Local Stories by Local People
updated: Aug 16, 2012, 9:10 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

This was just posted by KEYT on Facebook. "Cox Cable Subscribers: KEYT's agreement with Cox California expires Sunday at midnight. An extension to the deadline has been offered in an effort to avoid a signal disruption but Cox Cable has so far declined. If the agreement expires you will not be able to watch your favorite ABC programs and KEY News! You don't need to be in the middle. KEYT continues to work hard to reach an agreement. In the meantime, know that you have other options such as DISH or DirecTV and you can always watch KEYT Over-the-Air for FREE on Digital Channel 3. Let Cox Cable know you want to keep watching KEYT. Please leave your comments here and send us an email to getthefacts@keyt.com."

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 309292P	2012-08-16 09:25 PM
Oh hell no!!! Do not take my KEYT news away from me!!!
COMMENT 309299P	2012-08-16 09:43 PM
What? Basic cable is my most expensive bill. Cox sucks.
COMMENT 309300P	2012-08-16 09:57 PM
299, which is why we switched to DirecTV years ago.
COMMENT 309336P	2012-08-16 11:30 PM
Try turning Cable off with Cox remote. The cable in your house then acts like an antenna. Tune into KEYT. does it work?
COMMENT 309339P	2012-08-17 12:46 AM
I'd prefer to maintain access to ABC, but if we happen to lose KEYT, no biggie, except for some occasional truly local reportig. I'll keep watching KSBY news. Better news, MUCH better weather report. (High five, Hovde). And I would never see the mustache man! brrrrrr he freaks me out
COMMENT 309340P	2012-08-17 12:49 AM
And if this is ABC vs Cox, eh. The network will almost certainly win, as the last provider vs network battle turned out. (Dish vs Viacom?? Whatever it was. I NEED MY COMEDY CENTRAL!)
COMMENT 309351P	2012-08-17 06:44 AM
No KEYT, No Cox for me.
CORKY	2012-08-17 06:45 AM
Yes, I heard it and it was bad enough when Cox took off Hallmark, at least for Basic. I pay a high enough bill now and many of my favorite programs are on KEYT.
COMMENT 309353P	2012-08-17 06:45 AM
We need to keep KEY-T. When we have an emergency (fire, earthquake), we need current information from our local reporters who are familiar with the Santa Barbara area.
COMMENT 309355	2012-08-17 06:47 AM
Cox raises rates more frequently than any other utilitie provider, they need to be put in their place. If I get Direct TV can I get channel 3 and how about kcal 9 ?
COMMENT 309358	2012-08-17 06:50 AM
Maybe KEYT will then, finally, get a digital antenna that would allow those of us on tne East side to get the off-air channel, too.
SBJULES	2012-08-17 06:52 AM
I hear it early this morning for the first time. I'm calling Cox today.
COMMENT 309363	2012-08-17 06:55 AM
355 you get KEYT on Direct TV I left cox and have never regreted it. Well I still have them for internet,
COMMENT 309372	2012-08-17 07:18 AM
KEYT is running an ad with C.J. Ward telling us to contact Cox and tell them you want to keep KEYT. Nothing more than a contract dispute. This happens every time the contract expires between Cox and every station it carries, but we don't hear about it very often. Muscle flexing...that's all. I wouldn't worry. There is no way the cable company with a monopoly in this city will drop the only TV station in the city. The will never jeopardize their monopoly. Look for a resolution this weekend. Bank on it.
COMMENT 309373	2012-08-17 07:24 AM
no loss whatsoever.
COMMENT 309379	2012-08-17 07:48 AM
emailed Cox last night...I will dump them if they cancel KEYT
COMMENT 309384	2012-08-17 07:55 AM
I can look outside to get an update on the weather!
COMMENT 309387	2012-08-17 08:03 AM
Cox is awarded the monopoly of service in SB by the City of Santa Barbara. Why we have a single provider and a single phone service provider is beyond me - these are public services using public utilities and lines to provide a commercial service. Where are the Free Market advocates regarding these city sanctioned monopolies? Have you seen how much money Cox gives the city? Its a game of payola folks, like every other aspect of our public lives...
COMMENT 309389P	2012-08-17 08:08 AM
Are you serious? This is our LOCAL station. OK, so a few of know-it-alls have been knocking KEYT for some time - on Edhat yet - but I'll call today, etc., whatever it takes. I too am tired of the monopoly Cox has in SB. What do we do? March on City Hall?
QUEENDI	2012-08-17 08:15 AM
Cox is such a total rip off. Shame on them!
COMMENT 309395	2012-08-17 08:16 AM
I wouldn't call Cox a monopoly. There are other television and phone service providers available. TV: Dish, DirecTV Phone: Verizon, Magic Jack...
COMMENT 309398	2012-08-17 08:18 AM
It's between KEYT and Cox. They'll just bring back KABC if they drop KETY.
COMMENT 309399	2012-08-17 08:20 AM
Kill your tv. We live in paradise. You can get any news in 15 seconds from the internet and save that time you will never get back for something more worth your time.
