-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Is Cable Television Worth The Money We Pay For?
- Thread starter tothedj
- Start date
In a book I am currently reading, "Cheap Motels and A Hot Plate, the author states that the richest 1% of all HH'ds grabbed 38.4% of the income growth over a 31 year peiod. The poorest 20% of all HH'd took home 0.8% of that gain.
One could say that a small part of that disparity is directly related to the monopoly/favorable treatment the cable industry has received locally and in Washington DC. This has allowed cable to bid up the television rights to a lot of the major sports and passing them onto the consumer. It's the sports fan and cable consumer that has to pay for these increases through obscene cable bills/ and ridiculous ticket prices that makes a game at the ball park a $200 day for a family of 4.
In retrospect maybe cable is woth the $$ we pay for if one is an AVID sports fan but a very poor buy if the HH does not watch a lot of sports. THEY are the ones getting $crewed.
One could say that a small part of that disparity is directly related to the monopoly/favorable treatment the cable industry has received locally and in Washington DC. This has allowed cable to bid up the television rights to a lot of the major sports and passing them onto the consumer. It's the sports fan and cable consumer that has to pay for these increases through obscene cable bills/ and ridiculous ticket prices that makes a game at the ball park a $200 day for a family of 4.
In retrospect maybe cable is woth the $$ we pay for if one is an AVID sports fan but a very poor buy if the HH does not watch a lot of sports. THEY are the ones getting $crewed.
I knew early morning is bad, but this past Saturday between 5:30-5:45 AM, with nothing better to do, I scanned the entire line-up and wrote down the results. There were a total of 72 non-premium channels with something on, broken down as follows:
17 specialty programs (news, sports, weather, educational, cartoons)
23 channels had some person talking to the camera (various topics)
29 commercials or infomercials
3 regular television shows (drama or comedy)
3 regular shows out of 72 channels... unbelievable.
17 specialty programs (news, sports, weather, educational, cartoons)
23 channels had some person talking to the camera (various topics)
29 commercials or infomercials
3 regular television shows (drama or comedy)
3 regular shows out of 72 channels... unbelievable.
I
imhomerjay
Guest
That's a rather narrow definition though--that only comedies or dramas are "regular" shows. Plenty of people watch news, sports, cartoons and talk shows--they're regular shows.
The commercials or infomercials also is a faulty reference--informercials, sure, but if a 'regular' show was on a commercial break, saying only 3 channels are running regular programs is misleading.
The commercials or infomercials also is a faulty reference--informercials, sure, but if a 'regular' show was on a commercial break, saying only 3 channels are running regular programs is misleading.
Generally I don't think it's worth it. I have the mimimum most basic package possible. I pay $9.99 a month for 24 channels (basically the locals). But the filter block they put on my line is far from perfect because I also get a few channels I'm not supposed to such as The Discovery Channel, Discovery Health, SCi-Fi, BET and MTV 2. My HDTV also picks up the local HDTV feeds via my cable connection. So I definitely get my moneys worth for $10 bucks a month.
But my Girlfriend is moving in with me. She has all the channels at her house. She is in love with the ON DEMAND feature and wants to be keep it when she moves in with me. So my almost non existant cable bill is about to go through the roof as she adds a zillion channels, digital boxes and remote controls to my service. Lucky for me she has offered to pay for it all since SHE is the one who wants it.
But my Girlfriend is moving in with me. She has all the channels at her house. She is in love with the ON DEMAND feature and wants to be keep it when she moves in with me. So my almost non existant cable bill is about to go through the roof as she adds a zillion channels, digital boxes and remote controls to my service. Lucky for me she has offered to pay for it all since SHE is the one who wants it.
J
Julius Leonard Marx
Guest
You don't have to pay for cable?
Is it worth it? You decide? Is there enough on cable you do want to see?
If you can get off-the-air television, get rid of cable. If reception is your concern, drop back to the lowest level of cable, which gives you only broadcast channels (maybe public access and C-SPAN, too).
Me, I don't mind repeats. I appreciate having additional chances to see or Tivo a show. It seems stuff I like is on at the same time as other stuff I like. And you all should consider TiVo and you don't have to worry if cable channels are running repeats or infomercials when you feel like watching TV.
Is it worth it? You decide? Is there enough on cable you do want to see?
If you can get off-the-air television, get rid of cable. If reception is your concern, drop back to the lowest level of cable, which gives you only broadcast channels (maybe public access and C-SPAN, too).
Me, I don't mind repeats. I appreciate having additional chances to see or Tivo a show. It seems stuff I like is on at the same time as other stuff I like. And you all should consider TiVo and you don't have to worry if cable channels are running repeats or infomercials when you feel like watching TV.
Julius Leonard Marx said:
That nails it.
So far as I'm concerned, cable is not worth the money. Consequently, the last time that I subscribed was 14 years ago, when I was in a temporary apartment. When I moved, the cable service did not move with me.
While I read or hear people complaining about how overpriced their cable service is, and how it isn't worth the money...well, I just suggest that they cancel the service and put up an antenna. At that point, the rationalizations start flowing -- and the cable service doesn't get cancelled.
The truth is that many cable subscribers just *enjoy* complaining about their cable companies...but since they're not willing to actually cut the service, it looks like it is just some sort of love/hate thing for these people. If their cable companies actually bothered to improve their customer service and cut their prices, those folks would just be frustrated trying to find something else to complain about.
And I certainly don't say that as a defender of the cable industry, which I hold in very low regard. But to me it seems pretty basic: if you are dissatisfied with the service you are getting from a company, you cancel that service if you can and at least minimize it (ie, "lifeline basic") if that isn't an option for some reason.
