Is this true, is there another means aside from having directv to see it?

visiting the area from out of town, and very pissed i might not be able to see the game

Cable MSO’s are used to shelling out 25-30 cents per subscriber for TLC, TBS, Comedy Central. But paying terrestrial channels for the right to rebroadcast is new. CBS is just starting to get into the mix. Back in the early 90’s, “must carry” was the rule and cable balked at that (loss of channel space).

Despite what you think, cable companies really do want to keep your rates low. They can’t do that when every network on every channel is demanding payment. Dish and DirecTV are no different. It is not fair that Mediacom had to drop Sinclair’s stations because one side won’t budge and the other is being as flexible as possible. I applaud Mediacom for holding their ground and doing what they could to keep the stations on the lineup. They are still trying. I just wish Sinclair would realize that they are only hurting themselves by reducing the number of eyeballs they are reaching.

Instead of paying that extra $20 a month, I took a different direction. I’ve only ever had analog cable. And I don’t get my internet service from the cable company. So I took a modulator that I had around for another project, an old VCR, an antenna that I had around, and I ordered a filter online the blocks out signals above channel 86. I hooked up the antenna to the VCR, set the VCR to my missing channel and remodulated the output of the VCR to a channel above the analog cable (92) and now I’m sitting here watching the playoff game on at least 3 sets in my house. Assuming this goes on into the spring, I’ll actually put up a real antenna. Then I don’t care. The could pull off all the broadcast stations. I’ve got enough old VCR’s sitting around to make my own mini head-end system.

I applaud Mediacom’s attempt to hold the line, but they mishandled the whole thing in the first place. Sinclair on the other hand is granted the right to broadcast by the public in the form of the FCC. They are already paid handsomly through advertising dollars for something they do very badly in my area. I don’t have any complaint with them being compensated for rebroadcast rights, but they need to get their collective heads out of their lower regions. Medicom is willing to submit to binding arbritration. Sinclair is refusing for two reasons. In their minds, they’re punishing Mediacom for suing them. And they know their demands are unreasonable and that they won’t get what they want out of arbitration. The only way it’s going to be solved is for the government to follow through and change the laws so the FCC can force both paties in to binding arbitration. So, in the mean time, we have choices. Get a dish, get an antenna, or go without. I wish everyone well in their quest to replace lost programming

In case anyone’s interested, I got the filter and modulator from a company called Smarthome.