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Ok, So we've got Time Warner Cable, no pay channels, and Road Runner High speed Internet. I'm sick of paying $140 a month!!! What are some good alternatives people are using? We need high speed Internet for business purposes. As for the TV, we like Fox News, ESPN, local channels, Disney, Nickolodean, A&E, HG, History, Discover, and YES. (Yankees). Does any such system exist at a more reasonable price? That you can use a DVR or like devise? I'm willing to entertain "just stream from a computer" or whatever it is as long as it's reasonably user friendly and the...

Spanish-language media giant Univision Communications Inc. plans to launch three new cable television channels next year in a bid to tighten its grip on the growing Latino market and diversify its revenues. Univision is expected to announce Thursday that one of the channels will offer soccer and other sports, one will be devoted to news and information, and a third will showcase the spicy Spanish-language soap operas, or telenovelas, that fuel Univision Network's prime-time ratings. The new channels are part of an increasing trend by media companies to increase their investment in Spanish-language TV. Recently released census findings show that...

We cut the cord after our local cable provider, Time-Warner, raised our rates to over $90 a month for our cable television service alone. We have one HDTV and were subscribed to the basic cable service, with a digital box. We also subscribed to what they called their "Variety" tier, which included A & E, BBC America, Discovery Channel and the other basic cable channels. We did not get HBO or any premium channels and there were many other basic channels not even included in their Variety tier. In addition, we were charged $10 a month for the rental of...

For the past year, executives at big media companies have watched Netflix with growing resentment — for its success in delivering movies and television shows via the Internet, for its stock price nearly quadrupling, for its chief executive being named businessperson of the year by Fortune magazine. Now many of the companies that make the shows and movies that Netflix delivers to mailboxes, computer screens and televisions — companies whose stocks have not enjoyed the same frothy rise, and whose chief executives have not won the same accolades — are pushing back, arguing that the company is overhyped, and vowing...

In one sweeping move, the 8 p.m. political talk show “Parker Spitzer” could have turned around CNN’s flailing prime-time ratings, publicly rehabilitated the fallen New York governor Eliot Spitzer, and turned co-host Kathleen Parker into a television star. Instead, at the two-month mark, the ratings for CNN’s latest experiment are stagnant. The show has been troubled by backstage tensions that have spilled out in gossip columns and have given rise to speculation — and some wishful thinking among his supporters — that CNN could make Mr. Spitzer the sole host. CNN executives and the co-hosts flatly ruled out that outcome...

MOSCOW — Only a handful of viewers may know it, but a 24-hour cable news station sponsored by the Russian government is making inroads in American cable markets. No longer viewing America through the lens of Communist ideology, the Russians’ new take on the United States is more subtle: Russia Today, offers a blend of social critique, debates on international issues and a dip into conspiracy theories that is helping ratings... Russia Today, which is financed by the Russian government, has 20 million potential viewers in the United States. It has poured money into a Washington bureau, with 40 editorial...

Four and a half million Americans tuned in earlier this month to watch the second-season premiere of USA network's series, "White Collar"—a high number by any cable-channel's standards. The tale of an ex-con, forger and thief extraordinaire who partners with the FBI to solve white-collar crime, the series seems to have it all—big money, high society and dangerous villains. But the show is missing two ingredients seemingly inherent to modern television: sex and violence. You might also notice that absence in the rest of USA's summer lineup. From "Royal Pains," about a concierge doctor treating Hampton's aristocracy on the fly,...

As the visionary of our generation it isn't very often that Steve Jobs gets it wrong but he sure was missing on a few key points during the All Things Digital interview. It might be argued that he was purposefully ambiguous with his statements in order to illustrate the structural weaknesses of the cable television industry but I'm going to take him at his word and refute the following claims: No. 1. Jobs said that cable operators "give everybody a set-top box for free, or for $10 a month. That pretty much squashes any opportunity for innovation because nobody's willing...

