Re: Various replies

["Andy Soule" <doctorradio@yahoo.com>]

>Licensees do get FREE use of the spectrum ....they can always sell or turn
in their license.>

Dan, to clarify, My thoughts were based on the smaller markets in Maine.
Larger markets will do a double-take at the price tag, but it
probably does not jeopardize staying in business.  There are now
spectrum/regulatory fees in place for radio, and I think TV is paying them
as well.  Simply saying "I fold" is not an option either, as I see it.  For
an owner/operator who has worked for years to pay down debt, this could mean
personal financial ruin.  They got the license fair and square, for a small
operation, this could be the nail in the coffin.
Given that most TV stations are part of larger corporate organizations,
those companies are similarly forced to bite the bullet.  How would an
executive deal with the situation?  Go with huge loans or expenditure for
the capital investment/training etc. and put a huge debt service on the
bottom line, or give up the ghost?  Either way, the shareholders are not
going to be happy.  How would you feel if you had a substantial amount of
retirement money invested in Television....(oh, that's right, you work in
radio..what retirement?)  What about the employees working in this
environment, where that debt service is going to exert even more pressure to
do more with less?.

I really don't want to have the government subsidizing anyone, but throwing
cruel and unusual mandates to the industry I work in is extremely bad for
business. And it sets a poor precedent,

Here's a whole other tangent to think about:  Observation:  I have
personally observed Direct TV dishes are selling in Northern Maine faster
than anyone can supply them.  This presents another real problem for local
television.  Why not simply eliminate broadcast TV?  Instead local
"Franchisee's could lease time on network channels for local news,
commercials, etc.  Even independent stations could lease a "Channel" for
local programming, perhaps co-op'ing syndicated programming.  The switching
of local programming and commercials would be handled by each individual
receiver, and if you wanted to see the local news in Seattle, you could
subscribe to that, too.  All while watching local commercials.  I know, lots
of holes in this idea, but it does address several problems too.


Andy Soule
------------------
Operations Manager WDME-FM
118 Union Square, Suite D103
Dover-Foxcroft, ME  04426
Phone: 207-564-2642
Fax: 206-493-1305  (206 Area code)
-----Original Message-----
From: Dib9@aol.com <Dib9@aol.com>
To: doctorradio@yahoo.com <doctorradio@yahoo.com>
Cc: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
<boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Date: Monday, October 18, 1999 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: Various replies


>I have not reached a conclusion in my mind on the value of digital TV
>conversion, but I have to disagree that there needs to be tax dollars given
>to fund the transition.  Licensees do get FREE use of the spectrum and if
it
>is the national policy to convert, the conversion should be at the
licensees
>expense.  If they don't think paying for the conversion is a good
investment,
>they can always sell or turn in their license.
>
>As for the unfunded mandate issue, that's true but anyone running a
business
>knows that government at all levels imposes new costs every year.  We may
not
>like it but digital TV conversion is no worse than the myriad of other
>mandates all businesses are hit with.
>
>-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine
>
>In a message dated 10/18/99 8:34:11 AM EST, doctorradio@yahoo.com writes:
>
><< However in this case, I believe MPTV and all the COMMERCIAL stations
>should get government money to do the switch, but it should be Federal
money,
>not from the state. >>


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