Direct TV Bans KTVB

We all have indulgences in life.  For some, it's mountain biking, skiing, or maybe cooking.  For me, it's watching television.  Particularity, local television.  I confess that when I go on vacation I find myself monitoring all the local stations.  Local television programming is an endangered species these days.  The media continues to cut back and television has transformed itself from a 3 channel solar system to a multichannel universe.

The digital revolution has changed how we view televisions.  Most young people are more prone to watch their favorite shows on their computers or phones.  The days of watching a show in real time have gone the way of the aluminum foil on your 'bunny ears.'

The most powerful player in television distribution today is Direct TV.  A few years ago the company was purchased by AT&T.  Odd that AT&T was broken up years ago, but now is creating a more formidable monopoly than we've ever seen.   When you're a big media company, you make big media company moves.

Direct TV is having a dispute over rights fees for KTVB or as we call them Channel 7.  Channel 7 is not on the platform and will not be until their parent company comes to terms with Direct TV.  Somebody wants someone to pay and they don't want to pay more for the service.

What does that mean for us?  Well, we won't see the big national shows from NBC.  I personally will not miss Chuck Todd and liberal NBC News.  I am missing Larry Gebert and the local commitment that channel 7 has shown to the state of Idaho.  I don't know how to spend my 5pm hour without talking back to Brian Holmes and the 208.  National shows are great, but it's the local folks that live here who make a difference.

Let's hope that Direct TV figures out how to come to an agreement with Channel 7.  Otherwise, there's always Sparklight, Dish, and over the air.

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