COMMENT 309400	2012-08-17 08:20 AM
COX's domination of local television access is the biggest legalized scam in the state. They have raised their rates by nearly 500 percent in the past few years because they have a monopoly and those of us in the area have few choices. This slash and burn approach by COX even goes to threatening the loss of certain programs (they actually advertise these threats) if a viewer dares to get Direct T.V. They have successfully taken away local television and community programing on several channels unless you pay for the addition of a "cable box" which is just another blatant rip-off. The City and County needs to explore alternative sources of television access as soon as possible. This company has been gven a license to steal.
COMMENT 309408P	2012-08-17 08:33 AM
I'd go to DirectTV immediately, except that Cox is the only one that carries the public-government access, Channel 18. Why does the city (and County) subsidize Cox by only having that access with them so one has to pay the expensive service?
COMMENT 309410P	2012-08-17 08:35 AM
A notice on Cox's website explains their position. We don't need Congress-style deadlocks here; I'll call both Cox and Smith Media.
COMMENT 309415P	2012-08-17 08:42 AM
From the KEYT website: Alerts and Notices Information about KEYT-TV and MyNetwork TV Cox Communications is required by law to receive permission from broadcast stations such as ABC-affiliate KEYT-TV to carry their signals on our channel lineup. Cox is currently in negotiations with Smith Media for the rights to continue carrying KEYT-TV and My Network TV for our customers in Santa Barbara. If Smith Media does not grant us the right to continue carrying KEYT-TV and MyNetwork TV, the signals for these channels may no longer be available on Cox's channel lineup after August 19, 2012. Please be assured that Cox is working hard to reach an agreement with Smith Media so that there is no disruption to our channel lineup. We thank you for being a Cox customer and allowing us the opportunity to serve you.
COMMENT 309416	2012-08-17 08:42 AM
ARE you people nuts? KEYT is a big joke.. talk about cox being a monoply. Lots of fluff, no substance. IF you need news in an emergency, turn on your AM radio and it will work fine.. IF you need access to the idiot box, look to Dish network, cheaper, you get much more with a lot better sevice..
COMMENT 309422	2012-08-17 09:00 AM
@410 Can you say where you saw Cox's explanation on their site? I wasn't able to find it. I'd like to read up on both points of view. Thanks
COMMENT 309423	2012-08-17 09:01 AM
There ARE other options for TV for sure, but what about for true high-speed internet? It's really the ONLY reason I keep Cox! I do a lot of computer work on friends' computers with Verizon and it's tedious at best. Why don't we have AT&T Uverse?? TV, phone, internet for $89/month. I have basic TV and internet with Cox for $135.21 as of this month. CRAZY!
COMMENT 309444	2012-08-17 09:22 AM
Just get a digital antennae and forget about Cox. I haven't used them for years.
COMMENT 309478	2012-08-17 09:57 AM
Edhat community: I have gotten conflicting stories. Cox blames the owners of KEYT (Smith Media) saying that they want Cox to raise it's rates, KEYT blames Cox. In my humble opinion they are both to blame. They both want a monopoly in town. Their behavior is shameful. Time for our community to demand some fairness.
COMMENT 309487	2012-08-17 10:10 AM
Still don't understand why we have to "pay" for standard channels. Some people are able to get channel 3 without a cable subscriptions, but several homes cannot- as my own. Often, I get teased by my LA-based friends that we have to "pay" for channels that LA get for free/standard watching (e.g., ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, etc.)
COMMENT 309495	2012-08-17 10:22 AM
KEYT may suck but we will not have ABC transmission. I wish we had Comcast here. SO much better than Cox.
COMMENT 309497	2012-08-17 10:26 AM
I like KEYT and watch it nightly. I think the news is fine and their weather is the most accurate anywhere.
COMMENT 309498	2012-08-17 10:28 AM
I dumped Cox for Direct TV eight months ago and couldn't be happier. I get far more channels for far less!
ANIMALLISTNER	2012-08-17 10:38 AM
Thats messed up!
COMMENT 309540	2012-08-17 11:18 AM
I'm sorry that there was no agreement. KEYT news is not great and I won't miss it but I know others will. I hope an agreement will be reached soon.
COMMENT 309554	2012-08-17 11:30 AM
Cox really dissapointed during the London Olympics. if you had only the basic cable lineup, they would not allow you to have access to live/recorded streaming at the NBC Olympics website. Only subscribers with premium cable packages could access streaming (the website asked you for your Cox ID and password). Ripoff.
COMMENT 309566	2012-08-17 11:54 AM
All the smart people have canceled their TV ... an obsolete medium.
ROGER DODGER	2012-08-17 12:27 PM
Magic Jack? Can you explain that one to me?
COMMENT 309594	2012-08-17 12:43 PM
The community needs to demand that the City Council revoke the monopoly that Cox has for cable service and open the market up for competitors. My daughter lives in Southern Orange County, and after years of paying through the nose for Cox, they were able to switch to another cable service for TV and Internet - better service at little more than half the price.
