Once again I am reminded of the stupid reason Fox news is number 1 so often

[Maraya1969]

Last edited Mon Jul 9, 2018, 05:32 AM - Edit history (2)

I got a call from Comcast. I have had just their Xfinity internet service for a while now and have been quite happy with my smart TV and antenna. One thing I miss is MSNBC and CNN. So I listened to this guy and was told that for what amounted to about $8 I could get streaming something through Roku and get basic cable with MSNBC and CNN. So I said OK.

After the whole big irritating process of setting that up I went online and tried to turn on MSNBC and it wasn't there, neither was CNN. But Fox news was. Of course Fox is because Fox is on basic cable and MSNBC and CNN isn't.

Do you think maybe, since our country is on the brink of fascism that MSNBC and CNN could give up a teeny tiny portion of their gross income so they can get a bigger audience? Maybe with that bigger audience they could, I don't know, charge more for their advertising space?????

The reason Fox news is number one is that they are ubiquitous. They set it up that way.
Maybe the reason so many poor people are republicans is they can't fucking afford anything better than Fox!


Edit: Because it was actually questioned in the thread I want to add this:

This post is about how Fox is everywhere. It is not about how to get MSNBC or CNN. It is about how Fox has figured out that it is more important to get into the markets rather than charge extra to make extra money and that is why Fox remains as the #1 news organization.

MSNBC and CNN don't spread themselves all over like Fox does and we all suffer from the ignorance that results.

[samnsara]

1. dump cable... get Dish or Direct

[Demsrule86]

2. I use playstation vue...I like it. get all the channels.

I also get local channels as I have ATT unlimited so I got their Direct Now ...I have an antenna too. I am addicted to Hallmark mysteries and destination America ghost stories.

[dhol82]

5. I had DirecTV. Then my trees grew up.

It would have cost me $2000 to get them trimmed enough to restore my signal.
Switched to Optimum. Now Optimum is screwing me over with prices.
Next month I drop the tv portion. That is the major portion of my bill. I totally need the Internet.

[LeftInTX]

3. I think Fox is much cheaper for cable companies than MSNBC or CNN

I don't know why this is so much details, but I think they have cheap contracts

[Maraya1969]

6. That is the point I am trying to make. The other two can afford to lower their prices, even if

it is just until after this election, (maybe a promotion?).

[LeftInTX]

8. Fox has much higher profit too.

CNN is struggling financially.

I don't think they can afford it.

I don't know about MSNBC

[pnwmom]

22. But you are assuming that you can't get MSNBC and CNN through basic service.

I wouldn't assume that. I'd call for service and ask them why you aren't getting the channels they promised you. Maybe their set-up person made a mistake.

[LeftInTX]

24. The OP is about how Fox is "everywhere"...she can get MSNBC and CNN if she wants it

If she wasn't engaged politically and was stuck with this service, then Fox would be the only Cable News network available.

Fox is available when other stations are not. It is the same as Fox being shown at the gym. It is everywhere.

[pnwmom]

27. No. She says that she was promised MSNBC and CNN with her BASIC cable,

and when it was installed she couldn't find it.

She won't know if this was or wasn't a simple set-up mistake unless she calls Comcast.

I don't think she should jump to the conclusion that Fox is included and MSNBC and CNN aren't. I think she should call Comcast and tell them she's not getting what she paid for.

One thing I miss is MSNBC and CNN. So I listened to this guy and was told that for what amounted to about $8 I could get streaming something through Roku and get basic cable with MSNBC and CNN. So I said OK.

After the whole big irritating process of setting that up I went online and tried to turn on MSNBC and it wasn't there, neither was CNN. But Fox news was.

[Maraya1969]

32. No, I really am saying that Fox is frigging everywhere. I realize that if I can do certain jumping

through certain hoops I can get CNN and/or MSNBC. But I will always get Fox because they are always there. They set their organization up to always be there. And that is why they are mostly #1 in broadcasting in most segments. If MSNBC and CNN did the same as Fox I believe we would have a much more enlightened country. They don't do that and we all suffer from the ignorance that results.

[pnwmom]

33. Fox is everywhere but that doesn't mean the Comcast person set your system up properly.

My mother, my son, and I all live in different places and we all have MSNBC and CNN on our basic cable, just like Fox.We didn't have to just through any extra hoops. That's why they call it Basic.

