They transmitted from a local site and must be carried and made available to every home within their broadcast reach. I’m wondering if that line of reasoning will be updated because the technology has changed greatly since the rule was written. If you think about it, CBS went from local transmitters, then they were forced to go from analog to digital which is higher in frequency which means their signal won’t travel as far thereby really requiring them to rely on cable providers to reach their audience, to satellite transmission, or in some cases, direct fiber feeds from their studio to the cable companies.

 

Channels invoking the must carry rule don’t need to be paid by the cable companies just like CBS isn’t paid. Instead all the advertising revenue goes to them and cable companies can’t insert commercials, either their own or third party commercials. When you see a local commercial on CNN the cable company blocked a national commercial CNN was paid to air and the cable company inserted a commercial they were paid to air, but CNN got paid per sub by the cable company to broadcast them. I have Comcast and they insert a ton of Xfinity commercials into Fox News, but they pay Fox by the customer to broadcast their channel. Did you ever wonder where ESPN gets all the money for TV rights to certain events? The last I heard they get $5 per cable subscriber per month whether you watch it or not. That’s why they fought like hell to get on the basic tier, they wanted every cable customer to get it and pay $5 for it rather than being on a tiered subscription. Disney tried to do the same thing. I’ve been out of the business for a while and don’t know of ESPN is on basic, what I do know is my cable bill is $220 a month for a ton of channels I don’t watch along with 800 meg modem speed.

 

So did NewsMax invoke the must-carry provision and refuse payment for having their signal re-transmitted?

 

I have no idea if Newsmax can invoke the rule because the rule was created back when content carriers broadcasted analog channels from local transmitters. I’m just saying, as someone who spent the majority of my life in the business, that I’m curious to see if the rules have changed to keep up with the technology. Man, this brings back memories, some real fond memories.

 

Here’s a good topic to discuss. Having been in the cable tv business most of my adult life I’ve been exposed to the pro and con arguments of not paying for channels a sub may never watch. I’m guessing but I have about 600 hundred channels available to me when I ONLY watch 3, Fox, Natgeo, and American Heroes Channel. My mother-in-law who lives with me watches a few more. Every channel available to me is literally paid for by the cable company who then adds it to my $220 monthly bill. I’m paying for channels I never watch. The pay by channel choice has been a debate going back thirty years. The pros are it would save consumers big bucks, the cons are that many channels would go broke and cable companies would lose billions of $$$.

Thoughts?

 

sounds like newsmax got greedy, so they got dropped

 

when my Tivo dies I am thinking of cutting the cord, going with something like Sling

already got a Roku and moved some pay channels to Prime

I think cable rates going up as many are cutting the cord

 

I’m guessing that, with subscription streaming becoming more popular, eventually cable tv video content will disappear with those companies focusing on internet access while gobbling up subscription channels, like Comcast seems to be doing in order to keep the dollars flowing.

 

I don't think must-carry applies to satellite. Not sure, but in January, Hearst Television--which owns like 20 or so local stations-- pulled their channels from Directtv in a similar contract renewal situation. We lost a local NBC affiliate as a result but we have another one so local news/weather is the only thing really affected.

 

Well Comcast is a business, right? You want free, switch to NPR and PBS.

 

You could be correct. Thinking through the technical aspect of this, it would be impossible for current satellites to have enough bandwidth to carry every channel out there. They would need numerous satellites and homes would probably need numerous dishes and receivers.

 

At&T doesn’t give a hoot. 70% US GDP reside in blue district. At&T knows very well most MAGA supporter can’t afford cable news any way.

 

My area snugs up next to a state line so our local "broadcast" stations are really two of everything. Comcast carries the two ABC's, CBS's, NBC's and also the PBS's from both states. I am on Direct that only carries my state's closest PBS, and one of each of the Big Three now that Hearst forced our second NBC (from the adjoining state) off the service. I don't love Direct but I like that its price hasn't changed in the going on 4 years I have had it and comes in at a price point about half of what Xfinity was charging me (that is in part because their equipment rentals are a lot less pricey per month than Xfinity). I really should just ditch it all and do streaming but that just isn't the same as snoozing away on the weekend in front of the big screen.

 

Today should be the hysterical (and predictable) grand finale to having members of the US Senate "investigate" this horrible action against the 97 conservatives who actually watch(ed) NewsMax

SNIP
Television provider DirecTV has responded to GOP senators’ requests to explain their decision to drop the conservative news network Newsmax, saying the cut was part of a “routine” business dispute after criticism that the move was political.

“With respect to the Newsmax situation, put simply, this is a typical business dispute that has nothing to do with ideology, politics or censorship – despite unfounded accusations to the contrary by Newsmax, its CEO, its commentators and others,” reads the DirectTV response.

But DirectTV contends it wanted to continue carrying Newsmax “under the exact same terms that have been in place for years,” but that Newsmax ended the partnership when the network “refused to continue these terms and demanded millions of dollars in extra payments.”

“It is in fact Newsmax that dropped DIRECTV,” the letter reads.
ENDSNIP

https://www.yahoo.com/news/directv-tells-gop-senators-dropped-013758078.html

Conservatives grifting... Whoda thunk it???

We now return MAGA to the next manufactured crisis du jour.... Be it FEMA failing to cover something they don't cover or some drag situation somewhere in the US....

 

Yup.... .See post 118

 

This whole nothingburger is another MAGAWoke cancel culture.

 

One day, the MAGA Senate or House might actually stumble into something that angers them that WAS politically motivated, and they'll scream it from the rooftops, while forgetting the dozens of examples like this where they look like petulant idiots...

Reminds me a bit of the MAGA fair election mantra - "Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen"

 

That only applies to local stations such as the ABC, NBC, ABC, and Fox affiliates. It is not something for Inspirational channels or Vox or Newsmax, or CNN, etc.

 

When I was in the business it applied to every channel that could reasonably be picked up with an antenna, but that was before satellite TV got big. I have no idea what the rules are today.

 

Apparently, DIRECTV's explanation just isn't good enough for the current House Oversight MAGA...

SNIP
Comer spoke about the issue on Newsmax with host John Bachman. “I’m very concerned. I’m very upset that DirecTV does not have Newsmax on there. I’ve been in constant communication with the leadership at AT&T and DirecTV. I have strongly encouraged them to meet with your CEO, Mr. Ruddy, to get this worked out or else!”
ENDSNIP

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/top-hou...ver-newsmax-drop-get-this-worked-out-or-else/

Or else WHAT? You gonna somehow MAKE a private company determine who they have to do business with??

Can we get a GoFundMe going to get Comer an HBO Max subscription for a year?? Sounds like this fascist is seriously desperate for entertainment like Newsmax provides....

 

This thread didn't age well at all.

Looks like the reds were wrong about poor little newsmax being victims of cancel culture. It was exactly what we all told the OP. It was all about the MONEY. LOL