The Time Warner Cable – CBS Fight is Over

Posted on September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Their (corporate) parents must be so very proud of them!

According to reports published in various newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, Time Warner Cable and CBS have ended their fight over retransmission rights. Hopefully that means that (a) Time Warner Cable subscribers will see all of the CBS channels restored very quickly, and (b) that CBdisengeniouS will restore access to its online content from Time Warner Cable IP addresses.

This doesn’t end the other fight…the lawsuits from subscribers who claim that they (we) are owed for the unannounced decimation of all of the CBS channels during this battle (except, oddly, one CBS sports channel here in L.A. that TWC seems to have missed).

Now that the battle is over, we’ll see how those were the collateral damage will fair. They are called Time Warner Cable subscribers.

Also, we’ll have to wait to see if Congress steps in to amend the Telecom Act to give the FCC stronger teeth to resolve these disputes.

Time Warner Cable v. CBS: Month 2 Begins

Posted on August 30, 2013August 30, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Just about 4 minutes ago, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time the saga of Time Warner Cable and CBS entered its second month. Time Warner Cable still says they are taking the high road to hold down cable prices, and CBS still says that they want to be paid a fair price for the highest rated network.

Congress and the FCC have made noises reminding each side of its duty to the public, which has fallen on deaf ears.

At this point, CBS seems determined to let this stupidity continue to the start of the football season. They appear to be betting that once Time Warner Cable subscribers don’t get football, the will get another provider.

Personally, I don’t have the football gene, so it’s no big deal to me, but I do miss the CBS news programs line 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, the local CBS new channels in L.A. (2 and 9).

I’ve said it before; and I’ll say it even louder now: More Pox, please! So far the pox I’ve tossed hasn’t hit home.

Oh, by the way, I spent a bit over an hour today waiting in line at Time Warner Cable office in Santa Monica. Why? To snatch up one of the DTV antennas they’re handing out for free.

Later this weekend, I’ll post here about the antenna, with pictures. Hold your breath, just like I’m holding mine for a resolution of the TIme Warner Cable v. CBS battle.

Jonathan

PS: It was about 80 degrees waiting in line at the TWC office. If I were in the marketing department at Dish, I’d be setting up free lemonade stands right outside of every Time Warner Cable office in L.A. “If Time Warner gives you lemons, take Dish Lemonade…and this sign up form.”

Time Warner Cable’s Free Antenna Offer Only Lacks Antennas

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

As you may have heard, Time Warner Cable today started offering free over-the-air antennas to its victims of the Great CBS Blackout.

Just pop by one of their offices lickety-split and you can pick one up of those shiny new antennas was the gist of the announcement and ads.

That got me thinking!

I’m a Time Warner Cable victim of the great CBS blackout, so said to myself, “Self, why don’t you get in your car and drive on down to the Time Warner Cable office in Santa Monica and pick-up one of those dandy new free antenna!” Then I said to myself, “Great idea, Self!” Then we both got in the car and headed to Time Warner Cable’s office just a few miles away.

After waiting in the line at Time Warner Cables office, I found out (initially by overhearing a lovely mature woman expressing her, ah, great discontent) that Time Warner’s Santa Monica office ran through the three boxes of antennas by midday today. Moreover, nobody had any idea when more antennas might arrive.

The customer service representative, safety ensconced behind a plexiglass security wall, suggested that we should come back on Monday and maybe they’d have more antennas…or maybe not.

Way to go, Time Warner Cable! Way to gooooooooooo………

By the way, welcome to ‘Week Three’ of the Great CBS Blackout. The third week started about 2 hours ago here in L.A.

I’m going home to back a cake to celebrate this milestone of corporate concern for its customers and viewers.

-Jonathan

Time Warner Cable Class Action Lawsuit Filed

Posted on August 20, 2013August 20, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Now comes James Armstrong, Michal Pourtemour, Vatsana Bilavarn, individually, and on behalf of all others similar situated to sue Time Warner Cable for dropping CBS. Well, not really for dropping CBS, but for breach of contract, deceptive business practices, unjust enrichment, and the like.

If you would like to read all 36 pages of the complaint, filed last week, you can do so by CLICKING HERE.

The suit was filed through the law firm of Weintraub and Selth, APC, a 4-attorney bankruptcy law firm in West Los Angeles.

-Jonathan

CBS and Time Warner Still Fighting in the Sandbox

Posted on August 12, 2013August 12, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Well, we’re about 1 1/2 weeks into the sandbox fight between the two bullies, Time Warner Cable and CBS. They continue their stupid fight, throwing sand on each other, but also throwing sand on everyone else chained to their sandbox.

CBdisengeniouS continues to black out its web content only to those unlucky enough to come in through a TWC IP address, regardless of whether the viewer subscribers to TW cable of some other video source.

TWC continues to disingenuously post billboard messages on selected CBS channels telling customers they are fighting to hold the cost of cable TV when we all know the history of cable TV rate increases consistently topping inflation, and then some. TWC’s next excessive rate increase will be a very interesting event.

No, Time Warner, Starz Family is not s substitute for CBS programming.

The FCC, who SHOULD be teaching both of the bullies a lesson upside their heads, has sternly asked them to quit fighting, suggesting that it might step in to break up the fight.

Class action lawsuits will flow into TWC as soon as the bullies stop their fight to relieve TWC of the money it continues to collect for services it continues not to provide.How destructive for all concerned.

How very stupid for the pugilists.

Time Warner and CBS’s Reality Show: “How We Beat Up Your Viewers”

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Time-Out Warner (Time Warner) and CBdisgeniouS (CBS) continue into Day 5 of their reality show,

“How We Beat Up Your Viewers.”

When this is over, which may not be until September when Football Season begins, the cable industry will be far worse off in credibility (yes, it has some credibility now), and CBS will shift from the Tiffany Network to CLN (the “Cheap Lampshade Network”).

This stalemate continues to disgust me.

How about you?

CBS is now CBdisingenuouS

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

CBdisingenuouS is my new name for CBS. Okay, I’m really disappointed with CBS. As part of the battle with Time Warner Cable, CBdisingenuouS has elected to block web views of its programming by Time Warner internet subscribers. If you subscribe to a different internet provider, you can get the CBS programming on line.

Time Warner was right when it quoted TechCrunch, which first reported the CBdisingenuouS blockage.

How do I know this is true?

Well, at my home I use Time Warner for internet service. At my office I have two different internet providers, neither of which are TWC.

At home, CBdisingenuouS programming on line is blocked. At the office, CBdisingenuouS programming on line is available.

CBS, which had shed what now clearly appear to be crocodile tears over its fair share of our bloated TWC bills, has lowered itself to TWC’s level. So much for the Tiffany Network.

By the way, we’re now 5 hours into day 3 without CBdisingenuouS. Today, TWC was showing an old Eddie Murphy movie on the CBS channel here in L.A. Oddly, it was in a 3:4 format (no, note a 4:3 format…a 3:4 format).

Would someone please loosen the ropes that both of you have used on your subscribers/viewers? Thanks to both of you. Not.

“Scotty, I need more Pox!”

Jonathan