[opendtv] Re: Two articles about sticking it to the TV consumer
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 18:16:57 -0500
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> Do the media conglomerates really need free spectrum to survive?
"Free" radio and TV have been a tradition in most of the world. It's a good way
to keep the population informed, hopefully encouraging voters to know something
before they vote. I suppose we could have a referndum to see if people are in
favor of abolishing these options.
> Do most of us really care about the limited amount of locally
> generated content that FTA TV stations produce, when we can
> access most of this information instantly (from both fixed and
> hand held devices via the Internet?
Of course not. The "local content" argument is a leftie argument, often in
favor with some of the FCC commissioners, now including Genachowski himself.
And paradoxically, an argument you have supported too, more than once.
No, instead the article you mentioned made two points that I think bear
repeating:
1. One approach is to allow the networks to negotiate with the MVPDs. Duh! Give
the negotiators the same clout as the gargantuan MVPDs they are dealing with.
My take is that this can be done by simply abolishing the national cap.
2. Another approach is to allow stations to aggregate the copyrights of all of
their program sources, again giving them more clout, leveling the playing
field. But I prefer #1, I think.
Certainly, if the non-TV-network content owners that provide the fare for MVPDs
deal with MVPDs on a nationwide basis like this, it's just foolish to continue
handicapping the major TV networks by diluting their bargaining power. Sure,
people have more entertainment options, so they don't only go to the major
networks. But the major networks still account for the biggest share, compared
to any other source of content, by far.
Bert
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