Love grousing about cable TV? Then I’ve got a list for you. It comes from industry analyst SNL Kagan, and I came across it via a research note Barclays Capital’s Anthony DiClemente sent out last week. DiClemente was arguing that the bundled approach to cable TV–whereby subscribers get dozens or even hundreds of channels for one big fee, no matter how many networks they actually watch–wasn’t going anywhere for quite some time. If ever

The Comcast cable guy and his truck are getting a new look. Comcast Corp. said yesterday that it would re-brand its TV, Internet, and telephone services as Xfinity on Feb. 12 to signal to customers that this isn't the same old company. Comcast will remain as the corporate name, but the company will emphasize Xfinity in advertisements and on 24,000 service trucks and thousands of employee uniforms. The new brand name will first appear in Comcast ads, around the time of the Winter Olympics, in Philadelphia and 10 other markets and will then appear in Comcast's cable-franchise areas in other...

- Big Hollywood - http://bighollywood.breitbart.com - Smut TV: Hollywood Doubles Down On Their Crusade to Sexualize Your Children Posted By Charlie Richards On February 3, 2010 A USA Today story informs us “Viewers are about to see full-frontal male nudity, heterosexual, homosexual and group sex, and graphic scenes rarely — if ever — seen on mainstream TV.” A few years back, I got a real taste for how silly Hollywood’s obsession with force feeding America a steady diet of filth had become. I sat across from a Fox Family exec, pitching programs for kids. I’d been in this chair many...

Fox programs were still playing on Time Warner cable early this morning -- a hopeful sign that the media giants would strike a deal. Carmen Electra and "American Idol" singers Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta -- stars of Fox's New Year's Eve show -- rocked past the midnight deadline on local Time Warner Channel 5 with no interruption, as negotiators worked into the early hours of 2010. "We're still negotiating and going to give it a little more time," said Scott Grogin, senior vice president of communications for the Fox Networks Group. Harriet Novet, regional vice president for Time Warner's...

News Corp warned that testy carriage negotiations with Time Warner Cable Inc could leave viewers unable to see programing from its Fox broadcast network, including it blockbuster hit "American Idol" and NFL football. Negotiations between the two sides have been primarily held up by a disagreement over the value of Fox's free-to-air broadcast network. Fox is asking Time Warner Cable for around $1 a subscriber in payment for the retransmission rights to carry its network, according to a person familiar with the talks. Time Warner Cable executives have balked at paying that much and have claimed that negotiations with...

Looking for a fitting historical analogy to describe the current "cable wars?" Try the firebombing of Dresden. Fox News has been dominating its competitors now for some time, but the latest round of Abritron ratings shows FNC absolutely scorching rivals CNN and MSNBC: (Chart at link) As you can see, every show in the top ten is from Fox News, as are 13 out of the top 15. In fact, only one of Fox News' fourteen programs is ranked below #15 in the ratings. That show is Red Eye, which airs from 3-4am - and it still pulls in more...

As MSNBC and CNN battle for second place, second-quarter Nielsen numbers show the network's programs now rank one through 10 in total viewers on cable news. Since Obama came into office, Fox has continued not only winning, but doing so at unprecedented levels. As the Hollywood Reporter noted last week, the network is having its "best year yet," with the competition in the ratings, shifting from not only the news networks but all of basic cable. Indeed, Fox came in 3rd this quarter, behind only USA and TNT. Across the board, already top-rated shows are up by percentages in the...

In the early days of cable, long before anyone dreamed of a 24-hour food channel, Real World Season 22, or Glenn Beck, a startup network showing nothing but music videos struggled to get carried by cable systems—that is, the companies that own the wires leading into people's homes. Frustrated, the owners of this new channel created a now-classic advertising campaign urging teenagers to call their cable operators and declare: I Want My MTV! Ever since—this was the early 1980s—the media companies that own networks (Viacom, Disney, CBS) have fought with the companies that own cable systems (Comcast, Time Warner, Cox...

