Cable monopoly is a disgrace

We are what is known as “cord cutters” — people who do not have cable or satellite TV. If we can’t get a program with our broadcast antenna, we don’t watch it. Alternatively, we use Internet TV streaming and enjoy a lot of entertainment and news for a modest cost.

When it comes to Seahawks football, we did fine via a combination of regular reception from Seattle or Vancouver B.C. We got to listen to the radio for the two to three games we couldn’t get over the air. So the cable/satellite/NFL cartel did not get our money.

For presidential debates it seems that the Republican Party did a little better for us. One way or the other, we have watched all their debates via streaming. For the Dem’s we only watched the one debate on broadcast network TV. All of the others required a cable provider account to use any source of live streaming.

This is a disgrace and also foolish not to reach as wide an audience as possible. Not everyone has cable/satellite TV. The bang for the buck just doesn’t cut it for us.

Reminds me of the famous photo of Harry Truman holding up the newspaper with the headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.” All the newspapers relied on extensive telephone polling and the Chicago Tribune, facing a printers strike, jumped the gun on their front page.

Turned out that not all the voters had telephones in 1948.

Andy Branca

Camano Island

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