[BC] Re: Cable & Competetion

[DHultsman5@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/5/05 12:02:40 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

The  growing competition from satellite seems, at least here in upstate NY, 
to  be manifesting itself through package deals. Both my local phone company  
(Citizens dba Frontier) and my local cable provider (Time Warner) will  
gladly sell me phone, internet and TV service. The best deal I've seen so  
far is from the phone side - $79 a month for phone, DSL and Dish Network's  
basic package. That's not much more than what I'm paying Time Warner for  
cable service alone right now. It's tempting.

And of course it  comes with a catch - just like cell service, you sign a 
contract with a  cancellation fee. Right now, cable's running ads attacking 
Frontier on  that point, but I'll bet they start doing it themselves before  
long.



++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Mr. Fybush:
 
During my attendance of the New York State Broadcasters Association  meetings 
last week,  a presentation on Cable advertising and packaging was  presented. 
 It was the best analysis of cable vs. radio spot sales I had  ever heard.  
Of course being mainly a technical person I cannot all of the  sales and 
management meetings at state shows,  but the amount of money Time  Warner is taking 
from the advertising "pie" in Albany, NY was amazing to  me.  Also Time Warner 
Cable is usually in the top advertisers on radio and  television in the 
Albany market.   
 
 
Basically they are busy selling subscribers as if they are viewers.   They 
don't use Arbitron or Nielson,  they sell their subscriber  base.  If they are 
made to sell base on cp/M they really lose. Point of the  meeting was to make 
the cable companies price their rates based on actual  audience delivered as 
measured by ratings not based on customers  served.  
 
Bell SOuth here in the Alabama has come back fighting after the local PSC  
allowed dial tone to be sold by either the cable or other companies.  They  are 
now offering basic package of fone line with four or five features, call  
waiting, voice mail, redial, etc.  plus long distance @ 5 cents/min and the  basic 
direct TV cable package for about $70.00.
 
Dave'