Will WUSF-Ch. 16's problem with Bright House hobble Tampa's second PBS station?

What may be most interesting about the flap that has seen Tampa PBS station WUSF-Ch. 16 removed from Bright House Networks' analog digital tier, is the way each side in the issue is blaming the other for the problem.

Callers to Bright House Networks have been told by customer service representatives that WUSF chose to be placed on the digital tier, where only customers with digital cable or a special tuner can see them. That's only half true -- WUSF was forced by Bright House to choose between airing one analog channel or all four of its digital channels in the digital tier. (I know some callers have been told this, because I was told this yesterday by a Bright House customer service representative.)

At least one caller to WUSF told me a staffer there said Bright House forced them to air on the digital tier. Again, that's not exactly true, either; general manager JoAnn Urofsky admitted to me that she chose to keep WUSF's four digital channels airing, unaware that up to 40 percent of Bright House customers don't have digital cable. "There was no good choice," she said Monday. "Digital is the future of TV, and we have to be a part of that."

All of this came to a head because of a national agreement between groups representing cable providers, PBS and the stations; it only required cable companies to air one PBS station in each TV market in both analog and digital formats after the switch to digital TV on Friday. So cable companies are deciding to limit secondary stations to one format, and WEDU-Ch. 3 is the primary PBS station in Tampa.

This has happened to two dozen PBS stations across the country. But WUSF, which could lose access to 40 percent of its audience at a time when the recession has already seriously impacted donations to public broadcasters, may be seriously threatened by this change. 

Now, after getting a healthy amount of calls Monday and today from viewers, I've discovered a few things:

Bright House is making tough decisions: Given the amount of anger from customers over service outages last week and the week before, I'm surprised the cable company is willing to stick with a decision that could hobble a local public television station.

Bright House is using the circumstances to sell digital cable: Several callers told me the cable company is offering upgrades to digital cable service to those who want to see WUSF. But there is a cheaper alternative: a tuner customers can get for $1 which would allow them to see WUSF, WEDU and several government/public access channels in the digital tier. WUSF fans should insist on receiving this tuner, if they don't want digital cable.

WUSF missed an opportunity to prepare its audience: Callers told me they felt a little betrayed by DTV announcements saying viewers wouldn't lose channels in the switch to digital if they had cable service. I remember how both PBS stations mobilized audiences and donors to build their digital TV capabilities in the first place (WEDU alone spent $12-million).

If WUSF had taken time to educate viewers about the coming change -- the decision about staying in the digital tier was made in November -- seems that the disruption might have been minimized.

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Comments

[JC]

Given the choice, WEDU is the better station and the one that should be carried by BH. WEDU carries all PBS programs, WUSF only carries about 25%. The fault here lies with WUSF who did not prepare themselves or their viewers. They were aware of this situation since November 2008.

[Phyllis Beck]

Today I found out that my 2nd tv does not have PBS 16. The notice on the screen says that for a 1.00 month fee I can get a converter box. However, when I talked to BrightHouse today, I was told that since my 1st TV has DVR, that I am not eligible for the 1.00 fee. I must pay 6.95 for the box.
Which way is it? BH ads for months have assured us that all channels would convert if we had BH services. I feel trapped. Thank God I ordered the 40.00 antenna converter coupon.

[chill eee]

Posted by: Jim

"When you're basically a monopoly, I guess you can screw your customers..."

geez, talk about a tired old squawk... monopoly? yeah like the monopoly 7/11 has on convenience stores? you can get your tv/net/phone from more places than ever... so how many PBS channels does the great lord Fios have in their analog tier? hhmmm?

[Eric Deggans]

Bonnie --

It's hard to diagnose a tech problem without seeing the actual devices. But...

You should be able to run the cable line through your new tuner and then through your VCR and then to your tv.

Your VCR won't be able to choose channels then; you'll have to tune in the cable tuner's signal on Ch. 3 or 4 and use the tuner to select channels. But the VCR will be able to record anything you'r weatching. And as long as your set up the tuner beforehand, you could even use the timer...

[Bonnie]

>>ask bright house for the tuner. They should bring it by and install it for you.

