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#388905 - 07/21/05 12:43 PM A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

I heard on the radio this morning that activist groups are lobbying congress to have cable and satellite providers offer a la carte selection of their channel choices.

Instead of paying one large fee and getting 100 crappy channels, you can pick and choose the channels you want and only pay for the ones you want. I think it's a great idea! How about you?
A La Carte Cable
single choice (55 Total Votes:)
I love it! Great idea! - 51 (93%)
No way! You can't surf 3 channels! - 4 (07%)
Voting on this poll ends: 01/01/06 05:59 AM

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#388906 - 07/21/05 12:57 PM Re: A la carte cable
Beagles22 Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,626
State of confusion
I think it is a great idea. I don't need 25 cartoon channels when I don't want my kid sitting in front of a TV all day anyway! Give me the 4 national channels, Discovery and TLC and the hunting/sports channels and I am good to go!
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#388907 - 07/21/05 01:03 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

I generally feel the same way, but I'd have about 20-30 channels:

ABC
NBC
CBS
FOX
TNT
ESPN & ESPN 2
Sci-Fi
History Channel
National Geographic
Discovery
TLC
Military & Military History Channel
PBS
UPN & COMCAST Channels (for Phillies & Flyers games)
Cartoon Network
Spike
Comedy Central

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#388908 - 07/21/05 01:11 PM Re: A la carte cable
TB 12 Offline
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TB 12
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,559
Foxboro
I am all for it...I dont need 6 shopping channels.
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#388909 - 07/21/05 01:14 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

Quote:

I am all for it...I dont need 6 shopping channels.



Speak for yourself! (just kidding)

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#388910 - 07/21/05 01:37 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

Ditto; add HGTV. I wish I could figure out the "V Chip" so I can delete MTV from our cable. I can always tell when my 15 year old is watching it because (literally) there are more bleeps than words spoken.

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#388911 - 07/21/05 01:55 PM Re: A la carte cable
Retired DQ Offline
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Retired DQ
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 40,766
Turnpike Exit 10
So far, it is unanimous.
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#388912 - 07/21/05 02:04 PM Re: A la carte cable
Nanwa Offline
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Nanwa
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,564
Clintonville, WI, USA
I can't get cable or satelite out here anyway. But with the antenna I can pick up ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox, UPN, and on a cloudy day WB. That's enough for me; don't want to spend all day inside watching the idiot box.

I get cable in Florida, but most of the channels are reruns of old shows anyway.
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#388913 - 07/21/05 02:06 PM Re: A la carte cable
RR Jen Offline
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RR Jen
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 3,760
Running and riding everywhere ...
Nanwa...you're doing better than me. I can't get UPN or WB.
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#388914 - 07/21/05 02:09 PM Re: A la carte cable
P*Q Offline

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P*Q
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 8,458
Somewhere
My compliant is that we're only given one choice for a cable company in my area. There's a company that services towns about 7 away from mine but we're not allowed to use them, we only have Charter as a choice. You have to take the fees and channels they give you. I love the gameshow network, charter doesn't offer it but Comcast does, go figure! Plus, we got a plasma hi-def TV about 6 months ago, only 7 cable channels are offered in hi-def and we pay $4.00 per month for that!! Cable companies have a monopoly in the area they serve. We did have satelite at our old house but found that with every storm, reception was out so we got rid of it, plus it cost just as much as cable.OK, rant over......for now.....

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#388915 - 07/21/05 02:11 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

My comment to B-Dubya (he works with me) was this: How will this affect the price? On a cursory level, you would think it would be simple math, only paying for what you want. The reality is it may be almost as expensive as cable companies essentially buy in bulk the cable rights and at wholesale prices. As this bundling procedure is done away with, the pricing on channels will become more and more retail in nature. Not only the "at the pump" prices but the administrative and infrastructural (real word? probably not)will surely increase as they force the cable providers to allow us choice. I have no idea how cable really works in these regards, but I feel this is something that must be considered.

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#388916 - 07/21/05 02:17 PM Re: A la carte cable
TB 12 Offline
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TB 12
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,559
Foxboro
That is a valid point, anon-and is the explanation given by cable companies as to why if the customer chose their menu, the prices would be higher.
Unfortunately, cable is a monopoly, and one of those things we need to accept. I have considered satellite, but have heard to many horror stories. I can honestly say it has been years since I have lost cable due to weather, (unless it has happened during the day when i am at work).
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#388917 - 07/21/05 02:47 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

God, I hope that nobody associates me with being a mouthpiece for the cable companies. I thought of this on my own with only hearing the issue this morning. My answer would of course change if the Roberts' come calling to work in their money factory. Which is financing an enormous building in center city Philly which will be over 100 feet taller than the radio tower in Philly's present highest building. Gozer the Gatekeeper anyone?

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#388918 - 07/21/05 02:52 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

None of the building should be higher than William Penn! We haven't had a major sports team win a championship since the Liberty Towers went up!

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#388919 - 07/21/05 06:16 PM Re: A la carte cable
Raiderette Offline
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Raiderette
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,316
New Mexico
The only downfall may be that a person may end up paying more for the channels, then just buying the package that had a few he didn't want and was missing a few that he did want. Unless.... They could let you buy the channels and replace the ones you don't want with the ones you do want...
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#388920 - 07/21/05 06:50 PM Re: A la carte cable
Anonymous
Unregistered

I am not sure it will be as cheap as you may think. Many people underestimate the power of economics of scale.

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#388921 - 07/21/05 06:53 PM Re: A la carte cable
Nanwa Offline
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Nanwa
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,564
Clintonville, WI, USA
They talk about sending cable and computer access thru existing phone lines, but heck, out here we can barely get phone over the phone lines!

I was on a party line as late as 1988. The local phone company didn't want to route only one phone line, so we had to wait until there was a waiting list of five customers; then they did them all at once.
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#388922 - 07/21/05 06:56 PM Re: A la carte cable
Clown Boy Offline
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Clown Boy
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,934
here and there
Great, just one more thing for me and the wife to fight about.
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