Posted on 05/24/2008 11:43:54 AM PDT by kingattax
Americans discouraged by higher gas prices and airline fares may decide to spend more vacation time at home, perhaps watching television.
But that, too, will cost them more than ever.
Cable prices have risen 77 percent since 1996, roughly double the rate of inflation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this month.
Cable customers, who typically pay at least $60 a month, watch only a fraction of what they pay for on average, a mere 13 percent of the 118 channels available to them. And the number of subscribers keeps growing.
The resiliency of cable is all the more remarkable because the Internet was supposed to change all things digital. Technology has led to more choices and lower prices for news and music as well as cellphone and landline minutes not to mention computers, cameras, music players and phones themselves.
Yet here is a rare instance where Silicon Valley has failed to break a traditional media juggernaut. And not for lack of trying.
Technology companies keep insisting they will provide new low-cost ways to get video into the home, but so far their efforts have created more black boxes to stash under the TV, not real competition for cable that could bring prices down.
A couple of years ago, there was a thesis that we were at the twilight of Comcast as the gatekeeper, said Craig Moffett, a cable industry analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. That thesis still titillates some. But technologically and economically, its probably not going to happen.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The History Channel, Discovery Channel, Discovery Science, Military Channel, National Geographic Channel, HD channels, digital channels, and digital video recorders--all new since 1996--make cable worth the cost.
“I remember back in 1972, when the cable company in my town raised the monthly fee from $5.00 to $7.50 a month for 12 channels.”
Cox Cable Limited Basic here in San Diego is Channels 4-18 and 20-27 for only $12.50/month but many are Spanish Speaking and the rest are pretty much Govt Access, Qvc, HSN, Cspan and all local network channels.
I’m over in NW Indiana. Switched from Verizon DSL to Comcast about 6 weeks ago. My Comcast speeds blows away Verizon DSL in this area. Tested speed about 5 minutes ago.
11997 kb/s down, 2103 kb/s up Ping 25/ms.
Comcast is 50% less than Verizon in pricing.
In my town there is one cable provider and no satellite TV. I wonder why cable keeps raising its prices? /s
I remember years ago when they first pushed "Pay TV" and "On TV" bull crap.
It was all billed as NO COMMERCIALS.
They lied....
Now all the suckers are PAYING TO WATCH COMMERCIALS.
try to imagine cable or satellite TV without all the shopping channels and infomercials...
300 channels down to about 6!!!!
no way....directv is way better than the wankers at comcast...better picture...less service problems and cheaper!!!!
it still is overpriced...but congress PROMISED TV reform years ago...and everyone knows that congress always looks out for the common citizen and will act will lightning speed to correct all issues....
actually...congress is outsourcing all problems to the world famous comcast service department!!!
“This is one of the few areas in life that government could be doing a whole lot more.”
I completely disagree. TV is trash and it’s the last thing gov’t should be subsidizing for already dumbed-down Americans.
This nation needs less TV, not more.
I haven’t had any TV for a decade now (no channels, nothing). I do have a 42” plasma to watch Netflix on though!
LOL.
No, this is Cable One, not Comcast.
BUMP!
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