Uh, no. I was told to go to the nearest BH office in person, where I waited in line 45 minutes in the middle of a work day. The woman asked me about 11 questions, looked at my drivers' license, and handed me the tuner and the remote. No instructions on how to hook up the tuner at all, minimal instructions on how to set the new remote - which frankly were confusing as heck and I have a lot of training in this area. I called the BH help line FIVE times while trying to get this done at my mom's house. That's a record...

>But you hook it up the same way you install any cable tuner -- the bright house cable goes into the box's input and output cable goes to your tv...

Uh, no. I finally got the tuner to work and the remote works too, although it's too complicated. But the VCR doesn't see the live cable feed, so my mom can't record a show while she's watching it. If I set the TIMER on the VCR, the VCR does record the correct program on the correct channel. I'm currently working on an end-around on that problem...

But this is WAY too much effort AFTER the fact. If I had known that Channel 15 would NOT be included on the regular cable service - after being told that 100% of the current channels WOULD be included in the regular cable service, I certainly would have gotten the tuner way ahead of time, like last month...

[Jim]

Thanks Eric. Also, I just noticed that the Travel Channel (Ch. 54 in Pinellas) has been off the air all night here (I live in Feather Sound). I don't know if that's another channel Bright House is suddenly dropping, but perhaps it's something to monitor. When you're basically a monopoly, I guess you can screw your customers...

[Eric Deggans]

ask bright house for the tuner. They should bring it by and install it for you. But you hook it up the same way you install any cable tuner -- the bright house cable goes into the box's input and output cable goes to your tv...

[Jim]

How can you get the $1 converter box that lets you watch WUSF and the government access stations? Just call or go to Bright House? Is it easy to hook up?

[Eric Deggans]

The agreement which prompted this change was finalized in July 2008.

Public TV stations were notified in August 2008 and management at WUSF told me they decided to stay in the digital tier in november 2008.

So some officials at WUSF must have known for months that a change was coming. They say they didn't realize how many cable viewers would be lost in the change and how resistant lost viewers would be to paying $1 a month more for a tuner to see them.

I don't think the situations are that comparable...

[David Thiel]

"I find it difficult to believe that Bright House did not notify WUSF of the impending tier coverage changes in advance of the switch."

Actually, it's entirely plausible. That's precisely what happened to the public television station for which I work. In mid-April, we were pulled from Comcast's analog tier in a large central Illinois community for reasons similar to those described in the article above. We were given no notice whatsoever, and only learned of the change when the angry/confused calls began. The same happened to two other PBS stations which overlap our coverage area.

[Anthony]

I can't believe Bright House is holding WUSF hostage and using the Public Broadcasting Service network as leverage to increase profits! This is absolutely unacceptable. I hope Bright House stops this shady business immediately.

[Scott Weingard]

Cable companies in general, or just Brighthouse, are out to get the consumer? I guess both are probably fair statements, but in my experience Brighthouse is far more culpable than other providers I've used. Their out for a profit, plain and simple, customer be damned

[Shawn Dudley]

"WUSF could not prepare it's viewers for something we did not know Bright House would do?"

Really? Mr. Deggans states the decision to stay in the digital tier was made by WUSF in November. Ms. Urofsky admits as much. I find it difficult to believe that Bright House did not notify WUSF of the impending tier coverage changes in advance of the switch.

Why is WUSF Station Manager Tom Dollenmayer suggesting here that WUSF did not know Bright House would take this action? It seems like an attempt to blame Bright House for a questionable decision made by WUSF.

[tom]

The problem is that Bright House has hijacked other channels, such as the local government channels to the digital tier, too. It's unconscionable, but the Florida Legislature approved it and legislation this year to turn that around went nowhere. It's a crime.

[Jim]

Cable companies are screwing people left and right. Since the 1996 deregulation act, rates have risen and competition has declined. The American public was sold a bad bill of goods. I think there should be an investigation. The cable companies get away with distortion and ripping people off.

[Tom Dollenmayer]

WUSF could not prepare it's viewers for something we did not know Bright House would do. The national agreement is a minimum requirement. Bright House always went above and beyond and carried us on analog and digital since we first started broadcasting four channels years ago. WUSF counted on the good will and community service to continue.