WABC-7 is "OFF THE AIR" On Cablevision

[RWC130 594]

I am a Cablevision Customer,

This is part of an e-mail I just received:

We regret to inform you that ABC's parent company has decided to pull WABC-7 off Cablevision, even though we pay them more than $200 million dollars a year for their group of networks. They are demanding a $40 million dollar increase for the same channels we carry today. In light of these economic times we do not feel it's appropriate for ABC to hold our viewers hostage in pursuit of undeserved millions.

Many of you just want WABC-7 back on your television. That's why we are working hard to get WABC-7 back on the air. You can help make a difference by visiting cablevision.com/abc and sending their executives an email expressing how you feel.

While we work to return WABC-7 to the lineup, you can watch WABC-7 free over the air by obtaining a digital TV antenna from your local consumer electronics store. Or, you can watch almost all of ABC's prime time programming free on the Internet at hulu.com or abc.com.

Thank you for your patience, while we continue to negotiate a deal that is fair for everyone.

First it was HGTV & Food Network and now WABC-7? ENOUGH!!!

Thoughts?

[efdcapt115 1,511]

I am a Cablevision Customer,

This is part of an e-mail I just received:

First it was HGTV & Food Network and now WABC-7? ENOUGH!!!

Thoughts?

FIOS.

[prucha25 76]

I love FIOS, so happy I got rid of cablevision as soon as I could!

[jack10562 414]

Disney and Cablevision have combined gross revenues of over 10 BILLION... per QUARTER....!!!! That's 40 BILLION a year!

and they are quibbling over a measly 40 million.

NYA NYA NYA..."it's my ball, and I'm going home."

[JP59 41]

I love FIOS, so happy I got rid of cablevision as soon as I could!

I'll second that. I am very satisfied with Fios and have absolutely no regrets leaving Cablevision.

[ajsbear 11]

When FIOS became available in my area I was one of the first to switch. Cablevison claims it pays Disney a fortune already, that's for the several Disney Channels, ESPN which they own and several other channels they own as well. It's all spelled out in their contracts. Remember it was Cablevision and Charles Dolan who spent $10 Million on an ad campaign to stop the "west side stadium" because it would have effected revenue from Madison Square Garden which they also own. If you look at your cable bill you will see a charge for "basic" which includes CBS, ABC and NBC. If you get charded for it then it is right for them to get a piece of it. Cablevision has been making money giving you the basic "free" channels for years, so if the networks are asking Dolan for pay up its only right.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

When FIOS became available in my area I was one of the first to switch. Cablevison claims it pays Disney a fortune already, that's for the several Disney Channels, ESPN which they own and several other channels they own as well. It's all spelled out in their contracts. Remember it was Cablevision and Charles Dolan who spent $10 Million on an ad campaign to stop the "west side stadium" because it would have effected revenue from Madison Square Garden which they also own. If you look at your cable bill you will see a charge for "basic" which includes CBS, ABC and NBC. If you get charded for it then it is right for them to get a piece of it. Cablevision has been making money giving you the basic "free" channels for years, so if the networks are asking Dolan for pay up its only right.

Totally agree. Remember when the Dolans screwed all the Bronx and blacked out Yankees games over the fight about the new YES Network?

[pjreilly 6]

I am a Cablevision Customer,

This is part of an e-mail I just received:

First it was HGTV & Food Network and now WABC-7? ENOUGH!!!

Thoughts?

AT&T UVERSE is awesome. I made the switch after the last round of BS from Cablevision.

[abaduck 123]

1. I don't see why Cablevision should pay in the first place; all they're doing is distributing a free-to-air channel. Heck, 7 should pay THEM for getting their commercials into more homes.

2. If they are being squeezed to pay, the remedy for the future is simple; for pennies (pretty much) per box, they could put a receiver for broadcast digital TV in their cable boxes. Hook up an aerial and you're done. They wouldn't have to pay the broadcast channels a cent, and the customers would get a seamless experience: the channels would still be in the same places, they would still be on the channel guide - they would just be pulled off the air instead of down the pipe. Sure it would take a while to roll out all the new boxes, but it would give Cablevision leverage and they would be free of demands from broadcast channels.

3. Cablevision, you have more foreign language channels than I can count. When the hell are you going to give me BBC America?!

4. Open up the system so customers can choose their own boxes to put their Cablevision cards in - I would like a single box that did cable, broadcast, satellite, and DVR.

[RocklandFires 44]

I switched to FIOS about a month ago. Not only is the cable better, but the internet is a lot faster. I watch Ch.7 religiously, so glad I still have it !

[efdcapt115 1,511]

Millions of viewers will miss the Oscars if the dispute isn't resolved.

.....Well, at least one good thing came of this. You can catch up on some needed sleep instead of wasting your time watching self-absorbed famous people congratulate one another....

