While other Green Bay broadcasters have appeared content with the status quo, WLUK has made no bones about its quest for more money. Now poised to get it, this is no time to get complacent.
For years, we've heard the constant back and forth between Green Bay FOX affiliate WLUK and local cable companies. It's been the most frustrating "will they / won't they" relationship since Sam and Diane. Every year, FOX11 viewers hoping to get a chance to see Packer games, American Idol and other popular programming in high-definition have been left with a fuzzy, standard signal. While the higher-ups at WLUK have preached the ease and low cost of using an antenna, those viewers on the fringes of WLUK-DT's signal have thrown up their hands and waited for a miracle.
Having hugely-valuable properties like FOX Sports and Idol in the fold has been WLUK's "ace in the hole" for years, but cable companies like Time Warner Cable and Charter have rebuffed their pricey demands, upwards of 30 cents per subscriber per month. After signing a carriage and marketing deal with DISH Network, LIN Television went on to close deals with DirecTV, Charter and Comcast. When there were no other options available, Time Warner could afford to hold their ground. Now the last man standing, it looks like they have little choice other than cave to LIN's costly requests.
While they keep their carriage fees close to the vest, WBAY, WFRV and WGBA have been widely available in high-definition on local cable for years without much (if any) public fuss. WBAY has even expanded its offerings with a 24-hour weather channel and a retro programming network, both carried by local cable. They've chosen to do this without patronizing their viewer base with public tirades about "fair market value" and threats to "deprive viewers of local news, weather, and popular sports and entertainment programming" (to quote their website during the Charter dispute).
Now is the time for WLUK to step up their game and prove they are worth the 30 cents per household they've fought so viciously to secure. If they claim to be worth as much as major cable networks like CNN, it's time to show it. One area that desperately needs attention now that they are flush with retransmission cash is their news department, whose product has been marred by nearly incessant technical snafus lately. Many of their morning and evening newscasts have been painful to watch. Cutting to the wrong camera or cameras focused in the wrong places. On-screen graphics run amok. Teleprompter problems. You name it. It's been a train wreck that is in dire need of repair. Whether the problem is technology or personnel-based, viewers demand more of a leading news department's product.
While there, they could seize the opportunity to be the first Green Bay local to fully leverage the high-definition widescreen frame to bolster their news product. For a while now, they've employed the news ticker at the bottom of their screen during newscasts. With the proper equipment (and hopefully, the competent people to run it), they could utilize the unfilled edges of the widescreen frame for textual news and weather information, like their affiliate cousin Fox News Channel does on their HD channel. It would allow them to fully exploit the resources HDTV gives them without "actually" having to invest in HD cameras and editing gear. They could also be the first to launch new, innovative subchannel offerings such as 24-hour news channels, Spanish-language fare or other things seen in markets larger than ours.
Let's face it... unless a total meltdown happens, this latest contract renewal period should mean that Time Warner customers will finally have the FOX shows in HD they've been pleading for all these years. All we ask in return, as viewers, is that WLUK won't take our 30 cents a month for granted and leave "well enough" alone. We expect better, and we're watching.
Fox Cities TV is an independent blog and member-driven community based in Green Bay, Wisconsin and serves the Northeast Wisconsin area, including Green Bay, Appleton, and Oshkosh. TV lovers can come here to learn about what's happening in local (and national) television, interact with other TV viewers and express their opinions.
http://www.jsonline.com/multi
http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/graphic.asp?graphic=http://www.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/nov07/cable_112807_big.gif
Thanks to whoever sent this
Thanks to whoever sent this in. I was looking for that.
Nice article. It's about
Nice article. It's about time someone stated that our other local channels do not try these tactics. If Time Warner pays Fox I'm sure the other locals will follow suit. That will mean we will all be paying more for service.
Wow - Really good
Wow - Really good commentary. Looking at the financials, if the $0.30 number is accurate, that means LIN makes an additional $540,000 a year, all profit (I've heard Time Warner has around 150,000 customers in our area). I can't imagine there are some "new" costs for providing the exact same thing they've provided for years at no charge. They simply decided to demand money... I call that double dipping.
