WTF?!? CSpan2 magically disappears from our cable channel lineup!!!

[Sparkly]

Today I turned to our CSpan2 channel (16) and it's sports.

I checked the channel lineup online, and CSpan2 is listed for channel 104. I don't get channel 104.

I called the cable company (Comcast). The woman on the phone had no idea why it's changed, but I can't get 104 unless I upgrade to digital, and even then it isn't listed on the available channels so she isn't sure.

Why? Who makes the programming decisions, I asked? I want to complain to someone. The woman on the phone doesn't know, but guesses it's about the FCC switching everybody over from analog to digital. Then why just THAT channel and no others? And why now???

:mad:

[BlackHawk706867]

1. So watch it on your computer at this link!

http://www.c-span.org/watch/cspan2_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

ww

[NMDemDist2]

2. time to call DishNetwork

and get LinkTV and FreeSpeechTV to boot

really! :hug:

[tridim]

3. Are you on Analog cable by chance?

I was forced to switch to digital a few months ago because they pulled CSPAN 2 and MSNBC from analog cable. I hate Comcrap.

[Sparkly]

6. Yes.

CSpan2 is the only one they've pulled here.

[tridim]

14. Call and complain and they'll give you digital for no charge

It's really not as bad as I thought it would be, although On-demand is really poor. It doesn't work half the time.

[Sparkly]

They said they'd give us "extra boxes" free for a year.

Not free service, though. Who'd you call?

[tridim]

19. I just called the corporate office..

Gave them my name and went to pick up two digital boxes. Service is the same price as analog.

If they try charge me after a year I'll just switch to satellite.

[april]

4. you can stream ..cspan 1,2 & 3

[april]

8. here it is

http://www.c-span.org/watch/

[havocmom]

5. Anybody know off hand who owns Comcast?

Might be a clue in there somewhere.

The moguls who bought this government (and others) seem to be unhappy with peons having access to any info at all.

[Sparkly]

17. I dunno, but ...

Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts "was a founding co-chair of Philadelphia 2000, the nonpartisan host committee for the 2000 Republican National Convention," fwiw.
http://www.comcast.com/corporate/about/pressroom/corporateoverview/corporateexecutives/brianroberts.html

[havocmom]

29. Thanks, that 'splains some of it

[libnnc]

7. I don't think they can do that

Watch for a reassigned channel lower on the dial. I've got 2 Cspan1 channels (41 and 6). They might be shuffling it around. Keep surfing. I thought Cspan1 had to be on basic cable.

[NMDemDist2]

11. CSpan1 yes, CSpan2 (which is what the OP is about) no n/t

[libnnc]

18. I thought I read Cspan1 in his post

yeah 2 is up there on the dial

[MADem]

21. In Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, if you get BASIC cable, you get BASIC cable

You get a bunch of shopping channels and the local network stations out of Boston and Rhode Island. That's IT. No CSPANs of any stripe. It cuts the poor and elderly off from the political process.

You have to get "Expanded Basic" at more than twice the price to get CSPAN and a few of the cable news channels and Comedy Central and so forth.

I've complained. I've done the whole Gripe to Congress and to the Cable Companies routine. No joy, just a huge run around, I'm afraid.

So much for that "Gift to You From Your Cable Company." It's not a gift if you are getting the geezer/poor folk 'basic' - truly basic - cable. You pay for that gift by paying for EXPANDED basic...

[libnnc]

25. We've got Timewarner down here

and 'Span 1 is only on channel 6 by chance. We lost our local cable access channel (they went broke) and they put Cspan 1 there and kept it on the other channel too (41). I wonder how long they will allow that though.

[ananda]

9. I don't know. It sounds suspicious to me.

I always have had issues with cable tv for the very reason
that one of my favorite channels would suddenly disappear.

That happened more than once, and I finally gave up on
paying for cable. When they accidentally turned it on, I'd
watch it (free); but finally they caught up with it and it's off
for good.

I might have to get cable again at some point, but if it raises
my anger issues again, I don't know what I'll do. We'll see.

Sue

[tridim]

16. It's a scheme to get customers off of Analog Cable.

They pretty much admitted as much when I called to complain.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. ...

I'll be looking out the windows this afternoon, dear.

(Just kidding!)

