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Dish vs. Turner: What Can YOU Do About It?
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2014) - The Dish-Turner fee fight, which is now in its 10th day, has forced eight Turner channels off the satcaster's airwaves, including such popular nets as CNN, Turner Classic Movies and The Cartoon Network.

The two companies, which are fighting over how much Dish should pay to carry the channels, have been tight-lipped in recent days regarding the progress of the negotiations. History suggests that's a good thing -- companies tend to fire off incendiary remarks when things are going bad -- but there's no guarantee of a resolution in the near future.

So, if you're a Dish subscriber who's tired of missing some of your favorite channels, what can YOU do about it?

Nothing, right? No, believe it or not, there is something YOU can do.




As I detailed in this Mr. Answer Man column from last March, it's amazing what can happen if you simply call your TV provider and ask for something of value to address your grievance. If you tell the Dish customer service representative that you are upset, and you are considering switching TV providers, the rep may offer to reduce your bill, perhaps as much as $10 a month for a few months.

That may seem like cold comfort in exchange for losing access to your favorite cable newscaster or classic movie and cartoon. But it's something, right?

Before you scoff that it won't work, it's working. Several Dish subscribers have reported on message boards such as the one at TVPredictions.com that Dish is handing out small monthly rebates to angry callers.

Now it's no guarantee that your Dish customer rep will be so kind. But Dish has followed this practice in past programming disputes as well, offering free Roku Net TV boxes during its several-week long dispute with AMC in 2012. It's easier to spend a little money to appease an upset subscriber than to try to get him back if he switches to another provider.

So, Dish subs, pick up a phone. You might pick up some savings along with it.



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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.



Click TVPredictions.com to read more news and features on TV technology.

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