And, here's an interesting point... In reviewing the chart (thanks), the prices you show are from the networks.... WLUK is not even a network, they're simply a broadcasting company that broadcasts a network. And they want as much as Discovery?
I'm also sure Time Warner will not "eat" the costs; it's like a rise in the cost of goods that gets passed along. Someone (like WLUK) will no doubt say they (TW) don't have to raise rates to cover the increase, but if that's the case, I'd ask why it's OK for WLUK to begin to charge Time Warner but not for Time Warner to recover the increases. So, since we'll all be paying for it anyway, I agree we are owed something of quality in return. What will that be?
you couldn't be more
you couldn't be more accurate on your description of Fox 11 news, especially their morning show. Talk about a train wreck. I regularly tune in just to have a morning laugh. So many f-ups, I've begun to lose count. That entire crew is just wretched. It does make for great comedy, though I don't think the "Great Zollar" had that in mind.
Another tip for the Fox dolts: Any local TV news station that has to trumpet being "Fair and Balanced," really isn't. The proof should be in the pudding, not in the packaging.
My brother-in-law, who works
My brother-in-law, who works for a major electronics firm, just called me. They just got an inquiry from Time Warner asking how many thousand "Rabbit" ears they can deliver in the next two weeks. This could prove to be very interesting.
Wow, if that's true, this
Wow, if that's true, this could get crazy. I'd love for TWC to call WLUK's bluff. Good bye advertising on WLUK, good bye WLUK!
If true, this seems like
If true, this seems like another PR stunt similar to the "pay per view" game proposal Time Warner sent to Wisconsin and Ohio State the weekend before the Big Ten deal went down. If I were Time Warner, I would much rather stage a counter PR campaign against LIN, saying they're trying to extort money from cable subs, rather than trying to convince subs to stay by giving them free rabbit ears. I would guess the rabbit ears they'd give out would most likely be horribly inadequate for most users anyways, as I have trouble sometimes picking up WLUK-DT in the De Pere area, and even more so in the Appleton area. If they deployed newer cable boxes with OTA tuners like satellite companies employed, that might be a different manner. Telling your customers that they have to switch between a cable box and an antenna is a ludicrous band-aid solution, and if I still had cable, I wouldn't stand for it.
Come to think of it, it'd only be a "half-solution" really. Those who don't use a cable box aren't going to plug and unplug their cable in order to plug in an antenna. Even if they would, Time Warner would have to supply DTV converter boxes with the antennas anyways because folks with older TVs would need them in February anyways.
Personally, even if it's true (and I'm not saying it isn't), I doubt highly they'd go that route. That would be even more of a PR nightmare for them than the mere loss of WLUK in the first place.
Time Warner is not going to
Time Warner is not going to supply DTV converter boxes in any situation. If you have standard cable you won't need any boxes. The government is offering 2 $40.00 coupons for the purchase of DTV boxes.
I think if TWC goes with a
I think if TWC goes with a free rabbit ears campaign, it could be brilliant depending on how they handle it.
Now as I've posted I just recently left TWC because I was unhappy with their service (both lack of HD and all "channel not available" problems with their switched video). I state that because I no longer have a dog in this hunt (and I'm also not subscribing to the locals through my new provider because I didn't want to pay the extra $5/mth for them and can pick them up fine with a pair of rabbit ears).
But after seeing what TWC pays for some of it's other channels and comparing that to what WLUK is asking, I'm with them on this one (despite it not affecting me). If I lived in an area where TWC was my only option and I couldn't pick up WLUK via an antenna, then I'd be pretty upset, but if TWC ends up paying WLUK 30 cents a month per customer then you can bet the other local channels are going to want the same or more the next time their carriage agreements come due. It's got to end at some point.
