CABLE TV HEARING TONIGHT, WITH SPECTRUM ON THE HOT SEAT … plus … PT. 3 OF PLANET’S HOOVER SERIES
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY MARCH 19, 2018) — Before we continue our series on Hoover, THE PLANET shares news of an important hearing on cable TV service in Pittsfield that takes place at 6 pm tonight at the Berkshire Atenaeum auditorium.
The public hearing will be to examine the quality of service, more properly the lack thereof, being provided — actually, not provided — by Spectrum, the “successor” to Time-Warner. The mayor’s office made the announcement in light of numerous complaints over the change in Spectrum’s programming. As anyone who subscribes to Spectrum cable knows, the city’s TV has gone from mediocre to abysmal.
What makes the situation more frustrating is the fact that the city’s cable commission has been AWOL since Peter Arlos was knee-high to Apollo’s nephew. The switch to Spectrum and the company’s unaccountable whimsies in dealing with the city have been perpetrated without the slightest interest of the cable commission. The disgraceful lack of performance by that board suggests that its members only want their “name on the letterhead” and have no interest in doing their representative jobs.
Sprectrum continues a monopoly while the board snoozes. The mayor informs THE PLANET that a Spectrum rep — probably their PR flack — will be on hand. That makes it more than worthwhile for Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski to show up in force to help grill Spectrum Person.
We credit the mayor’s office for helping to arrange this hearing. FYI the members of the Pittsfield Cable Commission as listed on the city’s official roster are Brian Johnson, chair; Lawrence Berke, Mitch Boraski, Stephen Radin, Jonathan Lothrop, and Kevin Morandi. As you can see, this is largely a collection of political retreads, has beens, and hangers-on who don’t realize that their ships left anchor long ago. The roster lists cvanbramer@cityofpittsfield.org as a contact for the cable commission.
Now back to our series and its third installment.
———ooo———
In response to several inquiries about the origin of THE PLANET’s “sudden interest” in Herbert Clark Hoover, we must first admit a long standing interest in general history. Second, we have over the years had an eager love of biography, especially what the philosopher Hegel identified as “world historical individuals.”
The are people who, owing to a mysterious confluence of time, geography, and characteristic personality transcend ordinary limits and become leaders in the most expansive and influential sense of the word. The period from post WWII to the beginning of the Cold War produced an extraordinary crop of such men: Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, Roosevelt being the Big Four, with others like Franco, MacArthur, Patton, and Tito making up the taxi squad.
Finally and more immediately, our curiosity began with research for a three-act play THE PLANET wrote last year titled George Brush Died For Your Sins. The action is set at the height of the Depression. The more we got into the lives and the times, the more a truer picture began to emerge regarding the traditional historical narrative, namely, that Hoover the bogeyman caused the Depression and Roosevelt the white knight rode in on a silver steed to save America. That cartoon version of the historical record, we decided, did a great disservice to a remarkable public figure, one who kept on serving his country almost into his 90th and final year.
Franklin Roosevelt took Hoover’s remedies to fight the Depression to a scale far beyond anything this country had ever seen, enhancing the magesterial powers of the presidency and taking bipartisan republican representation and turning it into Big Government. As such, FDR injected the body politic with what was essentially a foreign doctrine, that is, a modified version of the totalitarianism that had swept most of the rest of the world. The United States, as a consequence, lost its moral authority within and among other nations, a mistake from which we have never recovered.
Roosevelt had that “it” factor to the same degree as Adolph Hitler. Each was able to work within the existing political system and, by sheer force of personality, convince the vast majority of citizens of their benign intentions. Each legally transferred power to the executive branch along partisan and ideological lines. Each jumped at the chance to wield this power and enhance it, for example in dictating prices and wages as well as using the government in loaded competition with the private sector. Each forever altered the foundation of their respective country’s national life and future.
Ironically, the enormous popularity of each can stand as proof of the influence each had on their respective populates. Each believed a new era had been ushered in. They were both correct.
——————————————————–
“I thought you’d see it my way” — Charles Foster Kane.
“OPEN THE. WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
The Usual Disclaimer.
Jonathon Lothrops is on the cable commission? Well that is helpful.
I wonder if this meeting could be televised? By the way have you noticed that Spectrum has been bombarding the public with never ending commercials telling us how wonderful they are.. Millions but more likely billions of dollars of ads. And they are going to get this all back through higher costs for their cable services and it probably will not take them very long.
