Rare Medium

Congress Threatens Public TV and Radio . . .

msoper — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:30:17 +0000

Beyond deficit reduction measures, Congress will be voting on an amendment that would specifically eliminating all federal funding for public broadcasting as early as February 14th. These cuts threaten the PBS and NPR programming you love … and the vary viability of many local stations. TAKE ACTION: Call your elected officials in the House of [...]

Save Your Cable and Satellite Fees; Get DTV Now…

msoper — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:00:12 +0000

I was shocked to discover what I'm paying each year for TV. Many of friends are paying close to $200 a month ... that's $2,400 a year. In todays' economy, we're all looking to save a dollar -- if not a quarter, a dime, nickel or a penny. That's the moment we realized how we could save $600 to $2,000 or more each year on television. How? The saving begin the moment you cancel your satellite or cable subscription (make sure you won't pay a penalty for canceling before the end of a subscription term). Next you can begin taking advantage of the new digital TV channels being provided over-the-air by local broadcasters.

DTV and Why Over-The-Air Is Better . . .

msoper — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:00:47 +0000

The transition of America’s television from analog to digital is failing. It doesn’t need to. Viewers can switch and start watching digital channels today. It’s not that expensive. It doesn’t take much time. Sure, more people are “aware” of that conventional, analog television broadcasts will cease at midnight on February 17, 2009, but asking viewers [...]

Digital TV Options Overwhelming > DTV Converters In Stores . . .

msoper — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:00:08 +0000

If you’re like me, you’ll probably need to add an inexpensive piece of television receiving gear to continue watching television after the full-power, conventional television broadcasts cease on February 17, 2009. One misconception is that to watch digital television (DTV) signals, you’ll need to subscribe to cable or satellite, or purchase an expensive new receiver. [...]

My Digital PBS TV Stations, My DVR, and Me . . .

msoper — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:15:29 +0000

Looking back, it’s hard to imagine how today’s technology has simplified what and how I watch television. I can still remember the day my Dad brought home the Zenith TV set. I must have been six years old. It was a black & white site, naturally, but I can remember watching test patterns on Saturday [...]

Charity Navigator’s Vital Mission Hides Flawed Rankings

msoper — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:00:32 +0000

Strong Marketing of a Weak Success Measure: Charity Navigator Vital Mission Hides Flawed Rankings Everyone wants to figure out how to evaluate nonprofits. Grantmakers, donors, volunteers, journalist, and nonprofit leaders. Individuals who contribute and the nonprofits that use those funds to provide vital services would both benefit from ranking of effectiveness and efficiency. Such evaluations [...]

Cable Losing Apartment Exclusivity . . .

msoper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:00:45 +0000

If you’re a homeowner in most cities, you have choices as to what television services you receive, how, and who provides them. You’re lucky. If you live in most apartment buildings, you have only one choice. You can subscribe to the cable company that negotiated an exclusive contract with your building owners or managers or, [...]

Satellite TV Fails Public Television – Round Two . . .

msoper — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:00:28 +0000

Thanks to those of you who took action based on my previous post about DirecTV and The Dish Network‘s failure to include local public television stations new, High Definition (HD) channels in their “local station packages” as they do for commercial TV networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. When will the two satellite subscription services [...]

DirecTV and Dish Network Fail Public Television . . .

msoper — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:00:31 +0000

In my August 7, 2007 post, I expressed the concern that some viewers may be left behind when all of U.S. television transitions to digital transmission on February 17, 2009 — just 537 days from now. While cable and satellite viewers won’t notice the change, viewers with conventional TV sets and rabbit ear antennas will [...]

End of Television As We Know It . . .

msoper — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 01:00:46 +0000

In 560 days, television broadcasting, as Americans’ have always known it, will cease to exist. At that moment, local television stations will take the last step in the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. On February 19, 2009 this change — of which far to many Americans are totally unaware — is both exciting and [...]