Let's face it folks, we have the liberal media on the ropes. Drive by newspapers are dying. liberal broadcasts are setting record lows. Liberal cable outlets are always claiming 2nd, 3rd, etc best to Fox. So what's the next step?

1. “Deregulation is a joke— but it’s probably not as funny for you.” For years the cable business had acted like a typical monopoly, providing lessthan- ideal customer service, skyrocketing prices, and little choice of service. Then along came the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which opened the door for competition and promised weary cable customers relief at last. Too bad that relief never came. Nearly four years after the bill was passed, a mere 286 of the 30,000 U.S. cable markets were being served by more than one provider, according to the Federal Communications Commission. And in the FCC’s most...

Porter McConnell gave up on pay TV last summer after noticing that monthly rates kept creeping up. Now with no satellite or cable TV, she watches her trusty old TV set with an antenna or she goes online to catch her favorite programs. Once in a while, she buys shows from Apple Inc.'s iTunes service. McConnell also upped her subscription to Netflix Inc.'s movies-by-mail service so she gets two DVDs at a time instead of one, for $15 a month. "Part of it is, I've got to economize," said the 30-year-old Washington, D.C., resident who works at a nonprofit....

Our late colleague Jim Boulet last year unearthed the facts here and here and here on how the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) ‘localism' schemes could shut down or inhibit talk radio. Last Thursday, Ishmael Jones, nom de plume of a former officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) clandestine service, gave his take on the danger radio ‘localism' poses to free political speech in his American Thinker article "What the CIA's Censors Can Teach Us about Plans to Muzzle Talk Radio" here. Here is Ishmael Jones on this Administration and their possible ‘localism' approach to shutting down political speech on...

President Obama’s pick for Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, is being urged to lay the foundation for “global governance” by considering “international taxation” measures to loot more money from U.S. taxpayers. The recommendation is included in the report, “The Global Agenda 2009,” which is being considered by the World Economic Forum (WEF), meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 28th - February 1st. The WEF is not an official government group but does include dozens of government, corporate and labor leaders at its annual meetings. Media companies such as News Corporation (parent of Fox News, the Fox Business Network, and the Wall Street...

Have you remembered to pay heed to Barack Obama worship services at his inauguration this Tuesday? If you are a Verizon customer you just might be getting an urgent reminder of this sacred duty in the form of a robocall as related by Brian Maloney of the Radio Equalizer: Yesterday, I was all set to write a smug, self-congratulatory post regarding my tremendous wisdom in finally dumping Comcast a few weeks ago for the complete Verizon Fios package, including cable. With Comcrap now establishing an all-Obama channel, isn’t it finally time to make the switch? Sadly, however, Verizon did something...

I apologize if I'm doing this wrong. Be gentle.Received a new Sharp 46" 1080P HDTV for Christmas. Hooked it up to existing Analog Cable (Comcast) and ran the channel search feature to program it. Works well.Then while just jumping through the channels, after Channel 2 (Analog) It went to Channel 2.1 (Digital) Wow!!! I have HDTV and I have not paid to upgrade the cable service! But when I look at the cable guide, they do not list channel 2.1. They do, however, list channels up in the 700's whereas my TV cuts off somewhere around 130 or so.There seem...

There’s no “change” when it comes to politics as usual in The Empire State, in fact the Emperor’s latest edict is not being well-received. Gov. Paterson’s proposed $121 billion budget hits New Yorkers in their iPods - and nickels-and-dimes them in lots of other places, too. Trying to close a $15.4 billion budget gap, Paterson called for 88 new fees and a host of other taxes, including an “iPod tax” that taxes the sale of downloaded music and other “digitally delivered entertainment services.” “We’re going to have to take some extreme measures,” Paterson said Tuesday after unveiling the slash-and-burn budget....

