Time Warner drops GSN in Rochester

[dzinkin]

So Time Warner was doing its usual yearly channel shuffling, adding Sleuth (which replaces Trio) and a couple of On Demand channels.  I went through the guide to set the DVR for Password Plus tomorrow... and GSN was missing.  I called Time Warner to find out what was going on, and listened to the recording... a few promotions for the new On Demand channels and New York 1 News (which is new to Rochester), but nothing about GSN.  Since NY1 also was missing from the guide, I figured there might be just a technical problem.

After half an hour on hold, I finally got through to a customer service rep and asked what happened to GSN.  He said that it had been dropped due to "what they thought was low demand" but that apparently that judgment was a bit off -- he confided that people were "flooding" the phone lines with complaints, and that today alone he'd personally dealt with three customers who promptly cancelled ALL of their Time Warner service just because of GSN.

The CSR recommended that I either write a letter to Time Warner or send an email; in fact, he admitted that he also loved GSN and wanted to see it back, so rather than the usual "if you're not happy here's where to write," he'd been overtly advocating that people write in.  FWIW, he said that no more priority would be given to emails over snail mail, or vice versa.  (As for NY1, that was a technical problem; someone "forgot to flip the right switch" and apparently is going to do so in the next couple of days.)

I posted this not because I think people give a rat's behind about what happens here in Rochester but because I thought it was nice to know that at least some people outside our little group care that much.  I'd also like to find out if any other Time Warner systems have dropped GSN in the past few days... anyone?  Anyone?  (Bueller?  Bueller?)

[xibit777]

If you can, I would cancel and get satellite then if they aren't going to give you GSN back.   Don't put up with not being able to see your favorite channels.  The only way they'll get the message is if people cancel their service.  Like that person you talked to said, it gets noticed when people cancel in masses.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'xibit777\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 05:02 PM\']If you can, I would cancel and get satellite then if they aren't going to give you GSN back.   Don't put up with not being able to see your favorite channels.  The only way they'll get the message is if people cancel their service.  Like that person you talked to said, it gets noticed when people cancel in masses.

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[/quote]
Most people who don't have satellite don't have it for a reason. In my case, it's because the lone windows in my apartment all face due north. For many people, it's because they are also getting their broadband access from the cable company and it doesn't make financial sense to split those services up.

[DrBear]

FWIW, the Ministry of Information-er, Time Warner-is keeping GSN here in Green Bay, as far as I know. (Not that it's the most up to date system; they just recently added Boomerang and SoapNet to the digital tier, and I know many other systems have SoapNet in expanded basic.)

(similar tale of dish woe at my apartment; the only "legal" place was the balcony of our apartment, and it was blocked by trees)

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 08:07 PM\']Most people who don't have satellite don't have it for a reason.[/quote]
Is it possible for people to live in apartments to get satellite?  I thought there was some kind of legislation about this, but have not been able to find it.

[Casey Buck]

[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 08:19 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 08:07 PM\']Most people who don't have satellite don't have it for a reason.[/quote]
Is it possible for people to live in apartments to get satellite?  I thought there was some kind of legislation about this, but have not been able to find it.

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[/quote]
Many apartment complexes, including mine, have expanded basic cable as part of the rent, which is a "savings" of $40–$50 a month (which means the rent is a bit higher to compensate for the cable cost). If you get digital cable, all you pay for is the difference in price between the two tiers of services. Plus, you save 10 bucks a month on broadband Internet (that's what Comcast does; I'm not sure about the other cable companies) just for being a tenant at that apartment, and being a cable subscriber.

Even if you could get satellite, you'd be wasting your money, unless your landlord reduces your rent by the cost of the expanded basic cable.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 11:19 PM\']Is it possible for people to live in apartments to get satellite?  I thought there was some kind of legislation about this, but have not been able to find it.

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If you can overcome both the legal and the technical restrictions, yes, you can get satellite TV in your apartment.