J
Julius Leonard Marx
Guest
I agree, Tom.
There are some good reasons to dislike the cable companies. Among them bad service and contempt for the customer.
There are also alternatives:
- Two satellite TV providers
- Fiber optic TV from the phone company
- On-demand
- DVD Rentals (Netflix/Blockbuster)
Not all are available to everybody. Not all provide a complete package. But competition is increasing.
I do take Fiber Optic from the phone company because it offered me more channels I liked, better (all digital) picture quality and a lower price. I used to have DirecTV for the same reason (I can no longer receive it in my current location but I was happy with them).
But when I think back to before I could get cable or any of the alternatives and I would see shows in the TV listings on cable I wished I could see and had to keep playing with the rabbit ears (and never get a really good picture), I'm glad I am not limited to terrestrial TV.
I do have a problem when people complain about how they don't have cable (or another option) and can't see ______. Sorry. That was your choice. You decided cable wasn't worth it, so don't complain about not seeing something on cable.
When the day comes I'm not watching cable channels, I'll drop it. When they day comes that the price isn't worth it for what I watch, I'll drop it. If I get mad enough at my current cable/satellite provider, I'll switch.
Is-it-worth-it is an individual decision. Like most other consumer purchases.
Yes, customer service from cable companies generally sucks. Same for public utilities in general and the postal service. So when cable lobbies for higher rates or more favorable regulations, they won't get any sympathy from me. If some cable big shots get indicted, I say "bravo." I am not a happy customer but I still want to see stuff that's on cable.
There are some good reasons to dislike the cable companies. Among them bad service and contempt for the customer.
There are also alternatives:
- Two satellite TV providers
- Fiber optic TV from the phone company
- On-demand
- DVD Rentals (Netflix/Blockbuster)
Not all are available to everybody. Not all provide a complete package. But competition is increasing.
I do take Fiber Optic from the phone company because it offered me more channels I liked, better (all digital) picture quality and a lower price. I used to have DirecTV for the same reason (I can no longer receive it in my current location but I was happy with them).
But when I think back to before I could get cable or any of the alternatives and I would see shows in the TV listings on cable I wished I could see and had to keep playing with the rabbit ears (and never get a really good picture), I'm glad I am not limited to terrestrial TV.
I do have a problem when people complain about how they don't have cable (or another option) and can't see ______. Sorry. That was your choice. You decided cable wasn't worth it, so don't complain about not seeing something on cable.
When the day comes I'm not watching cable channels, I'll drop it. When they day comes that the price isn't worth it for what I watch, I'll drop it. If I get mad enough at my current cable/satellite provider, I'll switch.
Is-it-worth-it is an individual decision. Like most other consumer purchases.
Yes, customer service from cable companies generally sucks. Same for public utilities in general and the postal service. So when cable lobbies for higher rates or more favorable regulations, they won't get any sympathy from me. If some cable big shots get indicted, I say "bravo." I am not a happy customer but I still want to see stuff that's on cable.
JeeperOne
Banned
Hi everyone:
I look at it this way. If some company has to resort to wasting 30 minutes of my time trying to convince me to buy their product as opposed to a similar product manufactured by another company that I can get simply by walking into a store, that sends up a slew of red flags (As it should to anyone). Most of which are along the lines of IT DOES NOT WORK.
Simply put, if a manufacturer can't convince buyers for STORES to convince their bosses to put the manufqacturer's product on store shelves, then why should I be convinced to buy it myself after seeing it on some informercial??????
Dude, I'm sorry, but your salesmanese is obviously showing as you will see below...hammondo said:
Right. But have you ever heard of the ole wise saying of BUYER BEWARE?????
I look at it this way. If some company has to resort to wasting 30 minutes of my time trying to convince me to buy their product as opposed to a similar product manufactured by another company that I can get simply by walking into a store, that sends up a slew of red flags (As it should to anyone). Most of which are along the lines of IT DOES NOT WORK.
Simply put, if a manufacturer can't convince buyers for STORES to convince their bosses to put the manufqacturer's product on store shelves, then why should I be convinced to buy it myself after seeing it on some informercial??????
This thread was started a long time ago before the Mitchell report was released. Mitchell in particular constantly alluded to the competitive advantage that steroids provides to the athlete. First of all this competitive advantage was to the economic advantage of ballplayer and team. The consumer has paid fncreasingly more $$ for cable partly due to the large television contracts commanded by MLB/NFL etc. This has helped drive up the cable TV bill as the consumer ultimately pays for increased programming costs (and some of the profits) from the cable companies. If programming costs increase by say $5 a month, do you think the cable companies will increase your bill by only $5?
So what the consumer pays for (in many sports) is watching some people that wouldn't oprdinaly be playing unless they cheated.
I really feel sorry for folks who have cable and don't like or watch much sports. Boy are you folks getting hosed! But no worse than the hundreds of thousands of young folks who bulked up on steroids and will now have to pay the long term costs.
I can't answer whether cable TV is worth the money we pay for. Don't we purchase goods, products, and services that aren't worth the money simply because we can?
So what the consumer pays for (in many sports) is watching some people that wouldn't oprdinaly be playing unless they cheated.
I really feel sorry for folks who have cable and don't like or watch much sports. Boy are you folks getting hosed! But no worse than the hundreds of thousands of young folks who bulked up on steroids and will now have to pay the long term costs.
I can't answer whether cable TV is worth the money we pay for. Don't we purchase goods, products, and services that aren't worth the money simply because we can?
- Status