Cable TV, The Hidden Tax

It isn't one that the government imposed.

Reposted From: January 11, 2012

According to NPR: "ESPN now collects an average of $4.69 for every cable home –– four times more than any other network. Throw in the various other ESPN channels, plus other sports networks, like that new NBC Sports, that your cable provider makes you pay for, and there's $8 for sports on your monthly bill. Or, as the CEO of Liberty Media describes it, "a tax on every American household."If there's one thing worse then being forced to pay the government, it is being forced to pay corporations.

You wonder why TV is lousy?

It's because networks get paid even when sponsors aren't buying what their selling. Each network owns several cable channels. It's a package deal. Cable company's are forced to take them all or none. In our area that would mean losing channels 3, 6, 29, 17 and 10 out of Philly.

Take for example NBC/Universal (GE). They own the Weather Channel, CNBC, MSNBC, SyFy, USA, A&E, Lifetime, History, Bravo, Telmundo, ShopNBC, NBC10 Philadelphia to list a few.

ABC-- Disney Channel, ABC 6 Philadelphia, ESPN, Soap, Lifetime, Family channel to name but a few.Here's a list of the top 5 ownersIn years past if no one watched a lousy program on one of their channels, they didn't attract sponsors. Today they don't have to. They're being paid either way. Don't blame the cable companies for not selling à la carte. If there is a blame to be placed, put it on the U.S. government that allows network owners to do this to consumers.

If federal regulations would require networks to sell à la carte, I'm certain TV quality would improve. Even if we only had half the channels that now exist.

TV makes money because..
(a) They have great programs?
OR
(b) Great lobbyists?

Yeah, like that's even a question!