Letters to the Editor: Good luck finding a good guy in the Disney-Spectrum cable fight
To the editor: The blackout of channels owned by Walt Disney Co. on Charter Communications’ Spectrum cable service is really about two multibillion-dollar corporations haggling over money. And we lose.
Spectrum says that Disney wants to “limit our ability to provide greater customer choice in programming packages, forcing you to take and pay for channels you may not want.”
Oh really? Choice? This is a company that forces subscribers to pay for channels we do not want. There is no choice except to quit cable.
Steven Lee, Oxnard
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To the editor: Charter Chief Executive Christopher Winfrey is right. Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger has pulled his company’s best programs from the Disney Channel and moved them to streaming on Disney+. This provides two revenue streams, which is very clever.
Except the subscriber gets ripped off.
Also, I’m most definitely not “out of luck” if I want the programs on Disney-owned ABC. I have an ATSC tuner with timed recording capability, so I won’t miss a thing.
I’ve always resented paying for programming anyone can get for free with a cheap antenna, and I won’t miss the other channels.
Eileen Bell, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I’m sure the cable business is very complicated, requires a Wharton MBA to understand, and shimmers with high-tech nuance.
But to me as a consumer, Disney and Spectrum look like two fat feudal lords sitting at a banquet table in the castle, belching as they carve up the bounty provided for them by their nameless serfs. There is never enough for them, and it’s always because those damn serfs are so lazy.
Let’s hope they work it out before football season is over.
Bart Braverman, Indio
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To the editor: In pulling its offerings off Spectrum cable in a dispute over costs, Disney has done the nearly impossible — it has engendered sympathy for Spectrum, a company with some of the worst customer service attitudes around.
Good job, Mr. Iger!
Jim Brunet, Santa Monica
