Letter to Bob Balducci, D* VP Programming

[mhking]

Letter to Bob Marsocci, D* VP Programming

Mr. Marsocci --

My name is Michael King. I'm a freelance writer and columnist based in Atlanta. I've also been a subscriber to DirecTV for the past couple of years.

Overall, I've been very pleased with DirecTV, and find the service and quality far superior to the service I received previously from Comcast Cable (and in it's earlier guises, AT&T Broadband and MediaOne). The quality of the signal and the variety of networks (both new and old) have been very enjoyable for both me and my family.

The one area that I have a concern in is in the arena of international news. Previously, I was able to watch CNN International's programming (at least on weekends), along with news from Newsworld International. Over the past eight months both services have met their demise on DirecTV. With the end of NWI next week, a view of the news from overseas that many viewers have looked forward to watching will have been silenced.

I understand that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has approached DirecTV about continuing to offer some form of news from their auspices following the demise of NWI, but was turned down.

On behalf of many viewers who depend on international news from outside American borders, I ask that you please reconsider your decision. In addition, I'd like to suggest three additional international news services: CNN International, BBC World and SkyNews.

CNN International's return would provide a level and type of international news service that viewers have come to expect from CNN.

BBC World's round-the-clock news coverage would provide news quality that is considered to be second-to-none by many; and as evidenced by BBC World News viewership on PBS stations around the US and on BBC America, domestic viewers would be very interested in receiving programming from BBC World. International travelers already are familiar with BBC World's programming, as they are available to travelers worldwide.

SkyNews is already available in many English-speaking nations around the world, and as a sister company to both DirecTV and Fox News Channel, would provide additional product and content from NewsCorp. SkyNews has won multiple awards for their programming, and it's value as an international counterpart to Fox News is immeasurable. Programmers at FNC already recognize the value of Sky, given the amount of simulcasting Fox News has done of SkyNews programming during the recent London terror attacks.

Please reconsider your decision not to offer additional international news to American viewers. Not only would you provide service to an underserved viewer base, you would offer content that is not presently available on Dish Network or on many cable television systems in the United States.

Thanking you for your consideration, I remain,

Sincerely,

Michael H. King
Mableton, GA

 

[Smthkd]

Nice letter MhKing! I would also like to thank you in behalf of my British and Canadian friends who would more than support your efforts in asking for BBC World and SkyNews. These are two great International news channels that I have hoped to be apart of our American line-up. In lieu with your written request, I called D* and also requested for these 2 excellent news channels and also for the sorely missed CNN International!

 

[cueman98]

And, just on a side note, Skynews is part of bskyb, which is majority controlled by news corp anyway, you would think this would be an easy solution for D*.

I'm an english ex-pat living in the U.S. and would like to see more international news. I had BskyB in england, and thought sky news was a great channel.

 

[cablewithaview]

I contacted DirecTV a while back about this and other Canada stations. you can go here: http://cancombroadcast.com/affiliates/services/signal_e.asp and look under the "SRDU & U.S. Superstation Signals" this is a list of Canadian stuff that can be viewed here in the U.S. except TBS, WPIX, KTLA and WGN since they are already uplinked here in the U.S. Since DirecTV is a "commercial provider" they can subscribe to these signals and offer them to the viewers. I use this list for one station now and hope to be launching a CBC affiliate next year on a cable system I run, if not add CITY TV also. Before everyone says it's not possible, well I will tell you it is. I have discuss this with my sales rep. at Cancom about this before. so there is some stuff in Canada that can be viewed here. stuff like Showcase, Mystery and Dejaview cannot be viewed here. I have been in contact with NPS to offer some of this on the 4dtv. I know NPS has talked with Cancom and will consider it at a later time due to other stuff going on right now with reuplinking channels that went to Power Vu, they have other things to deal with first. The general public does not know this can be done because no one ask. some people just grip because they can't receive anything from Canada since CBC left analog a few years ago. The other option is to find someone that could hook you up with StarChoice or Bell Express Vu. I perfer StarChoice though.

 

[markfp-1]

While I would love to see both SkyNews and BBC World as full-time additions to DirecTV, I must point out that Newsworld International is still on, I'm watching it as I type this. Perhaps, it's only available in certain packages, but it's still there. I'd really be lost without it.

 

[cablewithaview]

I believe it will end at the end of the month if I remember right. according to someone I talked with at NBC Universial a while back, NWI left it's G1R slot where NBCU has USA, Sci Fi, America Store and Trio at now and moved to G11 a while back. they will change the name to Current, link: http://current.tv/

 

[cablewithaview]

you can go here for CBC on line also: http://www.cbc.ca/national/

 

[mhking]

I believe it will end at the end of the month if I remember right. according to someone I talked with at NBC Universial a while back, NWI left it's G1R slot where NBCU has USA, Sci Fi, America Store and Trio at now and moved to G11 a while back. they will change the name to Current, link: http://current.tv/

Current kicks in Sunday night at Midnight. (or should I call it AlGore-vision?)

 

[mhking]

While I would love to see both SkyNews and BBC World as full-time additions to DirecTV, I must point out that Newsworld International is still on, I'm watching it as I type this. Perhaps, it's only available in certain packages, but it's still there. I'd really be lost without it.

Get ready for an unpleasant surprise (and the sensation of being lost) Monday morning, then.

 

[mhking]

I contacted DirecTV a while back about this and other Canada stations. you can go here: http://cancombroadcast.com/affiliates/services/signal_e.asp and look under the "SRDU & U.S. Superstation Signals" this is a list of Canadian stuff that can be viewed here in the U.S. except TBS, WPIX, KTLA and WGN since they are already uplinked here in the U.S. Since DirecTV is a "commercial provider" they can subscribe to these signals and offer them to the viewers. I use this list for one station now and hope to be launching a CBC affiliate next year on a cable system I run, if not add CITY TV also. Before everyone says it's not possible, well I will tell you it is. I have discuss this with my sales rep. at Cancom about this before. so there is some stuff in Canada that can be viewed here. stuff like Showcase, Mystery and Dejaview cannot be viewed here. I have been in contact with NPS to offer some of this on the 4dtv. I know NPS has talked with Cancom and will consider it at a later time due to other stuff going on right now with reuplinking channels that went to Power Vu, they have other things to deal with first. The general public does not know this can be done because no one ask. some people just grip because they can't receive anything from Canada since CBC left analog a few years ago. The other option is to find someone that could hook you up with StarChoice or Bell Express Vu. I perfer StarChoice though.

Getting Star Choice or BEV is probably the option I'm going to run with ultimately.