In the first half of this year, DirecTV signed up 857,000 customers, up 28 percent from the same period a year earlier. The boom has begun here. Tim Leber, owner of A-One Satellite in Indianapolis, said his firm's sales have increased 75 percent in the past year. Before the local stations came on, I was selling 15 in the same period. Satellite and cable companies are sparring.
Cable companies point out that satellite signals can deteriorate during severe storms.
They also emphasize that current DISH subscribers must replace their existing dish with a slightly larger one to pick up local channels. They don't get all the local stations, though. And they don't have Channel 4. A lot of people aren't going to be able to get IU basketball games. The lack of all local channels is temporary, however.