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/abc-cablevision-dispute-means-millions-might-miss-oscar-broadcast/19386565

[GoDucks23 6]

For all you FIOS fans, just wait till the bill changes after the first year. You think cablevision prices were bad, FIOS will give you a heart attack. All I can say is that there is no way you can try and charge extra for something if you offer on the internet for free. These idiots are going to end up like all of the newspaper companies that keep laying off employees cause paper sales are down. Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free. If you want to watch the oscars tonight, go online and enjoy. However if we lost the full range of channels which included all of the ESPN's then Direct TV would have been my first choice within a day. But honestly who cares about Oprah, Lost, and so on....

Channel 7 will be back within three days.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

For all you FIOS fans, just wait till the bill changes after the first year. You think cablevision prices were bad, FIOS will give you a heart attack. All I can say is that there is no way you can try and charge extra for something if you offer on the internet for free. These idiots are going to end up like all of the newspaper companies that keep laying off employees cause paper sales are down. Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free. If you want to watch the oscars tonight, go online and enjoy. However if we lost the full range of channels which included all of the ESPN's then Direct TV would have been my first choice within a day. But honestly who cares about Oprah, Lost, and so on....

Channel 7 will be back within three days.

What are Cablevision, FIOS, Direct TV charging in NY these days?

I have Comcast in Fl. I'm looking at the bill;

HD Premier Bundle:

Triple Play, digital premier, HBO, Starz, Cinemax, Showtime, Sports package, VOD, High speed internet, digital voice unlimited:

$199.99

Sureprice2= -40.00

$159.99

Taxes, fees, etc +24.07

=$184.06 per month

[27east 19]

The Dolans screw us again!

[FDNYDCHI 38]

I have FIOS in my apartment and I pay around 137 a month. triple play along with a DVR HD box and taxes etc. I love it. The cable guy came a few times and wanted me to switch to cable but told him to take a walk.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

I have FIOS in my apartment and I pay around 137 a month. triple play along with a DVR HD box and taxes etc. I love it. The cable guy came a few times and wanted me to switch to cable but told him to take a walk.

That's a GREAT deal. Is that the one year intro price chief?

[JetPhoto 626]

I have had FIOS since June, I love it. No broken signal every 5 minutes, no "resetting" the time every night, When I had Cable several times a day I had to reboot the modem for the internet, FIOS not once. This past weekend when the big storm hit, several times the cable went out at my firehouse (a block away)Fios in my house stayed on no problems at all internet, TV, phone were 100% perfect.

Thats just my experience.

As for price, who ever you have it goes up every year.

[Guest]

Disney is the one changing approaches. Cablevision was able to secure this "FREE" channel without paying Disney for many years.

Regardless, I believe Food Network etc. is back.

[dmc2007 17]

It's pretty remarkable that, as more competitors enter the market (and Cablevision's monopoly shrinks), the greedier Cablevision gets. Then again, based on what I've heard about how this company operates (my dad is a former employee of one of their now-extinct divisions) and from what I've experienced as a customer, none of this is too surprising.

[ems-buff 81]

I'll second that. I am very satisfied with Fios and have absolutely no regrets leaving Cablevision.

I third that.. The only real regret, if you call it that, the fact I don't have News 12 anymore.. While they do suck. I do miss having real local news.

I heard something along the lines they have a local news network in NJ/ and Long Island.. Maybe westchester can be next..

[gklein4 18]

Switched from Cablevision in 09/2009 & went to Fios never looked back while yes I do miss news12 I gotten used to watching other stations for my news as for the benefits of fios it is much better then cable now if we could get the best of Fios & Cablevision together then that would be a good package. Just my 0.02

[WAS967 97]

ABC just scrolled a notice across the bottom of the Oscars saying that it would be returning to the air on Cablevision as they have made progress in negotiations and are putting ABC7 back on the air in good faith while negotiations continue.

So for all those with Cablevision who want to watch the Academy Awards, check your channel 7 feed and see if it's back up.

[FiftyOnePride 100]

Just checked, my channel 7 is back on and the awards are on.

[AFS1970 504]

Although it is a moot point now, for those of us in CT, it wasn't much o a problem, in that we were still getting Channel 8 out o New Haven.

We even had a local theater (The Avon) do a live showing o the Oscars, at least partially in response to Cablevision.

On the surface I was tempted to side with Cablevision on this one, as ABC was raising their rates significantly. The I thought, this is the same crap that happened with The Food Network. Cablevision works hard to make sure they have little or no competition but the wants us to remember they are not being treated fairly. They raise rates almost constantly on the customers but cry loudly when suppliers raise rates on them.

As for missing News 12, That would not be a big problem for me if we had another reliable cable TV option in the area. I will live if I don't hear about the Smith family going bird watching in their back yard, or finding out a day late about a story after the Anchor reads it in the paper or in at least one local matter finding out that News 12 considers a story to big to cover. Oh well.