Sick of DTV and WTNH in Hartford,CT

[cj42]

Talked to Directv in October about getting ABC in HD. I was told by them I will be getting it by the end of the year. Now they are telling me I can only get it with a waiver but I done that 3-4 times already with no success. I think this is BS ! I'm in the north east corner of CT and WTNH ABC can block me from getting HD since they are 75+ miles away from me in the south west corner of CT. FYI - an antenna will not work in my area.

 

[raoul5788]

Talked to Directv in October about getting ABC in HD. I was told by them I will be getting it by the end of the year. Now they are telling me I can only get it with a waiver but I done that 3-4 times already with no success. I think this is BS ! I'm in the north east corner of CT and WTNH ABC can block me from getting HD since they are 75+ miles away from me in the south west corner of CT. FYI - an antenna will not work in my area.

You are angry at the wrong people. Do your homework before making your first post. You sound like a fool. The reason WTNH isn't on Directv in hd is because of their parent company LIN. They will not bargain in good faith with Directv to allow Directv to carry their hd signals. This is true throughout the country with other LIN stations.

 

[cj42]

First off I already new the answer why I haven't received it. I venting at the point that directv told me I was getting it which was complete BS.

 

[KE4EST]

Take a chill pill cj, people on this site are very friendly and here to help. If you want to act like a child go somewhere else.

 

[JonUrban]

LIN must really be a pain in the ass, because even my local cable co (Charter) which has every other Hartford network and local station in HD does not have ABC (WTNH).

I fail to see what the big deal is with LIN. If the LowD station is already carried, what's the big deal??

 

[rad]

LIN is wanting all cable and satellite companies to pay more then they are willing to pay and are not budging. In Austin LIN and Suddenlink cable were renegotiating retransmissin rights for KXAN-TV (the SD channel). They could not come to an agreement and on 12/31 KXAN was pulled from Suddenlink. LIN was telling viewers to go to satellite or AT&T UVerse to get KXAN. Suddenlink came up with a great (IMHO) solution, they came to agreement with the NBC affiliate in Temple/Waco, which also carried their system coverage area with a grade B signal, and added the SD and HD (which they didn't have before) to their system, basically telling LIN to go screw themselves. Too bad a solution like that isn't available in other LIN areas.

 

[JonUrban]

LIN is wanting all cable and satellite companies to pay more then they are willing to pay and are not budging. In Austin LIN and Suddenlink cable were renegotiating retransmissin rights for KXAN-TV (the SD channel). They could not come to an agreement and on 12/31 KXAN was pulled from Suddenlink. LIN was telling viewers to go to satellite or AT&T UVerse to get KXAN. Suddenlink came up with a great (IMHO) solution, they came to agreement with the NBC affiliate in Temple/Waco, which also carried their system coverage area with a grade B signal, and added the SD and HD (which they didn't have before) to their system, basically telling LIN to go screw themselves. Too bad a solution like that isn't available in other LIN areas.

Shoot, this is a great idea. We already get WCVB from Boston, another ABC affiliate, on cable channel 5. I am going to email Charter and suggest they try and get this station in HD and tell LIN and WTNH to stick their HD programming in their pockets!

 

[Silvia2112]

Let's not direct all the blame away from DTV. If they really wanted to get a deal done - it would be completed by now. LIN of course is asking more then probably deserve - but DTV should be able to bargain with them. Comcast has ABC-HD available. You can't tell me that Comcast is overpaying. Comcast is just as cheap (if not more) then DTV. A deal is not done because both parties are not trying enough. Very annoying.

 

[rad]

Let's not direct all the blame away from DTV. If they really wanted to get a deal done - it would be completed by now. LIN of course is asking more then probably deserve - but DTV should be able to bargain with them. Comcast has ABC-HD available. You can't tell me that Comcast is overpaying. Comcast is just as cheap (if not more) then DTV. A deal is not done because both parties are not trying enough. Very annoying.

If it was just D* having problems with LIN maybe, but there are too many different companies that LIN hasn't come to agreement with for retransmission rights.

 

[bidger`]

I can't get ABC-HD either. Luckily, I don't give a rat's behind about it. I've got NBC, CBS, and FOX in HD for the NFL and MLB and as long as that remains the case, I'm happy.

 

[JonUrban]

I am shocked that I reveived a reply from LIN/WTNH. I'm sure it's a form letter, but there's legal crap at the bottom that states I cannot "share" it with you.

