The news this week has been going around and confirmed that “Dog the Bounty Hunter” the hit reality based TV show on the A & E Network featuring Duane and Beth Chapman and filmed mostly in Hawaii was cancelled. The following links take you to some of the online sites covering this story:
Dog the Bounty Hunter Cancelled by A & E
You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down - Hawaii News Now with Video
Posted in Cable, News, Television
Hawaiian Telcom, Hawaii’s landline telephone operator launched its cable TV service this week at months of beta testing. The new TV service will feature at least 250 cable TV channels including local content, movies and sports such as the NFL channel. The service is being slowly rolled out in the downtown Honolulu area of Oahu. Reports from around the country have stated that TV services offered by phone companies have been successful in attracting customers from incumbent cable TV systems such as Time Warner.
More information at the following links:
Posted in Cable, News, Television
Viewers of Olelo Public Access TV channel 49 have recently learned that Oceanic Time Warner cable will be switching the analog signal to this channel off and going to digital services only. This will require analog customers to get a digital set top box. According to the Olelo TV website and blog, the set top boxes are supposed to be free to those customers who request them. The cut off date for analog customers is July 6. Olelo had asked for an extension of time but were declined by Oceanic.
While Olelo states that the digital box is free, Oceanic’s own website under pricing lists a $7.12 charge for a digital box.
Commentary: I wonder how many analog customers will opt for the digital box? While digital may offer more TV services, the going rate for the basic digital package is $75 a month. When I last subscribed to Oceanic cable’s analog, the price was about $63 for 78 channels. The cable franchise fee will probably remain the same whether a subscribers gets all of the Olelo channels or not.
Posted in Cable, News, Opinion, Television
It has been one of Hawaiian Telcom‘s long standing plans – become a cable TV provider for Hawaii. The State Dept of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) granted Hawaiian Telcom a 15 year franchise fee to set up and operate a competing cable TV system that will mount a challenge to longtime incumbent Time Warner Oceanic Cable.
Hawaiian Telcom is the state’s largest phone company. They recently came out of bankruptcy. Due to a changing marketplace where many people have opted for cellular phone service instead of a traditional landline, the phone company has decided to pursue to cable TV option and offer its services as a package along with telecom and internet services.
More details at the following links:
Hawaiian Telcom gets a license for cable TV
Hawaiian Telcom Gets OK To Offer Cavble TV
DCCA Press Release (PDF)
Publisher’s Comment: Competition is usually a good thing. We’ll see how this pans out for consumers in relation to prices and packaging offered by Hawaiian Telcom. Hopefully the new competition will bring cable TV prices down or at least stabilize them at a certain level. It is also hoped that better TV channel packages are offered or even the possibility (highly unlikely) of ala carte cable.
Posted in Cable, News, Television
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