By Warren Epstein, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Jan. 10--Local satellite dish owners who subscribe to DirecTV got some good news Thursday.
Officials at the nation's largest satellite service said they plan to offer Colorado Springs' local channels via satellite dish by June.
'A major barrier for DirecTV has been local channels,' company spokesman Bob Ochsner said. 'Customers want to be able to sign with the same provider for local channels and the rest of their programming.'
Until now, DirecTV customers in Colorado Springs had to get local channels from an antenna or a cable service.
Ochsner said the addition of local channels on the dish will help DirecTV better compete against Adelphia and the other major satellite service, Littleton-based Dish Network, which started offering three local channels in Colorado Springs in November.
Adelphia spokeswoman Sandra Mann suggested DirecTV's move to seek local channels won't wipe out the advantages of cable.
'We'll just continue to provide our subscribers with shows and programming that they won't be able to get anywhere but Adelphia,' she says, citing several Denver stations and exclusive sporting events that can be seen only by cable subscribers.
DirecTV plans to offer local broadcast channels in up to 50 markets in addition to Colorado Springs in 2003. That would bring the number of DirecTV markets with local stations to about 100.
Ochsner said the price for the Colorado Springs local package hasn't be determined, but most local packages go for $4 to $6 a month.
Before the satellite company can offer local channels, it must get retransmission rights from the stations, and that can take some time.
The Dish Network offers a local package with Fox affiliate KXRM/Channel 21, ABC affiliate KRDO/Channel 13, PBS affiliate KTSC/Channel 8 and Denver WB affiliate KWGN/ Channel 2 for $4.99 a month.
It has yet to work out re-transmission agreements with NBC affiliate KOAA/Channels 5&30 or CBS affiliate KKTV/ Channel 11. KKTV officials say an agreement is 'extremely close.' KOAA officials, however, say negotiations are 'at a stand-still.'
As DirecTV announced its expansion into more local markets, the Dish Network announced a price hike. Effective Feb. 1, basic Dish Network service will increase by $2. DirecTV officials attributes the increase to rising programming costs.
To see more of The Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.gazette.com
(c) 2003, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
GMH, ADELQ, DISH, FOX, GE,