But they've made other mistakes with me, and they've fixed them. If you want MSNBC and CNN, then call them and ask why you can't find it, like they promised. If it's not a mistake, that's the only way they'll know it's important to people.

[mwooldri]

15. Comcast owns NBC Universal.

So how come Fox anything would would be cheaper?

[LeftInTX]

25. They are.....

They sometimes broadcast for free in certain venues...

Fox is the only news I can get at the Gym (If I use those machines with the TVs)

[pnwmom]

28. Whoever runs your gym might have set the cable box to block the other news stations. n/t

[LeftInTX]

30. It only gets like 10 stations.

[LeftInTX]

39. Cable sales get a bonus for selling Fox as the default....

Saw this on a another thread:

Cable sales pukes get a bonus for selling FOX news as the default at.....

Restaurants, gyms, health care providers, car service folk, and the like, all get their cable bill subsidized by cable companies to carry their favorite products. I used to get $150 bonus for anyone that would buy the Golf Channel. No Shit.

The world is what it is.

Toast

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10845998

[MattP]

4. Pluto TV is free and has msnbc on it and a bunch of news stations

[ooky]

31. Good point. I received the free pluto app with my Roku stick

and noticed MSNBC was on Pluto in case my Directv was down because of bad weather.

[Maraya1969]

7. Some people are completely missing my point. But thanks for the help.

[HoosierDebbie]

12. I see what you are saying. Not everybody has access to a spectrum of information, viewpoints, FACTS

A LOT of people don't have the luxury of cable TV and don't even have internet access. They may not have a fancy smart phone to surf the net for a variety of information. Could be they are, or are not interested in seeking out what is happening, but are not exposed to anything but what happens to be broadcast on the most basic of television offered, and with that comes FOX! They may not be getting any access to news that isn't tainted by the Fox News viewpoint. And, a lot of local stations other than FOX are being acquired by Sinclair and mandated to run "news" segments outlined or even produced by Sinclair with the MAGA agenda. I think it is an excellent idea to figure out how to expose more people to news organizations like MSNBC and CNN. Very possible a lot of non voters might vote for Democrats if they are exposed to what is actually happening out there. In some cases it is possible that FOX is not preaching to the choir, but indoctrinating those who have few choices on where to get their information.

[Maraya1969]

20. YES!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!

[lapfog_1]

9. I had (until I moved recently) the $50 month internet only

from Xfinity... and I would stream MSNBC from any number of free streaming services (reduced now to just a few) plus NetFlix and other entertainment content...

Only bumped up to the 1TB/month restriction once... and that was because I kept falling asleep with the "TV" on.

It was pretty decent.

[kimbutgar]

10. My sisters u verse cable box died

They sent her one which had a bad circuit board. She’s not tech savvy so I contacted at@t and explained the situation and after trouble shooting they agreed the new cable box was a bad one. So while she is awaiting shipment I set up her smart tv to get Netflix and put some apps she can watch on her tv. But guess what on the Sony tv the only news available app was....Fox propaganda channel that you can stream online. No msnbc or cnn app. Luckily she has a cable box in another room on a small tv because she said she couldn’t miss watching Rachael Maddow!

[barbtries]

11. i haven't had cable since 2007

just this past year i signed up for "live TV" from Spectrum. No MSNBC, no fox, but it does have CNN. which always makes sure to have a right wing mouthpiece weigh in on everything. granted it's better than fox. but it's still with the false equivalencies.

[yonder]

13. Maybe it's the Clear Channel AM radio business model?

Saturate under performing, less vigorous or rural markets with slick bullshit, for a long time. Yes, slick costs money but once the foot is in the door, things fall into place? I dunno.

[mwooldri]

14. Sling. $25/mo. NO FOX NEWS.

You have to pay extra for MSNBC but CNN is in the basic package.

[radius777]

16. Agree, RW news is ubiquitous

they built the model with conservative AM talk radio, and FOX is easier to get than other cable news channels. Social media which deeply affects young people and many apolitical types is dominated heavily by the alt-right and far-right.

We live in a polarized country and people want the editorial slant that matches their political view.

Liberals are too caught up in being fair when what is needed is the liberal counterweight to RW propaganda.

MSNBC leans liberal somewhat but is not the true equivalent for Dems what FOX is for GOP.

