John Shutt wrote: > Cliff Benham wrote: >> >> Why would broadcasters keep transmitting OTA when they can only >> charge for commercials, have huge transmitter electric bills and >> only 15% of the audience when instead they can get paid by cable, >> satellite and fiber for carrying their signal PLUS commercial >> revenue? What's their loss if they shut off the OTA and go with >> cable, fiber and satellite carriage? Isn't there a great savings >> by dumping OTA?? > > Because: > > 1) They wouldn't have a spot on cable or DBS were it not for the > transmitter. (Craig's NTSC Legacy.) > > 2) They wouldn't have the NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, or PBS affiliation > without the transmitter. (Tom's 10-15% advantage.) True, I guess, but I find artificial reasons like #1 not very compelling. The rules could simply change, couldn't they? Why should a spot on MVPDs require a local transmitter? Why can't, for example, CBS get a spot on all MVPDs simply based on the popularity of their shows? Just like any other MVPD channel? And without any "local" pretense, just like Discovery Channel and all the others? My reason for OTA is more in line with Tom's. It gives the networks access to that extra 15 percent of households, and closer to 30 percent of TV sets, that they otherwise wouldn't have. And it gives the networks an outlet that they "control" by themselves (although that could be a lot more effective without the FCC's 39 percent national cap). And this extra distribution medium does not require the large investment in manpower that the MVPDs must pay for. Minimal spoonfeeding of individual households required here. And the Congress has it in their heads that the poor and disadvanged depend on it, so they keep supporting FOTA. And there are those who resist being suckered into schemes they don't want. Like, for example, those who refuse to buy those coupon books that tether you to a particular gas station. It's basically the same idea here. What more do you want for reasons? Bert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.