COMCAST DROPS FOX NEWS FROM BASIC CABLE

Stonenots

[Stonenots]

Comcast changes channel line-up March 1.

[jwalsh07]

Well, that's one way of insuring that the mushrooms get properly fed and not too much light.

Pretty dang funny.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Lets hope this kind of behavior stops. Lets give people a welcome and a chance. I came to this thread INTERESTED in what this poster had to SAY!

If Comcast is going to start doing this, I sure wanted to know!!

[Dasaji]

Yet, if I were a Newbie conservative, just excitedly having found FR, all the talk of zotting and being called the N-Word (as in 'Oh, {cough} you're a newbie.') just might turn me off.

This post seemed quite neutral (even if not posted in the correct place - FR can be a bit confusing and overwhelming with the amounts of info).

Lighten up a little bit?

[torchthemummy]

"Dish Network charges more for FOX, and people still pay for it. It's the ONLY reason I subscribe to the top 100 instead of the top 50 package."

I agree but at the same time I couldn't get Fox News at all because Time-Warner (CNN, Time etc.) rules this town. I got Dish three months ago and am totally satisfied. I get better reception, more channels, great music channels, local channels (thankfully this boondoggle for cable was eliminated in Congress) and of course Fox News. And when I move, I pack'er along and set her up at the new homestead.

It was indeed a draw to go to Dish just to get Fox News but I am very confident that in the not-too-distant future that more competition by new stations and new providers will force a cherry-pick system which will still add up but will still save some money. My guess is that when that happens, they will start pay-per-view of sitcoms, dramas, the whole gambit plus episodes that never made it to the small screen.

As far as the Troll goes, the figure of $32.95 is unbelievable; package upgrades generally run around $10 to $12 additional. At the same time I saw no link to a website/press release, just a physical address, and no link to outside commentary. Tack on registration today and you know what you got...an emotionally-charged, intellectually-bankrupt liberal troll.

Oh, by the way, "Hi Moby! By the way: you suck!"

[Calvin Locke]

Yes, Brit Hume is worth it. I still remember when he worked for one of the alphabet networks and asked Clinton, at the
announcement of Ginsberg for the USSC: "...can you lead us through your decision process..." and Clinton got mad and
stalked away.

[A CA Guy]

Sounds great.

I have your basic cable. Mostly listen to news channels, so excessive programming is no bid deal for me.

I did by a great 3300 lumens xga projector for pennies on the dollar that has a dvi input.
In one room I can watch an over 200" picture that makes that one room an actual HDTV movie hall.

With an 8.5 foot high picture, it is quite different viewing.
I am trying to find out about HDTV receivers, as usual there is a learning curve regarding what the options are and which ones burn up.

I'm set up for the fancy service, but I need only the OTA HDTV and playing DVD through a DVI.

Outside of that I'll listen to news and other stiff with TVs that don't have a $500 bulb that can burn out... LOL

[Fierce Allegiance]

I must have been on to something, because the account has been suspended.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I agree that i also came here to see what the poster had to say, but it gave no real, verifiable info, no link and provided not a single response. It had all the markings of a troll post to me.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

But what about the ads? Do you get ads on each channel, like with a digital cable box? You know, that ad that sits in the corner of the screen when you change the channel. Do you know what I'm referring to?

[Hodar]

But what about the ads?

Do you mean the station ID? For example Fox has their logo in the corner from time to time. This is directly from Fox, and is in the source material; thus the cable company nor satelite are involved.

But, if you mean a channel description of what channel you are watching, the start and end time of the program, the program's title, and a 3 sentence synopsis of what the program is; that's available on satelite as either a transparent overlay, or a non-transparent page. This 'ad' is controlled, meaning you can turn it on, and off.

[whd23]

nothing good is free.

Well, DUH! We subscribers pay for basic cable, nobody is looking for a handout. If true, what is happening is that Comcast will be removing another channel from the Basic Cable line up (but if past actions are any indication, they won't lower the rate).

This is a major gripe of mine with the cable companies. The basic line-up has 50 or so channels, 45 of which I NEVER watch. Plus, they rip a page out of the Democrat handbook and put ESPN (and all the lesser ESPNs) in the basic line up to spread the cost among all subscribers to basic. My household televisions have NEVER been tuned to any of the ESPN channels, and they are some of the most expensive content for the cable companies to buy.

It would be nice if they would allow you to buy ONLY those channels that you wanted...

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

When I used to have a cable box, I remember the ads in the corner of the screen. You change the channel, and you get a new ad. It disappears in about 3 seconds, but every time you change the channel, you see an ad in the corner. That was just with the cable box. That's why I stopped service with the cable box; I got tired of all the ads. I still have cable service, just not with the box.

But you're saying that with satellite, I can turn the ads on or off? If that's true, then I will definitely look into it.

[sorry for repeating myself, i'm barely coherent with no sleep at all - major insomnia]

[Hodar]

major insomnia

I USED to have that problem. May I suggest you run to Wal Mart and buy the 1 mg (not the 3 mg) tablets of Melatonin. Take 1 tablet about 30 minutes before bed time, and you will feel sleepy.