We need more media presence and power, but many on our side don't get this.

[mehrrh]

17. uneven broadcasting

I know Fox is ubiquitous and CNN and MSNBC are not. This is the reply from Cable:
"Unfortunately due to contractual agreements on how we receive and broadcast content, this network is not included in the Economy Package. We are constantly looking to upgrade our packages to better suit customer needs. "
IMO, if enough people contact cable and demand CNN and MSNBC, they will broker a new agreement.
Until then, however, they are not on basic and I agree that too many people are missing the real and factual news because they get all their (mis)information and (dis)information from Fox. This is especially true in rural areas, not so much in big cities, at least in my experience.

[RussBLib]

18. I've had MSNBC and CNN on my basic cable forever

But I have been living in major media markets.most of my life.

[flamin lib]

19. Livenewson.com

$2.99/month. Gets MSNBC real-time and a host of other news services.

[pnwmom]

21. I get MSNBC and CNN on Comcast. Call Comcast up and complain.

Tell them the only reason you wanted Comcast was because you wanted MSNBC and CNN and someone promised you you'd get it.

You shouldn't have to "turn on" MSNBC or CNN. It should be there, the same way the other major networks are.

[agincourt]

23. Murdoch probably pays the companies to have Fox on

never-ending double plus good Newspeak.

[LeftInTX]

26. I think so...

[Maraya1969]

36. I think that may be the case also. It would be great if some really wealthy Democrat did that for

MSNBC or CNN or both

[agincourt]

40. I know many people don't like Bill Maher

and I don't always enjoy him either, but he did make a good point this year about rich people who claim to be Democrats, but only throw peanuts towards the Democratic party, while Republican donors always go all out.

[Sophia4]

29. So true. Thanks.

And MSNBC is not on basic cable. Everyone should be able to pick their own basic cable set-up, the channels they want. I would never pick Fox and I refuse to subscribe to cable as long as Fox is on basic cable.

[pnwmom]

34. Here's a Comcast link that can be checked for your area.

It says that they have a Limited Basic Cable, which is probably what you have, and a Basic Cable.

There is a link so you can check to see what your package is supposed to include.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/difference-between-limited-basic-and-expanded-basic-cable

Limited Basic Cable
Our Limited Basic package offers you a range of basic channels. These include:
Local broadcast stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, etc.)
Local government channels
Education channels
To upgrade your service, please visit xfinity.com.

Expanded Basic Cable
Our Expanded Basic package includes 30-50 channels.* These include:
Disney
ESPN
MTV
Fox News
*Note: Not all channels are available in all markets.

Xfinity Customers: Please log in and view your local channel lineup.

[Demsrule86]

35. Call them back sometimes they have to do something...who was it?

[hunter]

37. Television news is worthless in my opinion. All of it.

The U.S. television news networks, including PBS, were all complicit in getting Trump elected. They're all awash in dirty money; from the pharmaceutical industry, the political action committees, the fossil fuel industries, etc..

Quitting television is one of the better decisions my wife and I have made.

Our television is a movie player, that's all it does. No cable, no satellite, no broadcast television at all. No advertising.

Another reason I don't have cable or satellite is that I don't want ANY part of my subscription going to Fox News and the like.

We have one inexpensive medium speed DSL connection and two inexpensive cell phones with very limited data plans. Our only television subscription is the most basic Netflix, a single video stream of "standard" quality. (That's $8 a month for new subscriptions.) We never run out of entertaining things to watch on Netflix, possibly because we just don't watch that much television. We also buy DVDs in thrift stores or rent them from Redbox.

As my fellow DU cord-cutting extremists have noted, once you've quit television for a few years you never go back. Traditional television becomes intolerable noise. Television wears people down and conditions them to passively accept all manner of bullshit.

If MSNBC and CNN are suffering because of people like me, I don't feel bad about it.

Maybe I can convince the Fox News crowd to quit too for purely budgetary reasons. Cable and satellite television are expensive.

[LeftInTX]

38. Cable sales get a bonus for selling Fox News as the default

Seen in another thread:

Cable sales pukes get a bonus for selling FOX news as the default at.....

Restaurants, gyms, health care providers, car service folk, and the like, all get their cable bill subsidized by cable companies to carry their favorite products. I used to get $150 bonus for anyone that would buy the Golf Channel. No Shit.

The world is what it is.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10845998