As I was 'channel surfing' at my grandmother's house in San Juan this past weekend, I came upon TeleSUR, the new Hugo Chavez T.V. venture, live from Caracas. The programming I saw -- after enduring a cooking show featuring how to make 'arepas', the equivalent in Venezuela of 'pancakes' -- started with anti-U.S., anti-'Imperialists', anti-Bush, et.al. from their news proogramming dept. and then, in the entertainment dept., a segment featuring a musician named Rene Calle 13, who basically told the audience: "F*ck George Bush, he's the worse president ever". Here in the U.S. we have Al Jazeera and other international...

WASHINGTON - The set-top box, a necessary appendage for millions of cable television customers for decades, is moving toward extinction. A leading television manufacturer, Sony Electronics Inc., and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said Tuesday they signed an agreement that will allow viewers to rid themselves of set-top boxes, yet still receive advanced "two-way" cable services, such as pay-per-view movies. In most cases, cable viewers also could dispose of another remote control since they could use their TV's control rather than one tied to the set-top box. The agreement marks a significant meeting of the minds between cable companies...

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...

North American Boxing Council Sues Mark Cuban's HDNet For Theft Eight count suit alleges HDNet's unifying mixed martial arts organization, "HDNet Fights" is the work product of the NABC. HDNet Fights, the unifying mixed martial arts organization televised on Mark Cuban's HDNet cable channel, should cease operations immediately because it was born out of a breach of trust, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other harmful actions on the part of HDNet, the North American Boxing Council (NABC) said in a lawsuit filed March 17th in the Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, Indiana. The eight count suit seeks to restore the...

There is a dirty little secret in the cable industry. Its being kept secret not by the cable distributors, but by the big cable networks. End this practice and the United States goes from being 3rd world by international broadband standards, to top of the charts and exemplary. Make this change and Net Neutrality becomes a non issue. There is plenty of bandwidth for everyone. What is the dirty little secret ? That your cable company still delivers basic cable networks in analog. Why is this such an important issue ? Because each of those cable networks takes up...

Al Jazeera Aims to Influence American Politics by Humberto Fontova 03/18/2008 Al Jazeera, eager for greater international coverage and cachet, recently launched an International Division. Aiming to influence the US audience, they recruited heavily from CNN and The BBC. CNN's former Havana Bureau chief Lucia Newman is noteworthy among these job-jumpers. "In Cuba we will be given total freedom to do what we want and to work without any censorship," (italics mine) she stressed upon accepting the CNN assignment in 1997. Among her "scoops" from Havana: "No dubious campaign spending here. No mud slinging -- a system President (italics mine)...

How does “The Mike Huckabee Show” sound? As Mr. Huckabee’s campaign plotted a concession speech on Tuesday, some analysts suggested that viewers would see the longshot Republican presidential candidate on television again very soon. On the MSNBC program “Morning Joe,” the Republican strategist Mike Murphy predicted Mr. Huckabee would “suspend his campaign, hire excellent agents, and begin negotiations for a cable TV talk show, all within the next 10 days.” “We’ve got a chair here he could fill,” the co-host Mika Brzezinski remarked. Later in the day on MSNBC, the anchor Contessa Brewer joked that the jovial Mr. Huckabee could...

"Robert De Niro" wasn't kidding. As impersonated by Josh Robert Thompson, he warned in the opening minutes of his live TV call-in talk show "Dining With De Niro" that he only wanted to talk about food -- "manly" foods like beef. He discouraged viewers who wanted to discuss "feminine" foods like cupcakes or muffins. Many of his callers were not having it. One caller blurted out an anti-Semitic obscenity. Another used the N-word while shouting out that "everyone who lives in Highland Park" loves black people. "Come on," said Thompson, as he glared at the camera and fired off a...

