[opendtv] Re: Analysis: Broadcast's $1 Billion Pot of Gold
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:02:39 -0700
Even undercapitalized full-service television stations get must-carry.
Better capitalized ones (actually, ones with higher-value content, mostly)
get slightly better distribution via retrans consent, and sometimes money.
Channel position might be better with the latter case, but that is very much
unlike an undercapitalized car maker with a supply chain barking back at
him.
I think John Shutt properly defined the market for automatic-transmission
Porsches a few weeks back; sugar daddies buying them for their nubile young
models. I can hear a Porsche a block away, around the corner, with the wind
against me. I see (and hear) women shifting them all the time, so I suspect
these are women buyers, not second or third wives.
This may not be immediately apparent to those who haven't driven a Porsche.
First, you don't drive using the speedometer, but the tach. You just keep
it below the clearly-marked redline (7000 rpm, in my experience). If you do
that, you recognize that you can do 0-60 (or so) in first gear, 20-80 in
second, 30-110 or so in third, and I was never to get one above 135, but I
could do that in 4th and 5th. Even with their highly-regarded automatic
transmission, you don't get that breadth. Also, experienced Porsche drivers
know that the manual transmission is great for braking/deaccel.
If you want to drive around showing that "I can afford a Porsche", then
automatic will do that, making the trip to the 7-11 something you can do
with one arm. If you want to DRIVE, only the 5-speec (actually, I think the
newer models have a 6-speed and a higher top speed) will do.
I love to DRIVE.
Once, on a Wendy rural road, with my buddy in the passenger seat, I
momentarily lost control of the steering in my dad's first 911 (2.4 liter).
My buddy was "kind of surprised" when I punched the gas. Having been warned
by my father, I knew this would solve the instability. And, it worked. If
you don't want that ability, the automatic transmission is 'just fine."
Anyway, we're veering (smile) widely off-topic. And, I have work to do. I
can't wait to see what fresh hell bert cooks up.
John Willkie
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De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
nombre de dan.grimes@xxxxxxxx
Enviado el: Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:43 PM
Para: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asunto: [opendtv] Re: Analysis: Broadcast's $1 Billion Pot of Gold
"He was undercapitalized. He lacked effective distribution..."
Exactly. Doesn't this apply to small media outlets as well?
"Oh, you're talking about a Porsche with automatic transmission. What an
absurd notion!"
Perhaps you don't like it, but they sell. I merely was saying it is idea
that is working for other manufacturers.
Dan
"John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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[opendtv] Re: Analysis: Broadcast's $1 Billion Pot of Gold
Dan;
It sounds to me that your knowledge of Tucker came from a movie.
He was undercapitalized. He lacked effective distribution - something the
majors got right by about 1928 - he had only a few sellers.
He had some innovative ideas and a rather interesting product, but had no
warranty/repair infrastructure (or payments to dealers for such) and he had
more than a few glitches.
It's true that when he could get cars to dealers, they sold. Of course, no
new cars had been sold in the U.S. for more than 6 years. Did I mention
that his pricing was so low that he didn't make enough money on the cars to
handle the items he needed in the third sentence?
He may have been ahead of his time but he was way ahead of his money.
The Edsel wasn't a race car, and wasn't capable of turning like a Porsche.
I know just a bit about 911 Porsches; my late father owned one or another
from 1973 through 2004. Never saw one with push-button transmission. Oh,
you're talking about a Porsche with automatic transmission. What an absurd
notion!
How do you support today's small media players? Have you ever watched
UCSD-TV? (Available on EchoStar?) RFD-TV? The Outdoor Channel? How about
Versus (currently showing 'Le Tour?')
Don't let your rhetoric get ahead of your head.
John Willkie
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De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
nombre de dan.grimes@xxxxxxxx
Enviado el: Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:15 AM
Para: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asunto: [opendtv] Re: Analysis: Broadcast's $1 Billion Pot of Gold
If we want to go with car manufacturers for the analogy, Tucker also made a
car ahead of its time...and people bought them. Too bad the powerful auto
manufacturers were able to shut him down. I would like to compare that to
today's big media players.
(Back to the push-button transmission, open-wheel race cars, Porsches,
Ferraris and some Pontiacs come with shifters on the wheel. I'd say Edsal
was in good company.)
Dan
"John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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[opendtv] Re: Analysis: Broadcast's $1 Billion Pot of Gold
Ah, making my point, since - aside from Chrysler's Powermatic (push-button)
transmission, they are still ahead of their time, 50+ years later.
John Willkie
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