IANAL so this is a bit simplified, but in a nutshell, you can legally get satellite TV as long as the dish is installed in an "exclusive use" area (a part of your apartment to which only you have access and which only you are permitted to use, such as a balcony), your building's not designated as a historic landmark, and no safety risks would come from its presence (for example, you might be required to use a certified installer to make sure the dish won't fall off the balcony). You can technically get satellite TV as long as the dish has a clear view of the southern sky -- meaning it's not facing the wrong way (as is the case with Mr. Lemon) and there are no trees or other obstructions in the way.

There was indeed a new law passed a while back about this, but it actually made it easier to get satellite TV; the new law pre-empts such things as homeowners associations that try to ban satellite TV for, say, "aesthetic reasons" or because they have a bulk deal with the local cable company.  The exceptions I described above were left in the new law.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 08:19 PM\']Is it possible for people to live in apartments to get satellite?  I thought there was some kind of legislation about this, but have not been able to find it.

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Apartment and condo dwellers are guaranteed the right to install a satellite dish. The only acceptable restrictions relate to prohibitions against attachment to the building's exterior walls, and in some cases requiring adjacent plants or other means to help camouflage the dish. Here's an excerpt of the federal law:

As directed by Congress in Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule concerning governmental and nongovernmental restrictions on viewers' ability to receive video programming signals from direct broadcast satellites ("DBS"), multichannel multipoint distribution (wireless cable) providers ("MMDS"), and television broadcast stations ("TVBS").

The rule is cited as 47 C.F.R. Section 1.4000 and has been in effect since October 14, 1996. It prohibits restrictions that impair the installation, maintenance or use of antennas used to receive video programming. The rule applies to video antennas including direct-to- home satellite dishes that are less than one meter (39.37") in diameter (or of any size in Alaska), TV antennas, and wireless cable antennas. The rule prohibits most restrictions that: (1) unreasonably delay or prevent installation, maintenance or use; (2) unreasonably increase the cost of installation, maintenance or use; or (3) preclude reception of an acceptable quality signal.

Effective January 22, 1999, the Commission amended the rule so that it also applies to rental property where the renter has an exclusive use area, such as a balcony or patio.


So get that dish ready for GSN's new original series, a remake of "I've Got a Secret" with a twist, coming this spring.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[GS Warehouse]

My sister subscribes to Verizon for her DSL service (and she referred me to same), and she heard some time back that Verizon has been dabbling in TV via broadband.  However, even if it comes to pass, it's still years away.  Still, it's something I'd look forward to.
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 11:38 PM\']So get that dish ready for GSN's new original series, a remake of "I've Got a Secret" with a twist, coming this spring.

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[/quote]I think I have an idea already, but if it's what I think it is, I'd rather find out for myself.

[uncamark]

It also seems to me that apartment complexes or condo boards can, if they wish, get DirecTV or Dish as a "master antenna" system, similar to the deals made to hotels where they can get portions of the programming lineups and sell them as a package for the entire building.  Someone else on another board mentioned that their condo building had switched in Chicago from RCN (the rebuild cable company in our part of town) to Dish.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 09:29 PM\'][quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Dec 29 2005, 11:38 PM\']So get that dish ready for GSN's new original series, a remake of "I've Got a Secret" with a twist, coming this spring.

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[/quote]I think I have an idea already, but if it's what I think it is, I'd rather find out for myself.

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"I've Got Teh Ghey!"

/not that there's anything wrong with that

[trainman]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 30 2005, 08:49 AM\']It also seems to me that apartment complexes or condo boards can, if they wish, get DirecTV or Dish as a "master antenna" system, similar to the deals made to hotels where they can get portions of the programming lineups and sell them as a package for the entire building.

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[/quote]

Indeed they can -- but as far as I know, since the management is only offering a limited selection of channels when they do that, that doesn't pre-empt tenants from putting up their own dishes if they can technically/feasibly do it.  However, if it's a situation where the units are merely wired with a connection to a master dish, then I believe tenants can be prohibited from putting up their own dishes.

I chose my current apartment because the landlord was willing to let me put a DirecTV dish on the roof of the building -- which was fine until the roof was replaced a couple of months ago, and I was without satellite reception for a couple of weeks until the roofers finished and I could get someone to come out and move the dish back into position.