If I were TWC, I'd stop playing defense and go one the attack and this rabbit ear scheme (while it will certainly upset some people) could be part of that attack if they back it up with all the facts- "We're doing this because if we bow to WLUK we'll have to raise your bills $? per year and WLUK is the only local channel that is wanting this much money. They make $? from advertising and just being on our system and they're trying to squeeze you for more etc. etc.".
I am one of those people who
I am one of those people who only has Time Warner as an option where I live, and I have to jump through hoops to pick up WLUK with an antenna. I have a 40-inch rooftop UHF antenna mounted in my spare bedroom. If I had guests staying with me, I'd worry about them poking themselves in the eye with that thing in the middle of the night! That's just how "easy" it is for me to pick up WLUK with a regular old antenna. That said, I can't afford Time Warner anymore so I'm stuck either way you look at it.
If they tell people they
If they tell people they need to use an antenna to pick up WLUK, eventually they'll have to either distribute DTV converters or tell people to go buy their own if they don't have TVs capable of ATSC tuning. That's why I highly doubt they'll resort to the rabbit-ears stunt.
If and I say if Time Warner
If and I say if Time Warner did this, I'd be willing to bet the farm that WLUK would cave long before February of next year. I can see their advertising dollars going to other local outlets. It's hard to operate without money coming in as we all know. With the presidential race heating up do you think they will spend their advertising money if Time Warner pulls the plug. I like Mark can't get Direct or U-Verse. I wish my cable bill was lower but with all three services it's cheaper than it was with AT&T. If WLUK gets it's way the other locals will follow suit and our cable bills will go through the roof, but what do I know.
When I was car shopping with
When I was car shopping with my girlfriend in Green Bay recently I ran into a TWC Repair guy which I reconized, and asked him a few questions about this whole FOX thing. He said as of right now it's "not looking good". He sort of confirmed (don't quote me on that) the free rabit ears promotion, I didn't even bring that up but the conversation ended up there (even though customers are going to need the converter come feb. so i'm not quite sure if that's the best way to go). Not sure how much he actually knows, but he also said that when the contract is up tonight, they might have a deal days after the channel goes off the air. Also if they want to charge us more for FOX, at least make it worth while and give me HD without the rabbitears.
When (and if) a deal goes
When (and if) a deal goes through, HD will be part of the package. That's what they have sought with all other carriers, and what all other carriers have.
I think it is important to mention also that all the other major Green Bay broadcasters don't charge carriage fees (according to Time Warner) yet we have their HD channels. I guess I still don't understand the justification for this whole thing.
Just like everything else
Just like everything else its exec's up at the top making the decisions, which usually means it's all about the money, and not about the customer. Sad to say but this is what everything seems to revolve around latley. Then were the ones who suffer. On another note I might be mistaken on. I didn't think that they can take away local Packer games. To site an example, when last year the Packers played on a thursday night, which was only broadcast on the NFL Network. I belive WFRV re-broadcast it. I remember hearing in the past that it was a rule/law that we are able to watch local games. Can someone shed some light on this issue for me to?
You will still be able to
You will still be able to watch local games - but you will need an antenna. The game just needs to be available for free over the air. It's the same thing if the game is on ESPN, it's also on a local station so if you don't get cable you can get it for free other the air.
In this case, the games will still be available for free over the air and therefore there is no need to show it on a different channel.
While I'm no WLUK apologist
While I'm no WLUK apologist I have always had a problem with Time Warner and their "Basic Cable" package. 11 of the 13 channels that are in that package are all channels that I can get via antenna (minus the local access channels). Why then does Time Warner get to charge money for that package. I voted with my wallet long ago and I have never been a cable subscriber and probably never will be.
I'm no Time Warner apologist
I'm no Time Warner apologist (I cancelled them because I can't afford it right now with the economy like it is). Just for the sake of argument, are you saying Time Warner should give free basic service to anyone that wants it? Don't they have infrastructure, personnel and maintenance costs that need to be built into the cost of offering service? If they were going to give away basic for free, given the size of their footprint in urban and rural areas, how would they be able to stay in business?