Every year, I make a point of watching the Academy Awards. It goes back to when my mother was alive and we used to watch them together. It was always our tradition, and one I've carried out long after she passed. I missed most of them last year because my friends came up to the city to celebrate their birthday, but it looks like I'm going to miss them again this year. No, not another birthday celebration. No, I'm not going to be able to watch them because of a pissing contest between my local cable company, Cablevision, and ABC. Over an hour ago, ABC has pulled their signal from the air.
The issue basically is that ABC wants Cablevision to pay for the right to air the network on its cable systems. Cablevision is saying that ABC is free through the air and they should have to pay for it (even though they charge for subscribers for it as part of their Basic cable package).
Do I have a horse in this race? Yes, ABC. Because Cablevision is the most annoying, cheapest cable system I have ever dealt with.
The cable system just got done with a lengthy battle with HGTV and the Food Network over their request for a rate increase. That battle last three weeks and the networks were off the air during that whole time.
Cablevision not wanting to pay for networks is an old story with the company. The outlet services most of the area surrounding New York City, but we don't get the NFL Network. I've sent e-mails to them requesting it, but they haven't added it. Because it's too expensive for them. My friends back in Pennsylvania all have the network, and the area they live in is way smaller than where I live. Funny how those cable companies were able to swing the costs but one servicing one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world can't find the money.
Cablevision has been fighting this war for the last week in the most annoying way. Every time you turn on the cable box, it aoutomatically takes you to their proaganda station. It's a station where they make their case against ABC with a loop of a person telling you why ABC is evil for asking for what they are asking. Who cares if you really don't want to hear it or you have programmed the TV to come on to a certain channel for a reason. You will hear what Cablevision has to say whether you like it or not.
The argument the make is the typical double-talk and half-truth gobbledygook that most corporations doing spin control use. They make a point that ABC is asking for an extra $40 million for their rights. That sounds like a lot, right? Well, it actuially comes down to about $1 per household. Now, if my math is correct, that means Cablevision is in about 40 million homes. Let's say the average cable bill in these homes is $40 per month. I'm sure some pay less, some pay more, but lets make that an average. That means that Cablevision make $1.6 billion (with a "B") a year. And they are moaning about a paltry $40 million?
The next argument is that ABC wants the money to help pay their executives' high salaries and bonuses. Because, you know, executive getting paid a lot is unpopular in Obama's America or something. But Cablevision isn't run by a family in Brooklyn. It's not like Dad got a good deal on a whole lot of cable wiring in the 70s and decided to open a cable company. It's not like today Mom does the books, the son does the instalations, and sissy does customer service. Cablevision is a multi-billion dollar company. The partly own Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Fuse Network, The New York Knicks, The New York Rangers, and Clearview Cinemas. I'm sure their executive get big salaries and bonus just like ABC.
The next thing they come up with is that ABC wants a raise to make up for their flagging theme parks. The funny thing is, they never mention Disney, ABC's parent company, by name. I wonder why.
But the same can be said for why Cablevision doesn't want to pony up the dough. Take the Knicks for example. They are having a rotten season and people haven't been coming to games. How do I know this? Because I keep getting barraged by e-mail containing special offers to come out to games. They can't give the seats away. I'd think ticket sales for the Knicks have to be doing far worse than ticket sales for any of the Disney parks.
The best part about this is that Cablevision is making it out like they have our best interests in hand. Like, they are fighting this because so they don't have to raise or charges. Which would have worked if we got our cable bill lowered or prorated because HGTV & Food Network were off the air. But the bill didn't go down to my knowledge. So, they charged us the same amount for January even though we were down two channels. Yeah, they are more interest in profit margins than their customers.
Now, I know what many of you are thinking: Bill, you have other options. No, I don't really. I live in a condo that prohibits satellite dishes be installed on its roof because, I quote, they don't want the condo to "look like the Bronx." So that leaves out DirecTV and Dish network. Verizon FIOS doesn't come here either, so that's out. And since the condo is one big concrete block, going the antenna route is not going to work either. We can get no stations in here without going through cable. So I'm pretty much stuck.
Grrr.
