Re: AT&T/Comcast rates

["Brian Vita" <brian_vita@cssinc.com>]

I have AT&T cable at my office in Peabody so that I can watch the Weather
Channel and CNN when the need arises.  Although I am the only potential
viewer of the set and the general public is excluded, I have to pay the
outrageous amount of $50/month for basic.  Given the fact that the TV is on
no more than 2 hours/month, its kind of ridiculous.

Earlier this week I got the brilliant idea of upgrading to digital for the
sole reason of the music channels.  Since the demise of Smooth Jazz in
Boston <ducking>, I've been listening to the temperamental channels on the
Internet.  I thought that I'd finally found a way to justify the cable in my
office.  I was told point blank that they did not provide digital cable to
businesses.  I guess that its time to hook up that spare XM receiver in the
office!

Brian Vita, President
Cinema Service & Supply, Inc.
75 Walnut St.
Peabody, MA  01960-5626 USA
(800)231-8849/Fax (800)329-2775
+1-978-538-7575/Fax +1-978-538-7550
sales@cssinc.com/www.cssinc.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Billings" <billingsdan@yahoo.com>
To: "Richard Chonak" <rac@gabrielmass.com>;
<boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 5:35 PM
Subject: Re: AT&T/Comcast rates


> The problem with per channel pricing is that most of
> the cable channels make much of their money through
> advertising and advertisers look, in part, at the
> number of homes that the channel is available in.
> Most program providers push to make sure that their
> most wanted channels are part of the basic package.
> NESN recently made that switch to increase advertising
> revenue.
>
> Programming is a major expense, but so is
> infrastructure.  I was on the local water district and
> though we charged based on useage, most of the
> district's costs were the same even if we pumped no
> water in a month.  Cable TV fixed costs are not as
> extreme, but they are a major part of the cost.  As a
> result, my guess is that if the industry switched to
> per channel pricing, the costs per channel would be so
> high that it wouldn't make sense for most viewers.
>
> I just switched to digital cable this week.  I think
> the benefit is marginal for an extra $10 per month --
> but I do like the audio music channels.  Americana and
> Classic Country in particular.  I made the switch
> because my system dropped PPV from their non-digital
> service and I do like the option of buying the big
> boxing matches.
>
> -- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine
>
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