Media Survey Update- August, 2011
Some of you asked to be updated following your participation in my media survey awhile back. So here is an update on what I finally did.
I decided to purchase an amplified TV antenna from Radio Shack and placed it in different locations while I tested how many local stations I could receive. Finally settled on a spot in the attic above the garage where at least 30 local stations came in reliably.
Only about ten of those stations were channels we would ever watch however. The rest were either Spanish language, all-religion or 'filler' channels.
I then experimented with online methods of receiving TV. Bloomberg streams its financial programming on it's website reliably. CNN sometimes streams live video, as does MSNBC. Then I discovered a free program called Readon lets you receive live streams of many other channels including CNN-London reliably, with good quality video.
This seemed adequate, since we receive most of our entertainment from Netflix, mostly use online news sites to get information.
So I called Time Warner and pulled the plug. Told them I was dropping their pricey digital TV service and would only retain their high speed Road Runner internet program.
The Time Warner person offered to drop the price rather quickly but not by much.
Our original monthly charge for Internet/TV was $145. They offered to drop it to $100.
I said no, and so their TV service would expire.
My new higher rate for internet only would be $67 a month.
Then, a day later we received a call from a Time Warner supervisor who offered a new deal: The full digital TV package, throw in a DVR and high speed Roadrunner for-- get this: $65 a month for two years, no contract- we could still drop the service at any time.
So essentially they offered to give us cable TV and a DVR for free for two years.
I took the deal.
This tells me the cable companies must be losing customers at a rapid clip, because of the way they price their services and added competition (Netflix and AT&T in our area).
So if you don't like what you are paying for cable TV, you might call them up and see what they'll do. It won't hurt your wallet, that's for sure.
posted by NC at 2:51 PM
