Redneksioux

It's not just those that had Fta that will be without. There are those with cable companies other than midco which may or may not have the channel (including cbssn), and there are those homes with no suitable high speed Internet connection. And local prairie public is offered by both satellite providers, pretty much any cable company in nd, and if you have a hd tv with a $10 set of rabbit ears you will find yourself numerous options for prairie public television. Heck from grand forks this is how many watch the bemidji games. I hope you are right and more options will be a available soon for viewing und sports. I also get it that the tv situation is a situation you hold close to your heart as you defend it. This isn't a conversation I plan on having for the next 5 years. What I'd be more concerned with is for those that will not have access for und sports to be lost and forgotten over time. How many this weekend watched the ndsu game over the und game because it was what was available to them?

Times have really changed though. How many college hockey teams in the 80's could be seen nationwide? Currently there's a good chunk of nd residents that cannot get und hockey. Not everyone has access to high speed Internet with a data allowance capable of streaming. Where midco cable is not available, midcosn being a available in someone's home is hit or miss. And many people's only option for television service is ota antenna and or satellite service which currently leaves you with the option for 6 hockey games this year at best. If und hockey was available on PBS this year, games would be on in every nd home. And I apologize in advance if my posts are incessant or idiotic. Just when people's options for viewing und sports have diminished....don't expect them to be happy about it.

I'd be very happy if they could get their channel on one of them. But the midcosn's sporting season has already began so I won't hold my breathe.

Midco is a business and they have made it clear that if it will make them money they will do it. From getting rid of their satellite trucks and using fibre, to requiring their affiliates to pick up their channel full time in order to offer und sports. If midco can make money by getting their channel on dish/direct, I'm sure they'll do it. But they also want to hold an edge over dish/direct in their market where they offer cable service. Personally I wish they could get midco sn added to one of the satellite companies so I'd finally have access to und sports on the tv myself.

I will tell you that many people have become fans of und athletics because of Fta. And many have been able to follow their favorite sports teams because of Fta when no other options are available. Many dont know about Fta because it's not advertised but there are thousands of homes nationwide with Fta systems. And their primary purpose is generally to pick up wild sports feeds. And in the past und feeds have been probably the most relied upon Fta sports feed out there. So much that Fta feeds have been used in sports bars to show und sporting events to hundreds of fans who had no other means of viewing und sports. And it hasn't been limited to a few football games and hockey games only. Volleyball as well as men's and women's basketball were commonly shown and I will tell you that virtually any Fta viewer that had fallen in love with und hockey had the same feelings for any und sport that was available to them.

But those games for the most part have already been on in these homes the past few years. Now that midco is requiring their channel being picked up full time and through a different delivery method....it will just be in less homes than the past few years.

Thanks for your insight. Most of the smaller cable companies don't offer very many tiers of packaging. The one I speak of offers two tiers - standard and digital. And I was told, that because midco is only able to deliver their channel through fibre this year (rather than satellite like last year or years in the past like fssn) that customers would be required to have the digital tier in order to receive the midco sn channel. In this case a customer that had the standard programming package with one tv in their home would need to pay an extra $25 per month and this includes the stb rental. This is not my situation. Personally I'd be happy to spend that amount to receive und sports on tv. All I'm saying is there is people that have had access to und sports in the past that no longer will.

Sorry did I hit a nerve? I realize that you have interest in the midco situation. Great. But guess which production today had more viewers? We are moving in the wrong direction.

Well these same people that made this decision left many North Dakotans in the dark to und's football game tonight. All while ndsu's game was on NBC statewide in hd and available on satellite nationwide.

Hd is a big change from last year but the another big change from last year is midco requiring the affiliates to pick their channel up full time. I guess it's all a business and money talks. It's just too bad that many local people without midco cable will be left in the dark because of this.

It's the affiliates that are blaming midco. It's a fact that midco is requiring a different delivery method of the channel this year and the affiliate that I know of is using this as the reason for the required upgrade to their digital package. And hd signal can easily be uplinked and down linked thru satellite so this can't be midco's excuse for switching to fibre. I haven't checked with all the affiliates picking up midcosn but I haven't heard of any that are charging as little as $2.50 a month for the channel.

Very similar situation with the cable company I speak of. Last year they picked up the games with a satellite. This year the only option is through fibre from a city south of grand forks. This is the only option midco is giving now and the affiliate's customers are required to upgrade to the digital tier in order to receive the midco sn programming. In this instance it's and extra 20 per month for the digital tier plus and extra 5 per month per receiver.

I can't tell you what midco is charging per customer because I don't know for certain. But it's still difficult to believe they are not at fault because the affiliate cable company's message is coming from their employees who are local. Also it is midco that is now requiring their channel be aired full time in order to receive the und games rather than simply allowing und games to be picked up on a community type channel. I understand they want to sell their sports channel and that is their right. I also understand the hd conversion cost them extra money they need to recoup. I just struggle with the fact that these are more reasons that will leave more und fans in the dark starting this season.

It is a much bigger issue in other parts of the country I agree. And I can tell you the affiliate company is not accepting fault. they are telling customers their hands are tied on on this due to what midco is charging for the full time channel.

I apologize but I had some wrong information. I will not disclose the cable company doing this but I'm sure this is the case with many of the affiliates now offering midcosn for the first time. The cable company I speak of is requiring it's customers to upgrade to a higher tier programming package to receive midco sn. So for one of their customers with their current basic package, they will need to pay an extra $25/month. This is their customers only option to watch und sporting events . If I had the option to even get the games on tv myself this year I'd be happy to pay $25 a month to get them on tv but I don't even have the option for und on tv where I live with this new deal. And there are many many people across our great state that will now be without und sports on tv because of the midco ordeal. Either way this is bad for exposure of und sports compared to years in the past.

I actually like the old sabres logo on the front.

Nothing wrong with that. If I had access to midco's content I'd definitely be willing to pay for it myself. But to ask an elderly person in small town North Dakota for an extra $10 per month for a new tier created because of midco sn? I don't understand how anyone can claim viewership with this situation is increasing. Only thing I see increasing is midco's profits.

It's not just cable one. Maybe midco is playing hardball with them too but midco is playing hardball with every affiliate they are selling their channel to and most customers are having to pay much more if they want to continue to have access to und sports this season all across North Dakota.

I'd venture to guess the hd truck/equipment will be used elsewhere on these weekends

I find it hilarious all the bison fans I run into and how delusional they are after a win over a fbs team who will have an average year at best now thinking the bison could really compete against the top fbs teams. Haha

They have a ways to go to be a top 25 team. They were not a top 25 team before losing to ndsu(who is not a top 25 team). I think it very unlikely.

Surprised by the bison win congrats to them. Kansas state may be a good fbs team this year but they are not a top 25 team this year (according to this last week's standings).

Thanks for coming on here and continue to attempt to water down ndsu players criminal offenses. This attitude has been passed right down from gt and mr clean to your fan base and is quite hilarious as an outsider looking in.

Beck has a better chance of being arrested and going un-punished in Kansas than ndsu's chance of beating Kansas state!

Wasn't he born in grand forks?