[bluestateguy]

12. I had C-SPAN 3 taken away from me

In fact, I don't think I could buy it even if I wanted to. Other times I'll randomly get stations I did not buy. Once I got the Tennis Channel for about three weeks--which I did not pay for--then it was gone. Once I got the MLB channels for about two weeks--which I also did not pay for--and then they were gone. I don't think most of the people who work at these cable companies even fully understand their programming themselves.

[MADem]

23. I had it in DC, can't get it here even if I wanted it--and I DO want it. NT

[flyarm]

13. i have comcast and have a black screen right now but i have audio from it!!

maybe they are having tech problems?????

fly

[MADem]

15. They are probably pushing analog customers out ahead of the mandatory switch over

You need to get a digital box, even if you don't upgrade your service.

Hell, in some communities, if you get BASIC service, they don't even give over CSPAN! The baaastids! They put that on their 'expanded basic' package....

The "Now" reason? Who knows, but things ARE heating up, aren't they?

I'd try to get ahold of a corporate suit at Comcast. Maybe start at their website, get a NAME of a programming exec...

[librechik]

20. bingo-

they are trying this all around the country. It's a travesty--Of course all 3 Cspan channels should be included in basic cable if nothing else is!

They have admitted in our neck of the woods that it's part of the cross-the-board- move to digital. Which i refuse to believe will ever really happen. Is there any more anti-poor people program in existence?

[MADem]

28. It's going to happen. Fucker Carlson moderated a round table between all the cable and satellite

big wigs at their recent conference on Bloomberg. They're all committed, they're all charging full speed ahead.

The plan is for the gubmint to give people two forty dollar certificates (first come, first serve, and not enough for everyone) so that people with analog sets can use the boxes, which will cost around FIFTY bucks, to convert the signal.

They're insisting that the gubmint is demanding this, that they need the spectrum for police, fire and our pals at the fuhrer's secret police, er, Homeland Security Department, and that the need is so great that they can no longer wait.... they, of course, see it as an opportunity to increase delivery of programming at an enormous rate...

[Norquist Nemesis]

22. Ours is changing from ch 97 to higher channel on Sept. 18th

I'm looking forward to FINALLY getting CSPAN3. But, yeah, I know what you mean about all of the channel switching stuff. We had that happen to us a couple of years ago when they were shuffling some of the sports channels in package bundles. There are probably other channels that are getting switched shortly.

But to your point...I hate it. Our cable keeps going up and up (we also have our high-speed with Comcast). And frankly, shutting off cable in these parts just isn't going to work for us. Antennas are going to give us WGN and some Spanish stations OR the always available bible thumpers telling me I'm going to hell. (religion rant here--It pisses me off how the religion channels are interspersed throughout and sit just above or below my favorites. One slip of the remote button and ack!!!)

They've been "talking" for a while about the ability for subscribers to be able to pick exactly which channels they want and pay for only those, but there are *ahem* 'a few' that have a problem with that. So, basically, I'm stuck subsidizing channels I never watch.

[bigtree]

24. me too, for some sports channel. doesn't seem to be any special point

where they cut it off, sometimes in the middle of a debate. I'm baffled by their ability to do this.

[Norquist Nemesis]

26. LOL! C-SPAN site's tag-line: "Created by Cable, Offered as a Public Service"

:rofl:

http://www.c-span.org/about/index.asp?code=About
CORPORATE INFORMATION
C-SPAN is a private, non-profit company, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a public service. Our mission is to provide public access to the political process. C-SPAN receives no government funding; operations are funded by fees paid by cable and satellite affiliates who carry C-SPAN programming.
THE C-SPAN COMPANY PAGE
C-SPAN COPYRIGHT POLICY

[EstimatedProphet]

27. Cable companies do that kind of thing a lot

It gets them more advertizing space and revenue.

[davidwparker]

30. Can you swtich to satellite. Dish Network has a great channel called

http://freespeech.org">FSTV that you would like in addition to C-SPAN.

[hashibabba]

31. Comcast has moved CSPAN2 to 104 Digital here in Northern VA.

When there's a baseball game on (can't remember what team/s, maybe Washington) that's what gets shown. The rest of the time it's CSPAN2. But on channel 104 its on all the time, next to CSPAN3 on 105.

The cable company had told me a few years ago that they were attempting to get everyone to get digital. I finally broke down and got it. I resent paying money I really can't afford, but I do love some of those channels!

edit: spelling