When we posted about “30 Rock” last Friday, a reader SHOUTED IN ALL CAPS that someone—either NBC, or Tina Fey, or maybe The Consumerist, we’re not sure—is a government shill for basically being paid by the gov to write about financial advice. Turns out Mr. Shouty is right, sort of: the U.S. Treasurer, Anna Escobedo Cabral, was on the radio news program “Marketplace” a couple of weeks ago to talk about how she’s been meeting with the creative teams of soap operas and telenovelas to find ways to incorporate financial storylines into their plots.
tv
AT&T Won't Charge Couple For Leaving Satellite Receiver Behind In Flaming House
By 10.26.07
AT&T wrote in to say they won’t be charging the family whose house burned down in the California wildfires for the satellite dish they left behind when fleeing for the lives
AT&T Looking To Purchase DirecTV?
By 10.25.07
The Wall Street Journal has it in their pretty little heads that AT&T is in the market for either EchoStar or DirecTV. And hey, why not? AT&T owns everything else.
FCC Chairman To Relax Media Ownership Rules
By 10.20.07
Media conglomerates are preparing to feast on a banquet of local media outlets thanks to a resurrected proposal from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. The Chairman wants to relax decades-old rules that bar media companies from owning both a newspaper and TV or radio station in the same local market. A similar proposal was presciently struck down three years ago by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Currently, a company can own two television stations in the larger markets only if at least one is not among the four largest stations and if there are at least eight local stations. The rules also limit the number of radio stations that a company can own to no more than eight in each of the largest markets.
Best Buy Stops Selling Analog TVs
By 10.17.07
Best Buy has decided to (finally) stop selling soon-to-be-obsolete analog televisions, according to the AP. The FCC has been on the war path, sending secret agents to surf the web and inspect product displays to make sure that consumers are being warned not to buy analog TVs with the expectation that they will work properly without a converter box after 2009.
Directly Call AT&T | DISH Retentions
By 10.11.07
To reach the AT&T | DISH retentions department, call 866-266-1292 , press 1, then press 1 again. Retentions departments are the gate of customer service you usually have to pass through to cancel service. They try to identify and solve objections to the service you have, either by pointing out features of awesomeness you apparently weren’t aware of, or by tossing credits or price reductions your way.
The Case Of The Disappearing Samsung Television, Will It Ever Be Found?
By 10.10.07
What do you do when Samsung is supposed to ship you a replacement TV, but all you get is a list of excuses?
Reader Games Tivo Retentions Department To Gets $6 Knocked Off Monthly Rate
By 10.9.07
Most companies with recurring services have a group of shiny sphincters known as the retention department, but doing battle with them and knowing how they operate can get your monthly bill reduced. They’re also sometimes called the “saves” department, because they’re supposed to “save” you from leaving for another company. Here’s how Jonathan recently turned the Tivo retention department to his advantage:..
NBC Announces Free "Downloads" Of TV Shows
By 9.21.07
NBC makes many of its popular shows available online in streaming media, which means that fans can watch episodes on their computers. Under the new NBC service, called NBC Direct, consumers will be able to download, for no fee, NBC programs like “Heroes,” “The Office” and “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on the night that they are broadcast and keep them for seven days. They would also be able to subscribe to shows, guaranteeing delivery each week.
Video Of Old TV Production Company Logos
By 9.17.07
We’re inexplicably drawn to this sort of thing. Maybe it’s our fascination with marketing and advertising. Maybe it’s nostalgia for Ubu. He’s a good dog.
Appeals Court Says Hacking Your DirecTV Not The Same As Commercial Piracy
By 9.13.07
While piracy funds kills babies, we support the idea of people being free to modify devices they have purchased with they money they earned through blood, sweat and toil, so we were glad to hear that an appeals court said that hacking your DirecTV card shouldn’t be penalized under a more punitive clause of the Federal Communications Act.
NBC Will Not Renew iTunes Contract
By 8.31.07
The New York Times is reporting that NBC will not renew its contract to provide content to Apple’s iTunes service. A spokesperson from NBC confirmed the decision after an anonymous source leaked it to the Times but did not comment on why NBC was dropping iTunes.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin Suspects "Astroturfing" By Cable Companies
By 8.29.07
la carte cable is really the result of a well-organized lobbying effort by the cable companies.
Everyone But Me Gets To Watch TV, A DISH Install Horror Story
By 8.17.07
“July 25 – So, I recently moved and have had one hell of a time with DISH Network. Apparently my new apartment building has an “exclusive contract” with ATT. So I call up those guys to get some TV in my new apt. ATT tells me to call DISH directly (their partner) and I oblige because ATT doesn’t deal with apartment complexes. I get on the phone to DISH with a guy (I think his name was Sam) who happily placed my order, until he asked me what floor I live on and I told him third. Sam proceeded to tell me that because of insurance reasons their DISH installers will not install on third floor or higher. I was a little baffled by this and Sam told me to goto a DISH reseller, like Radio Shack.
CNBC's Erin Burnett Tells You Why China Is "Our Greatest Friend"
By 8.14.07
CNBC’s Erin Burnett thinks you should be grateful to China for keeping your prices low—at any cost: “..or China is to start making, say, toys that don’t have lead in them or food that isn’t poisonous, their costs of production are going to go up and that means prices at Walmart here in the…
The 12 Types Of Commercials
By 7.25.07
Like con artists, TV ads love to come up against a naive mark who thinks he’s above their eerie powers of manipulation. But don’t worry–Slate is here to ruin your innocence, and make you all the tougher for it. Their slideshow, “There are 12 Kinds of Ads in the World,” draws back the curtains of modern advertising to reveal a classic piece of insider knowledge from one of the industry’s most famous ad men, Donald Gunn, one-time creative director for the renowned Leo Burnett ad agency.
Cereal Makers Target Kids, Evade Junk Food Advertising Ban
By 7.22.07
Crafty cereal makers may weasel out of their promise to stop advertising junk food to audiences under 12 by fudging serving size information. Eleven cereal makers last week set the threshold for products advertised to children at 12 grams of sugar per serving. According to the New York Times’ original coverage, many cereal makers are already “trying to reformulate the foods to meet nutritional guidelines.” Why reformulate when you can change the labels?