COMMENT 309616	2012-08-17 01:18 PM
Help I hate Cox, but don't know if in the long run Direct TV or Dish is any better, what is the differance in price and avability of channels? Why can we not get other companies in here? I am not a great TV watcher but when I want to I don't want to pay what I pay now for the little bit I do watch on TV. Keyt may not be as sophistcated as some TV stations but at least I can hear about events that are happing now in my community what can we do to protest aginst Cox?
COMMENT 309617	2012-08-17 01:20 PM
As I understand it: Cox Cable pays the TV stations for the right to broadcast their programming. KEYT's contract with Cox Cable is expiring and Cox Cable has asked for a contract renewal, KEYT said yes we will renew if Cox Cable pays KEYT $3 mil more. Cox Cable said nope; to pay KEYT that kind of money we will have to raise our rates on our customers and Cox Cable is not willing to raise rates on it's customers to compensate for KEYT's greedy pansy-ass behavior so... KEYT gets shown the door. I love how KEYT makes Cox Cable look like the bad guys. LOL.
COMMENT 309622	2012-08-17 01:26 PM
HMMMMM local reporting of fires and such. Last big fire KEYT signed off at midnight!!! Resumed reporting at 6:00 the next morning.
COMMENT 309639	2012-08-17 02:12 PM
Actually, what *really* disappointed me* about the Olympics is that Cox recompresses over-the-air TV, even when something big is going on. So whenever too much happens on screen, it breaks down into a snowy mess... (* - aside from NBC itself)
COMMENT 309687	2012-08-17 03:46 PM
One poster said KEYT is looking to get $3 million more dollars from Cox. There are about 90K people in Santa Barbara. Assuming Cox serves every one of them (which they don’t) that would mean a $35 increase in my bill. I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t see $35 a month value out of KEYT. Losing KEYT is really no loss at all. Kudos to Cox for trying to keep customer rates down.
COMMENT 309707	2012-08-17 04:42 PM
The FCC requires Cox Cable to carry local government channels and local TV stations in their basic cable lineup as negotiated by local government: transition fcc gov / cgb / consumerfacts / cablechannels.pdf My guess is this means the City of SB specifies what local stations Cox must carry in order to maintain their monopoly. The trick then is, how do KEYT and Cox negotiate licensing costs when they're both forced to play with each other? And, can Cox go back to the City of SB and ask to replace KEYT with a different local station (e.g. KSBY)? Would the City even allow that to happen considering KEYT is the only station in town?
COMMENT 309708	2012-08-17 04:51 PM
Just another verification I made the correct decision by switching from Cox to DirecTV 17 years ago!
COMMENT 309728	2012-08-17 05:52 PM
Switched to Dish a LONG time ago. Better programming, better prices. Service has been flawless. Cox has more outtages than Dish. But no matter what, Keyt is NOT a valid reason to boycott one company or another. The station is lax in its reporting and content. News that is broadcast is stale. Worst of all, every time an anchor is hired, they just get wider. If you want better programming, switch away from Cox, you won't be sorry. If you want a decent local newscast, check the SLO station... KSBY I think.
COMMENT 309733P	2012-08-17 05:56 PM
I hate Cox. They took money from our bank account for services that we never signed up or asked for. They are terrible. I don't like KEYT much either, but would rather have a local station rather than none at all. Lately, all networks treat Americans like idiots, talk down to us and generally keep us totally UN-informed. Cox is, however a great internet provider, so I'd hate for that to go away! ABC is a channel that we want to keep but the networks are a bunch of control freaks and are greedy. Wish we had more than Cox for a cable company. I don't want a satellite dish-there's enough transmissions around to light up an X-Ray machine. Gimme old school anytime.
COMMENT 309742	2012-08-17 06:16 PM
495 You obviously have never had Comcast. Prices on services (connect-change of level and so on just doubled. The service is erratic and channels are dropped and added to upper tiers as they become popular. They too operate on a sweetheart exclusive deal with city of Santa Maria.
COMMENT 309818P	2012-08-18 07:45 AM
I say good riddance KEYT- Id love it if Cox went with KABC out of L.A. Local news? Thats why G-d made EdHat and Facebook.....
CORDIE	2012-08-18 03:49 PM
Keyt news is very poor with to few reporters .No helicopter coverage for fires and traffic. It is very low tech and its reporting is very slow, I always end up viewing kcal for updates and current footage for fires floods ect. The eagle fire was less than a mile from my house . keyt was still broadcasting soaps. to much info on ventura oxnard and north county. not enough for Goleta and S.B. and to long after the fact.as with the gap fire . .. They need to upgrade. we are not just a sleepy little tourist resort. we need to know what is going on where we live. And infomercials do not cut it But, we pay cox for A.B.C coverage we should get it. Tired of communication censorship

37% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

*** One comment was removed from this thread by the Edhat Board Nanny for violating Edhat Comments Board policy. Click Here to see it.