Either ABC kills the movie or I kill my cable.

[Jim Sagle]

I'm calling my provider (Comcast) tomorrow have them either block ABC from my signal and refund the difference, or I quit my cable.

Go and do likewise.

[RoyGBiv]

1. FWIW ...

They can't legally do that.

Your local over-the-air ABC affiliate is what's called a "must-carry" channel. The lowest level of service your cable provider offers "must carry" that channel.

[Jim Sagle]

5. Then it's buh-bye cable.

[RoyGBiv]

8. That's fine ...

Just don't blame the cable company. Your friendly Congressional leadership put that regulation into place *at the urging* of consumer lobby groups.

[Jack_DeLeon]

2. What are you going on about?

NM I read the other threads in GD.

I dont watch much TV so I dont really care what goes on there.

[Jim Sagle]

6. Go back to sleep.

[question everything]

3. ABC is not a cable channel and I think that by law

the local cable providers have to carry the local stations that are available by air.

We just need to stop watching anything on ABC, including the local news and all the syndicated comedies.

The GMA and the nightly news.

[Jim Sagle]

7. If you have cable and you get the ABC signal, you're paying ABC.

I won't. Period.

[RoyGBiv]

10. Hardly ...

Network affiliates make their money through advertising primarily. You don't directly pay them anything. If you have high-def, you may be paying something on the order of a fraction of a penny per month, but that's it.

Loss of viewership hurts them because it reduces the rates they can charge for advertising, but only if massive losses are incurred that can be measured by ratings programs. Cable and satellite consumer numbers have almost nothing to do with this measurement.

[TomInTib]

4. Go Seeger on that mo-fo

remember when Pete Seeger wanted to take an axe to Dylan's cables at Newport?


Go, Man, go...

They will come back out and fix it.

I do shit like that every once and a while for the sheer satisfaction of doing it.

[Jim Sagle]

9. I guess I won't do that.

It'a a kewl thought though. ;-)

[sass29429]

11. Killing Cable

Don't forget to let us know what they say.. Are they moneygrubbers that value your money or your moral outrage.

[RoyGBiv]

12. ::sigh::

Cable companies, especially Comcast, are deserving of a lot of criticism.

This particular issue has absolutely not one thing to do with the cable company. They make *no money* on "must carry" channels. Furthermore, they have no choice but to carry them. The law requires that they do, and they must offer those channels at a rate negotiated with the city in which those channels are offered, i.e. your government reps. Consumer advocates are responsible for making this the case. Don't like it, complain to the city government, the FCC, and Congress. Cable companies would love nothing better than to be able not to carry these channels or to charge more than the negotiated rate, which usually barely covers infrastructure cost, for those channels.


P.S. Welcome to DU!!! :hi:

[Jim Sagle]

14. They're worse than that. They're corporate.

They explained how, if I killed my cable, my high-speed internet would slow down and cost more - to the point that my monthly Internet-only charge would be higher than what I pay now for combined Internet/cable. :puke:

[Truthiness Inspector]

13. I won't shut off ABC

Sorry, but I'm a fan of "Lost." I can't wait until the season comes out on DVD.B-)

But congrats to you for sticking to your guns, ABC doesn't have much to offer besides stuff like "Lost."