Just a word about Melatonin. It's a natural hormone your body makes throughout life. You made more of it when you were younger (notice how babies can sleep through anything), and you also make more of it when it's dark and rainy outside. Notice how well you sleep when you go camping? Basically, your brain released Melatonin in response to light intensity, that's why rainy days make you sleepy. When you take it, you will awaken refreshed; not drugged and in a stupor like both Rx and non-Rx sleeping pills do. If you want to 'fight' the effects, you certainly can. You are not drugged to sleep. You are just pre-conditioned to want to sleep - as if it were a rainy and overcast Sunday afternoon.

Regarding the Satelite TV. There are NO advertisements that pop up when you change the channel.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

OK then, I'll definitely look into satellite.

Melatonin - do you take it every night? Or just for a time, until your body gets into a routine of falling asleep at a certain time? I worry about side-effects. I'm allergic to a lot of things. But I'll definitely look into it.

I'm going to stagger back to bed now. Thanks for the info!

[Hodar]

Melatonin - do you take it every night? Or just for a time, until your body gets into a routine of falling asleep at a certain time? I worry about side-effects. I'm allergic to a lot of things.

I take it every night, for the past 5 years. I don't suffer from insomnia anymore. I used to get it 4-8x a year where I would go for a couple of weeks on very little sleep. It's miserable.

I am not a physcian, so I will NOT comment as to whether it triggers allergies. I do know it is non-habit forming. I also know that you do not want anything to do with the 3 mg tablets. If you take half of a 1 mg tablet, or even the 1 microgram the effect is very close to the 1mg. However, if I take the 3 mg, the effect is that of a stimulant. It's like drinking tons of coffee and then trying to sleep. If you find that a single 1 mg is insufficient, you can always take another in an hour or two.

[1Old Pro]

LOL, I've gone/am going thru the same thing with local channels. It now lloks like late March for me. They are TOTALLY unorganized.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

I didn't see ONE offensive thing the poster wrote. Not one.

But in fairness, I also didn't see a link to the story. However, if the story was FALSE.. why wasn't this thread pulled?

We love FR, we are monthly donors. Always will be. But we don't want to see new people run off or smeared when they try to post. So instead of violating the rules on FR, how about hitting the abuse button and letting the Moderators handle things?

I watched as this thread was happening.. post three insulted him/her. It went downhill from there. Would you have responded if you were the original poster of this thread and your were a newbie? I sure as heck wouldn't have!

I kept clicking on the original posters name. They never posted ANYTHING but this original thread. So I'm confused as to how anyone could call him/her a disruptor based on this thread.

I'm not privledged as to WHY they were banned, ..and yes... I DID ask why, but didn't get an answer.

Guess it wasn't my business. I totally respect that decision.

The powers that be obviously know something that I don't.

I trust the site owners decision in this.

But we need to be VERY careful in calling ALL NEWBIES who post something names!! Like "disruptors" or ZOTS and accussing them of being from DU unless they truly display bizarre behavior. In this case, I sure can't see how anyone came to that conclusion based on this thread alone!!

Lately we've even had people accussing freepers with "JOIN DATES" from "1998" of HACKING into the system and stealing OLD FREEP names and using them. "Acccusing" long time freepers of this... ON THIS VERY FORUM!!

Jim Robinson himself told me himself that this is "HORSE PUCKY"!!

So the paranoia has reached all time highs on this forum and needs to stop!

Let the moderators do their jobs.. and stop this madness!

I'm sure there is some sort of system in place that allows them to know who is truly disrupting and who isn't.

I trust the moderators and Jim to know what they are doing.

In the future we should welcome newbies. And if we think someone is a disruptor, hit the "ABUSE Button" and let the moderators do their jobs.

[Mudboy Slim]

If Comcast here in Richmond jacks the price on me to retain the FoxNewsChannel, it'll give me all the reason I need to get rid of cable altogether...MUD

[Fierce Allegiance]

check this out:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1085352/posts
The admin mods even ping us when there are zot threads. true, this one is questionable, but we have been on a heightened security status lately.

[tgslTakoma]

I do not know all the back-room work that goes on when a poster is investigated for being a troll or a retread -

I do however know this much about what the now-banned thread-originating FReeper had posted.

I called Comcast Montgomery County today and, after waiting on hold through a series of menu options, I was able to speak to one gentleman named Luis. Luis confirmed the following:
YES, in fact, Comcast Montgomery is going to remove Fox News from their "Basic" cable service (which costs $14.00/mo.), beginning on March 1st. In order to get Fox News after March 1st, one will have to subscribe to "Preferred" service for $46.97/mo.), which LO-AND-BEHOLD! comes to a difference of $32 and change per month.
And that, BTW, is exactly what the now-banned poster had posted.

As an editorial note here:
I have become more and more disillusioned with the tone and tenor of commentary on FR these past few months, and this thread is a prime example of what is ailing (IMO) FR. The "NEWBIE" posts a vanity-ish thread, not in breaking news - but in MD and your opinion/questions, and the third damn comment on the thread is telling this guy/gal to go back to DU - and a hysterical pile-on soon results.

What the poster posted was legitimate. (call 301-424-4400 and wade through the voice menu, if you think I'm a troll/disruptor/DU'er too)

Everyone who piled on this thread and attacked the poster owes him an apology for calling him a disruptor, a liar, a troll, etc.

Somebody needs to declaw the feral cats around here as well.