From: marcnarc@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (Marc BRANCHAUD)
Subject: Re: CF Cable TV (was: FOX)
Organization: SOCS, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 04:07:40 GMT

Steve Potter (steven@spxtech.qc.ca) wrote:
: From article <BxB8Fr.Hu4@CAM.ORG>, by emru@CAM.ORG (Emru Townsend):
: > In article <1992Nov5.032755.19863@cs.mcgill.ca> marcnarc@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (Marc BRANCHAUD) writes:
: >>Emru Townsend (emru@CAM.ORG) wrote:
: >>: Just to throw some variety into all this: does anyone know why Quebec is
: >>: virtually the only place in North America that does not get the FOX
: >>: channel?
: >>: 
: >>: No rumors, please.
: >>: 
: >
: > ...
: > 
: >>The way I heard it, Fox doesn't see the NE area of the States as a big enough
: >>market to set up a station for Burlington / Plattsburg.  I've often thought
: >>of writing them a letter or two describing just how many people live here in
: >>Montreal, and how there are almost as many Montreal ads on WPTZ, WCAX and
: >>WVNY as there are U.S. ads.
: > 
: > Hmmmmmmn...
: > 
: >>Yep, it'd sure be great to get Fox here....
: > 
: > It could be done, but we'd have to get people to (ugh) write letters.  That's
: > almost more of a headache than not having FOX.  Still, I suppose I can get
: > the addresses necessary...
: > 
: 
: When CF Cable decided to carry WPTZ (ch. 57) in addition to VETV (ch. 33) -
: they dropped TVOntario (ch. 24). 
: 
: FOX would, naturally, be another English channel.
: 
: If CF Cable were persuaded to carry FOX - which PBS service would they
: be likely to drop? :-(
: 
: I like both "57" & "33" though they carry many of the same shows.
: 
: I was very annoyed that they dropped "24".
: 
: I never understood why they would drop a CANADIAN english channel in favour
: of an AMERICAN one. (?-))

CF *HAD* to drop TVOntario because of moronic CRTC regulations that work
according to distance, not logic.  You can still get TVOntario on pay
(channel 37, I think).

If they made FOX available I think they'd make it a pay-tv channel, and not
boot anyone.

Anyway, this may explain why TVOntario is a pay channel, but I still don't
understand CF's reluctance to add more channels.  For a while I think they
were saying that most cable converters don't access channels above 36.  We
have an old TV from about 1980 that won't take cable channels above 36, but
it seems pretty lame to hide behind that kind of excuse.  (Strnage how they
chose 36 as a limit.  Hmmm...  36 = 1^2 * 2^2 * 3^2.  Inneressin'...)

I figure the 36-limit is why there are no basic cable channels above 36 (CBC
Newsworld gets the high spot).

: 
: I also resent paying more for basic cable service to subsidise PAY TV
: channels that other people want. They invested in new equipment etc to
: provide the PAY TV services. They were undersubscribed and CF Cable
: were losing money. So what do they do? They give everybody some of the
: "PAY TV" channels (whether they want them or not) and jack up everybodys
: fees to pay for them.
: 
: I heard something about CF Cable fees going up again in the new year.
:

Understanding cable fees is beyond me.  Cable companies are petty little
monopolies, and as long as that can "justify" their expenses to the CRTC
(a petty, big monopoly) they can jack up the prices.  Bleah.

: Maybe its time to consider setting up an antenna. (?)
: 

Wait just a bit before gettin' one o' those.  Coming soon: DeathStars.  Cable
companies are scared shitless of 'em.  With these babies, a pizza-sized dish
is all you'll need to get hundreds of channels, completely bypassing the
cable link.  I hope the dishes are cheap, 'cause I wanna dump cable as soon
as I can.

: 
: Here's another question:-
: 
: Nearly all my bills are for services, already, received.
: 
: CF Cable TV bills a minimum of two months in advance for services
: promised, yet to be received. WHY?
: 

I dunno.  Would you pay for the junk AFTER you'd seen it?


		marcnarc@cs.mcgill.ca