Should the FCC increase regulation of cable television? Yes No

Here's your chance to make a cameo appearance in Fred's Presidential campaign. Make a video telling us why you support Fred Thompson for President and upload it using the form below. We'll share these videos with all of our supporters on Fred08.com, and allow you, and them, to pick the best one. Here's your chance to be a star. Submit your video now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sure, Fred Thompson is an accomplished lawyer, prosecuting criminals in Tennessee before serving as counsel on the Watergate hearings. And yes, he served the people of Tennessee as a common sense, conservative Senator for eight years....

For cable customers, the digital TV transition just got much simpler. Under rules approved by the FCC Tuesday night, most cable subscribers, including those without digital cable, will continue receiving local stations after the shutoff of analog TV broadcasts on February 17, 2009. In the absence of the rule change, many analog cable customers may have lost access to certain local broadcast channels or been forced to get a digital cable box. Instead, the FCC will require cable systems to offer “must-carry” stations in both analog and digital form, unless the system is entirely digital. (Must-carry stations are typically independent...

In the newest ad for Levi’s 501 jeans, a guy opens up a box and takes out a new pair of jeans. As he pulls the pants on, the entire street below him magically rises into his apartment as well -- carrying with it an attractive stranger who happens to be standing in a nearby phone booth. The two exchange a meaningful look and walk off into the night, arms touching flirtatiously. If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll immediately think: Wait, who uses a pay phone anymore? But what’s really likely to get people’s attention is that the...

Cable network, TV LAND, has committed to hosting a movie night. After 11 years on the air the inclusion of movies is an attempt to save the channel from failure. On April 29th 1996 a new cable channel aired named TV LAND. TV Land, owned by MTV Networks, is programmed with re-run shows mainly from the 50's, 60's, 70's and a few from the 80's. Such shows consist of classics like: I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, The Aadams Family, Knight Rider, and many more. However what was once an interesting concept quickly became a consistent...

BURLINGTON — More than 1,000 households in Burlington now have regular access to Al-Jazeera network in their cable package, one of few areas in the nation with access to the Arab-based station. City-owned Burlington Telecom, which serves 1,200 households in Vermont's largest city, began offering the Arab-operated network in its cable packages about six months ago. "We were certainly squeamish about it at first, given its reputation in the United States," said Tim Nulty, director of Burlington Telecom. "But if you look at it, it looks like BBC. I think it's more mainstream and more objective than CNN."

Council approves AT&T's broadband infrastructure plan; availability date still uncertain - CONCORD - City leaders have taken a step toward giving Concord residents a third choice for their cable and high-speed Internet -- AT&T. That would be in addition to existing services available through Comcast and Astound Broadband, though AT&T officials aren't saying exactly when the service will be ready.But it does mean that eventually, Concord residents could have their choice of multiple cable providers, when many cities offer only one.City officials approved the infrastructure for the new service, and will debate the actual AT&T contract in the future.Construction crews...

Telephone companies can dive into California's $5.3 billion-a-year cable TV industry under a law signed Friday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He said the measure, backed by millions of dollars in corporate contributions, will offer consumers better service and lower prices. Rushing to beat a midnight Saturday bill-signing deadline, the Republican governor joined with Democratic legislative leaders Friday to also back programs lowering the cost of prescription drugs for poor Californians and to test thousands of volunteers for possible toxic contamination. All three bills could serve as models for other states and the nation, supporters said. AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications...

Is it possible to subscribe to a cable tv service and also sign up for their digital phone service but have the area code be from a neighboring city? Example: If I reside in Phoenix and my landline is a 602 area code, can my digital phone service be 480 which is an east valley (Scottsdale?) area code? Just curious.............

PASADENA, Calif. - Keith Olbermann was eagerly anticipating his first meeting with Bill O'Reilly. It didn't happen. The feuding cable TV personalities both attended a charity fundraiser thrown by New York Yankees manager Joe Torre last November. Olbermann picked up his name tag and spotted O'Reilly's tag on the table. "He never got within 20 feet of me," Olbermann told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting Saturday. "I swear to God, every time I looked up, he would suddenly look down. He was staring over at me. But we're about the same height, so I really don't think he's going...

