The Dark Side of Cable TV
People still like watching TV. That’s a fact. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., (a leading measurement company that provides data about what people watch and listen to), the average American views more than 4 hours of TV each day. That equates to 28 hours per week, 2 months a year, and in a 65 year span, 9 years of time spent in front of the television. Bottom line – TV is still important.
As your TV provider, TrioTel intends to keep your valuable TV time, just that – valuable. And at a reasonable cost! Unfortunately, there is a dark side to cable TV that many consumers don’t realize. There is an ugly world where TV broadcasters rule, and small cable companies, like TrioTel, struggle to win an ever losing battle against programming fees.
Throughout this past year, TrioTel and cable companies across the United States have been negotiating with broadcasters to keep programming fees low. However, when negotiations take place, broadcaster always have the upper hand, and if their demands are not met, cable providers are forced to remove their programming. Keep in mind that the broadcasters we’re negotiating are also providers of local content. (Big dogs = ABC/KSFY, CBS/KELO, NBC/KDLT, and FOX/KTTW.) Simply put, if we can’t come to an agreement, then our subscribers lose those channels.
As a small cooperative, TrioTel’s lack of negotiating leverage leaves us at the mercy of these broadcasters. We ultimately have no other choice than to agree with their demands and consent to increasing fees each year. As a TrioVision subscriber, you will see the line item “Retransmission Fee to Local Broadcasters” on your TrioTel bill change over the next three years.
TrioTel will continue to stand up to programmers and fight against excessive fee increases for TrioVision subscribers. For more information about TV network disputes, visit www.tvonmyside.com or contact the TrioTel business office at 425-2238.
