Just heard on Thom Hartman re: MSNBC

[MiniMe]

Per Thom, Comcast is moving MSNBC from a base to a premium channel, so if you want to keep listening to Keith Olberman, you will have to pay for it, or pay for an upgraded package. Did they move Fox? No. Did they move CNN? No. Just MSNBC. Is Keith that much of a threat to them?

Updated to add an older link. Maybe this is becoming more widespread.

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6060989

/snip
Last week, Comcast removed MSNBC, CSPAN2 and the TV Guide Channel from its analog package lineup. Customers trying to tune into the channels saw a blank screen with a message prompting them to call Comcast to upgrade to a digital package.

Comcast in Colorado isn't the only market to move networks off its basic menu. In recent days, Comcast removed CSPAN 2, the Game Show Network and the Hallmark channel out of its analog package in Mobile, Ala. In areas of Pennsylvania, premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Cinemax have been bumped to digital packages only.

Nationally, 65 percent of Comcast customers already subscribe to digital packages and 35 percent to analog, according to Scott Binder, senior vice president for Comcast Colorado. Those percentages are nearly the same for Colorado's 800,000 Comcast subscribers.

The migration of all these channels to digital-only lineups is part of a multi-pronged strategy by cable operators to not only increase subscriber revenue but also to position their offerings in the minds of subscribers by February 2009.
/snip

[Flarney]

1. If my cable company does that they will lose my business instantly. n/t

[LandOLincoln]

8. Same here. I've been on the verge of

nuking Comcast anyway, but held on mainly because of Keith, the meercats and TCM.

[LSK]

2. havnt seen that yet but that would suck

They have been removing other stations over the years thou.

[Bitwit1234]

3. We have upgraded cable and two movie packages.

Would this mean that MSNBC would be pay like HBO etc. If they do move it, they won't be able to censure anything he says. FCC has no control over this type of cable.

[MiniMe]

6. No, just that they are moving it to their digital package

Which is an upgraded package as I understand it.

[Beaverhausen]

4. I recommened getting Dish Network

cable sucks.

[MiniMe]

7. I actually have DirecTV. I agree

I had comcast, and I hated it. Still have my internet through them though.

[LandOLincoln]

9. The last time I was in Costco, I noticed that they seem to have

made some kind of deal with DirecTV. That's good enough for me. I think Comcast can kiss this long-term customer/sucker bye-bye.

[Bitwit1234]

5. Comcast has bought up most of the cable system in this country

and if the Democrats don't stop this we will have one cable system, one network and republican shit spewed at us all day.