Photo: Senator John McCain is considering legislation that could harm Christian television. LOS ANGELES (May 16, 2006) --- Trinity Broadcasting Network’s (TBN) Vice President Paul Crouch, Jr. is asking viewers and supporters of Christian broadcasting to contact U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) concerning possible legislation that would negatively impact the quality of Christian television throughout America. “Senator McCain is considering offering a bill that would drastically change how cable subscribers order channels and could seriously impact faith-based networks like TBN,” said Crouch. “It’s called ‘A La Carte,’ and it would mean that instead of ordering a cable package that includes...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is planning to introduce legislation on cable television programming that is expected to put him at odds with several of the nation’s largest Christian television networks and could complicate his effort to woo social conservatives for the 2008 presidential election. Specifically, McCain is expected to unveil a bill this week that would give cable companies regulatory incentives to offer their customers content on a channel-by-channel basis, which is known as “a la carte” programming because of its resemblance to restaurant menus that price entrees and side orders separately.But large Christian broadcasters are strongly opposed to the...

Journo's never drawn auds in like predecessor The Anderson Cooper media bandwagon continues to defy logic, and ratings gravity. It's been nearly a year since Cooper was anointed CNN's youthful savior and given Aaron Brown's primo 10 p.m. timeslot. Since then, he's been TV news' media darling, most recently gracing the cover of June's Vanity Fair. But Cooper's stellar media masks an inconvenient truth: He's never achieved the ratings of even his predecessor. CNN sacked Brown believing Cooper could draw a bigger, younger audaud at 10 p.m. But that hasn't happened. And the VF cover hit just as April ratings...

HEALTH INSURANCE isn't getting cheaper. Gas prices are soaring. Try finding an affordable house. Isn't competition in an open market supposed to bring down prices? In one area, it just might. Phone companies are pushing a state law to let them compete directly with cable firms in bringing TV into California homes. The measure will give phone giants such as AT&T and Verizon permission to use their wires statewide to offer video alongside cable firms, who now control the market. It's a battle between goliaths. Cable systems have consolidated into a handful of big firms such as Comcast and Time...

The nation's most prominent opponent of current immigration policy began his day yesterday on the "Today" show on NBC, debating a Hispanic defender of illegal immigrants. He moved on to "American Morning" on CNN to denounce a bill passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday as "an amnesty program."

Al Jazeera is ready for America, but is America ready for Al Jazeera? The Al Jazeera Channel, the controversial Arab-language network that has emerged as the principal television news source in the Arab world, is going global with an international English-language spin-off designed for European and American audiences. Al Jazeera International has signed such mainstream talent as British interviewer David Frost, former Nightline correspondent Dave Marash, and ex-CNN anchor Riz Khan. The new network, which pledges "accurate, impartial and objective reporting," mostly from an Arab perspective, plans to launch worldwide out of Qatar in late May. Al Jazeera will share...

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - A senior Democratic senator plans to force a series of votes on indecency legislation when the Senate Commerce Committee takes up a broad-based telecommunications reform bill in the spring, an aide said Monday. Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, have introduced legislation that seeks to expand indecency regulations to cable and satellite TV providers, include violent content under the same regulations as indecent content and codify the current children's television rules. "Sen. Rockefeller plans to offer his bill, in totality, or section-by-section, as amendments to the telecom bill as this goes forward," James...

As parents become increasingly concerned about what their children might see on television, some in Washington are proposing a “cure” that would be worse than the disease. Under the banner of conservatism, some proponents of a per-channel (or “a la carte”) pricing scheme claim that doing away with cable’s current bundling model will clean up cable. Ironically, such a mandate would greatly damage educational, family-oriented and religious programming. Currently, cable and satellite operators have enough channels and channel surfers to subsidize high-quality, wholesome content that doesn’t draw enough advertising or subscription revenue on its own to survive. While some a...