Rob Durkee

[Scott Lakefield]

Hello all,

Just a quick note regarding Rob Durkee. This past Friday, his cable modem service went out. He found service resumed on Saturday, and thus cancell;ed the scheduled service call he had from Time Warner on Sunday.

You guessed it...the service then went out again. The new service call was scheduled for today, but they cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday. So he is thus without Internet service til then.

I've been handling the site updates in his absence, but in case you haven't heard from Rob, now you know why.

I'll keep you all apprised of his progress in getting back online!

Scott

[Deleted]

wow.....maybe he would like to go with a satellite provider and get DSL from his phone company. If I had that many issues in such a short time and they were rescheduling repair calls....well, actually, I did have a cable service like that once, but they are now out of the business and I DID get rid of them which is what Rob should consider doing if this mess continues.

[jlbass]

Time Warner's service is spotty to say the least. I had it once and couldn't count on it-became a moot point when I left there seven years ago. Memphis just got Comcast instead so wherever Rob lives probably got stuck with the results of the trade they did between their services. Switched several markets. I'd get another ISP if I were him.

John

[Scott Lakefield]

Hi all...just wanted to let you know that Rob is back online. He's definitely weighing the DirecTv option, however!

[Deleted]

I guess he would get DSL through the phone company? Or would he pay all that money for that Satellite Internet service if it even still exists?

[Deleted]

For those who didn't hear it, Rob was mentioned as having helped Bob Kingsley for his year end special on "Country Top 40" this past weekend in the closing credits.

[Radioman]

Rob Durkee, the new king of Country Music !!!
That's nice ;-)

[Rob Durkee]

Dear AT40 Web Site Visitors,
Some of you may remember how I was encountering severe internet and e-mail problems in December (2006). To reiterate, from December 1-9, I had almost no e-mail or internet capability. It was 136 hours total and well over 100 hours in one stretch. The reason for this was my cable TV company, Time-Warner, which was switching to another method of providing me internet and e-mails. They just didn't bother to tell me about it until I was halfway through the mess.
I live in the so-called San Fernando Valley...and the local Time - Warner affiliate serves at least 2 million customers. When I finally got my e-mails and internet back, the technician who helped make it possible by installing a new modem, told me that about half (48%) of the TW San Fernando Valley customers were STILL without e-mails and internet. But I'd already decided "enough already" a few days earlier. On December 15, 2006, I joined the DirecTV nation...and I love it.
My e-mails and internet are now courtesy of Earthlink and I've had no problems at all. Thanks to DirecTV, I can now regularly see the NFL Network, ESPN-U and Fox Sports-Ohio. That's AT LEAST 3 channels I couldn't see with Time-Warner. Plus, I can now Tivo programs AND, to top it off, I've purchased a DVD recorder that has the capability of transferring my old VCR tapes onto DVD discs.
Time-Warner still doesn't have the NFL Network in its lineup and I don't think it ever will. TW's excuse that the NFL Network wants too much $ is just that. An excuse. I don't hear that excuse with DirecTV. And the other 4 of the top 5 cable TV companies that carry the NFL Network don't make that excuse either. On my last day of my old cable TV provider, Adelphia, my bill suddenly went up $4 a month...and then came the switch to TW the next day.
DO THE MATH! By managing to up rates by $4 a month for its 2 million San Fernando Valley customers alone, that amounts to an ADDITIONAL $8 million a MONTH and $96 million a YEAR just with the increase! Again, that's JUST with the San Fernando Valley! Think of how much MORE $ TW is charging its customers to NOT include the NFL Network and ESPN-U, among others. TW's selfishness is unbelievable.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I FOUGHT BACK!
Regards,
Rob Durkee

[Deleted]

robdurkee said:

Dear AT40 Web Site Visitors,
Some of you may remember how I was encountering severe internet and e-mail problems in December (2006). To reiterate, from December 1-9, I had almost no e-mail or internet capability. It was 136 hours total and well over 100 hours in one stretch. The reason for this was my cable TV company, Time-Warner, which was switching to another method of providing me internet and e-mails. They just didn't bother to tell me about it until I was halfway through the mess.
I live in the so-called San Fernando Valley...and the local Time - Warner affiliate serves at least 2 million customers. When I finally got my e-mails and internet back, the technician who helped make it possible by installing a new modem, told me that about half (48%) of the TW San Fernando Valley customers were STILL without e-mails and internet. But I'd already decided "enough already" a few days earlier. On December 15, 2006, I joined the DirecTV nation...and I love it.
My e-mails and internet are now courtesy of Earthlink and I've had no problems at all. Thanks to DirecTV, I can now regularly see the NFL Network, ESPN-U and Fox Sports-Ohio. That's AT LEAST 3 channels I couldn't see with Time-Warner. Plus, I can now Tivo programs AND, to top it off, I've purchased a DVD recorder that has the capability of transferring my old VCR tapes onto DVD discs.
Time-Warner still doesn't have the NFL Network in its lineup and I don't think it ever will. TW's excuse that the NFL Network wants too much $ is just that. An excuse. I don't hear that excuse with DirecTV. And the other 4 of the top 5 cable TV companies that carry the NFL Network don't make that excuse either. On my last day of my old cable TV provider, Adelphia, my bill suddenly went up $4 a month...and then came the switch to TW the next day.
DO THE MATH! By managing to up rates by $4 a month for its 2 million San Fernando Valley customers alone, that amounts to an ADDITIONAL $8 million a MONTH and $96 million a YEAR just with the increase! Again, that's JUST with the San Fernando Valley! Think of how much MORE $ TW is charging its customers to NOT include the NFL Network and ESPN-U, among others. TW's selfishness is unbelievable.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I FOUGHT BACK!
Regards,
Rob Durkee

Rob,

Not to get into a a war with you over this, but the NFL Network isn't demanding more $ per se. If you check, you will also notice most every other cable operator doesn't offer the NFL Network either, and most of those who do are not permitted to televise the 8 games the network has. The NFL Network demands to be on the basic tier or at worst one of the basic digital tiers, the reason being is so they get paid per subscriber to those tiers as opposed to where the cable companies want to put them which is in a sports tier. I am assuming your cable operator as mine had one, it's usually where you find Fox Sports Atlantic, Pacific, and whatever else along with possibly the Tennis channel and another couple of stations. Those packages receive far less sub rates obviously, than do the basic cable or basic digital tier. Cable's stance on this is the entire cable subscriber base shouldn't have to pay for a channel that even now, most people don't really want. This is where the NFL Network and the cable operators are at a standstill. And in some cases, the NFL has relented and allowed the station to be put in the sports tier, but when it is, THEY (not the cable company) do not permit the airing of the game to those who subscribe. It's a situation where the NFL Network is demanding something, and the cable operators have decided either we compromise or we won't do business.

Now, don't mistake what I am saying. I hate cable. We had it for about a month recently and we got a bill stating our digital cable package was going up to about $70 a month and thats with NO premium movie services, NO extras, nothing. Just the basic digital service most in this area have when they have Digital Cable. The DVR fee is going up to $11.95 per DVR, and the box rental fee is $6.95 (the DVR fee is extra). So yes, close to $18 for a DVR box. So, yes, I think cable is a ripoff. But the NFL Network thing was one I wanted to clarify if you were unfamiliar with the situation.

[jlbass]

Rob:

I can certainly understand how you feel. We had Time-Warner in Memphis and their service was nothing short of disaster. Road Runner was down half the time and I remember how they were charging us $40-$50 a month IN 1999. You were a victim of a swap between Comcast/Adelphia and Time Warner-Memphis got Comcast and the people in the area you live are probably suffering a great loss of quality. In any case, I didn't stay with Time Warner very long, ridded myself of their cable and got satellite and switched to Bell South, which is a bit slower but can certainly be depended on 50% of the time (which is 50% more than Time Warner). You're probably going to be much better off with Direct TV's internet.

Also kiss any idea of competition in the cable market goodbye since Time Warner in Memphis always pitched a fit whenever anyone, even a public utility, even suggested another cable service. They had the Memphis City Council in their hands and to this day, there is no competition.

John