Mostly it says the they've spent big bucks updating their equipment, and feel that their product is worth what they are asking for it. They complain that they give the carriers their signal, and they in turn charge end users big bucks for it and they're not going to do that anymore.

They also say they are working real hard to get deals done. Go figure.

 

[rad]

I am shocked that I reveived a reply from LIN/WTNH. I'm sure it's a form letter, but there's legal crap at the bottom that states I cannot "share" it with you.

Mostly it says the they've spent big bucks updating their equipment, and feel that their product is worth what they are asking for it. They complain that they give the carriers their signal, and they in turn charge end users big bucks for it and they're not going to do that anymore.

They also say they are working real hard to get deals done. Go figure.

Heard that line from LIN about Austin also. They have some of the worst looking upconvert SD in town but they could find dollars to remodel the news set.

 

[Silvia2112]

I got the same letter from WTNH and LIN. The funny thing is that it was word for word the same - just signed by different person at respective company

 

[agregjones]

Let's not direct all the blame away from DTV. If they really wanted to get a deal done - it would be completed by now. LIN of course is asking more then probably deserve - but DTV should be able to bargain with them. Comcast has ABC-HD available. You can't tell me that Comcast is overpaying. Comcast is just as cheap (if not more) then DTV. A deal is not done because both parties are not trying enough. Very annoying.

Your point might be valid with a local cable company. They would have to deal with only a few stations in a market. If DIRECTV accepts these unreasonable terms, they will have to do it across the country in a lot of markets. Do you want to increase everyone's bill so that your local station can be unreasonable?

I live in a market where there is zero HD LIL. I believe I have more of a grievance.

 

[Silvia2112]

How do we know the terms are unreasonable? Anyone have any proof of this? I don't know who is at fault. Like a divorce - there are two sides to the story. I agree LIN sucks donkey balls - but how is they can get terms with Comcast/Cox in New England.

 

[raoul5788]

How do we know the terms are unreasonable? Anyone have any proof of this? I don't know who is at fault. Like a divorce - there are two sides to the story. I agree LIN sucks donkey balls - but how is they can get terms with Comcast/Cox in New England.

It's pretty simple. Empirical evidence. LIN stations in hd are on Comcast, Cox, and a very few other cable companies. They are no where else except ota, not Directv nor Dish. CLEARLY they are not bargaining in good faith for carriage rights. You can believe what you want to, that's fine, but don't ignore the obvious please.

 

[Silvia2112]

Working for a multi-billion dollar company - I can say with all certainty that empirical evidence means absolutely nothing in the business world. Just because they appear to be not practicing fairly with the satellite companies doesn't place all blame on there side. There is something that both sides are not telling their customers. LIN blames DTV/DISH while the satellite companies blame LIN. Who do you believe? LIN has contracts with many other companies. DTV has contracts with many companies. There is some disconnect between the two. LIN states they want more for there services (which other companies seem willing to pay) while DTV states they want to pay fair market value (which other companies agree to). I just stated above that I would like to know what is on the table. Is LIN being greedy? Are they taking payouts from the cable companies to lock out DTV? DTV has more then LIN to worry about. As another poster stated - he doesn't even have locals. What does that say about DTV? In simple terms - something is not right on both sides.

 

[CKNA]

How do we know the terms are unreasonable? Anyone have any proof of this? I don't know who is at fault. Like a divorce - there are two sides to the story. I agree LIN sucks donkey balls - but how is they can get terms with Comcast/Cox in New England.

LIN stations came to Cox only 6 months ago. Cox negotiated with them for 7 years.

 

[CKNA]

Heard that line from LIN about Austin also. They have some of the worst looking upconvert SD in town but they could find dollars to remodel the news set.

Lin are such liars. Spen big bucks on equipment, please. WTNH does not even show Jeopardy or Wheel of fortune, because they won't spend money to get HD recording/playback equipment.

 

[jpn]

First off I already new the answer why I haven't received it. I venting at the point that directv told me I was getting it which was complete BS.

Calling it BS is harsh. The only leverage remaining to D* is that consumers like you make waiver-requests; that those requests are denied; and that you complain to your senator, the FCC, and the Justice Dept. The only hope D* and you have, is to get government intervention.

If that doesn't work try Prozac. Oh yeah, you can switch to E* and see how far that gets you.