Comedy Central everywhere in Colorado - except Fort Collins

By now, you've seen all the press about TCI adding Comedy Central to the channel lineup throughout Colorado. Unfortunately, that's everywhere in Colorado _except_ Fort Collins. A TCI customer service representative told me that the announcement did not apply to Fort Collins, and that unlike the rest of the state, we weren't going to get Comedy Central.

Why? The official word is "capacity" - that there's not enough room to add a new channel. Well, in the rest of the state TCI will be removing unpopular channels (Odyssey/Faith & Values, home shopping channels, and so on) or letting Comedy Central piggyback on another channel at night. Why not the same in Fort Collins? No solid answer, except that "TCI in Fort Collins doesn't follow what they do in the rest of the state." I guess that means they don't listen to their customers here, unlike the more important folks closer to Denver and Boulder.

TCI did say that they may be considering adding Comedy Central to their channel lineup here in Fort Collins, after the system is upgraded. The upgrade is scheduled to start in April - God only knows how long that will last. Even then, it's still not definite - TCI could turn around and add five more HBO feeds, ten more pay-per-view channels, three more religious channels and a channel devoted exclusively to the screaming guy who sells baseball cards and coins to the mix, filling up all that new "capacity."

While the rest of the state enjoys Comedy Central, Fort Collins cable subscribers can choose from a glut of six news channels, three religious channels (including an all-Christian music video channel!), four sports channels, a channel that shows nothing but real estate listings for houses nobody can afford, the Game Show Network, two slots for the Sci-Fi Channel (one is great, twice is a waste of "capacity"), a music channel from Canada ("and now, more Brian Adams on MuchMusic, eh?"), and so many pay-per-view channels that I lost count. However, TCI won't make way for one of the most requested channels in years.

As Kenny would say, "MFRMGMUFMGPH TCI MRGRMUMMRPUMRPH." As I say, we Fort Collins residents should start voting with our pocketbooks, and buy DBS dishes.

Dan

In article ,

Agreed, but I don't think they're really called DBS dishes. I've heard DSS and USSB, but not DBS. DBS is, I think, what the cable company calls the Brand-X satellite system in the "staged Senate Hearings" anti-satellite commercial where all these "senators" are chewing out this sweaty guy to make it look like DBS is hiding important nuclear secrets from its customers.

"Isn't it true that DBS systems DON'T cost less than cable TV?" "I don't have to answer that?" "Isn't it true, in fact, that it costs... MORE?" "I don't have to answer that! That's not a fair question!" "Isn't it true that you have to sleep with the guy who installs your DBS system?" "I have no recollection of that event." "What about the big fat hairy ones? If Primestar sends a big fat hairy guy to a customer's house, doesn't everyone in the house have to sleep with him before the system can be installed?" "I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me." (beeper goes off) "I'm outta here. The Iraqi embassy just granted me asylum. Bye!"

By the way, the cable company is probably working to hide ads from the mini-dish companies from the airwaves. Think about it, the cable company probably controls everything on your TV; they just might have some way of interrupting mini-dish ads with those ads for Moby Dick or Don Juan Demarco or other events on other channels the company carries. They might be doing it with contracts with the channels themselves, refusing to carry them if they broadcast these ads. But this is all just a theory of mine with no backing in fact, except that it's been a long time since I've seen ads on TV for mini-dish services, while I've seen ads for Cox Cable all over the place. I'm just lucky Cox actually gives us decent service, though I don't pay the bills so I don't know if it's worth it.

I guess you'll all have to call your local Primestar service or mini-dish dealer and ask them how much it really costs to, for example, install on multiple TV sets.

Don said: <snip lots and lots of stuff> ...a channel that shows nothing but real estate listings for houses nobody can afford...

Um, I believe that's mostly because there aren't any houses in Fort Collins that any of us really can afford...

Anyway, you could get a dish. Up here on the mountain, if you want more than Channel 5 from Cheyenne, you get a dish. Me, I can live with Channel 5. I watch the Olympics, I'm happy.

Amy email me at the username you find when you hit reply but at geocities dot com

On Wed, 18 Mar 1998 23:24:10 GMT, [email] (Dan Tasman) wrote:

[big snip]

Anger rising...rising...RISING... Blinding hatred for TCI rising...rising...RISING...

Tom Sapienza

Tom Sapienza wrote in article

Ah, but if you buy DISH network dishes, you've got Echostar which provides not only great satellite quality including Comedy Central but also provides Colorado jobs.

Cindy Nemeth-Johannes

Venture Consulting/Colorado

I am disappointed by the direction the Comedy Central discussion has taken! The point is we want Comedy Central in the cable that we pay for. Lets let TCI know we want it, so there is no mistaking. Write them, call them, walk in to their office and tell them until your fingers, ears, and throat are bloody raw. Then perhaps we will get our point across.

-Mark A disenchanted cable consumer