Personally, I hate regular television. Hate all the commercials which now seem to be 40 to 50 percent of a show. So in reality half the money you are paying is to watch commercials. Think about that.
I have two Rokus and watch a bunch of Netflix. Other than that I only need news and some sports. I could care less about regular shows (which are the ones most saturated with commercials)
I am not tech savvy but would like to learn the work arounds if they actually save more than a couple of dollars. It seems odd to be paying more for television than electricity. In reality my bundle package probably costs more than it costs to heat my home for the year. That seems quite absurd.
If there are people in the home with different interests that can complicate your options to bail and I think Spectrum plays on this. They know they have most families boxed in and they are coming for your wallet. Buckle up.
Dusty is right. Basic cable has tripled in price, and that’s without renting the boxes. Once that happens, basic will be at least five times what was paid in 2017. Roku gives you all kinds of free TV including PBS, CBS news and yes even Fox news, and network subscriptions such as CBS All Access are inexpensive. Cable TV is nothing but pharmaceutical and Spectrum commercials. It’s just not worth the price. So if you have WIFI other than Time Warner, CUT THE CORD!
Probably the biggest factor driving cable prices is sports. When they give the big bucks to these guys the money has to come from somewhere.
Thank you for your historical series on Hoover. Over the weekend I ordered a Eugene Lyons biography of Hoover which covers both the personal & political aspects of the man. Looking forward to learning more!
Totally agree Dan V. about the dangers of big government that began during the time that you mention. Now it is totally out of control and needs to be reined in. As big government has increased so has corruption. Just look at what we have today with this investigation and this committee to look into potential corruption. Why do politicians work until well into their late 80’s and some into their 90’s? Why do many need to be carried out on stretchers? It’s not for the love of the job. Many, like Nancy Pelosi, look bored and like they would rather be anywhere else. It’s all the perks and power that attract them.
Getting elected in nearly any government position is like you or I winning the lottery. The elected officials are transported into a world of perks and luxuries unknown to most of us. It’s even more dangerous that the media favors one party over the other and wants to sweep their misdeeds under the rug. As governments grows even bigger it will be IMPOSSIBLE to keep all the corruption under control. If you think big government doesn’t care about you now, just wait until it gets bigger, then they will literally be telling we the public to sit down and shut up. At that point we will have a dictatorship of not just one person, but the whole government.
Heyyy…We agree almost completely on this Pat. While corruption has been a part of just about every government since the dawn of government, career politicians have really made it much worse. It used to be your congress person was a plumber or a sporting goods store owner or whatever; someone whose livelihood was something other than being a politician. The career politician in congress, and the ability of corporations and special interests on BOTH sides to buy them, is what drives us deeper into a hole instead of fixing roads. And the defense industry, tied to the federal budget, is probably the dirtiest and deepest of them all. The incentive, from a career standpoint, to be in politics has to be taken out somehow
How bout this?….Turn off the damn tell-lie-vision. Turn off the fake news, crappy sitcoms, the PROGRAMMING, and live a real life.
Tell Spectrum up yours and save yourself a small fortune.
They are all about profits and money. Just take it away from them. Spend more time with your children, family and friends.
What you say makes good sense. I wish it were that easy.
Good to see the Trump tax cuts passed along to the consumer.
Best post ever. MY CABLE IS TOO EXPENSIVE AND MY INTERNET IS TOO SLOW
…first world problems
I don’t have friends and no family? I watch Gaetani News Hour And Fox, and used to watch the Planet till he left.
Then by all means Bill Q, pay Spectrum lots of money, your money, to let them beam garbage to you as you sit and rot your brain. Nobody really cares.
If you live in WARD 3 and weren’t one of the privileged few that got Caccamo’s mailer or are friends with him on Facebook:
WARD 3 town hall meeting
6pm Egremont Elementary School
6 years in the making!
Interesting that it’s called for the same exact times the Spectrum hearing, forcing Ward 3 people to choose. Me I,m going to the tv hearing. I cut the cord of spectrum and I want to tell them what for.
Personally, I’d rather watch snow on my spectrum cable box than listen to Caccamo spew typical politico nonsense about studies and consultants needed to fix any problems. Need a stop sign somewhere? $30k “study” to see if it’s feasible
Bring back The Pill.
I do not believe it was ever his intention to run for office. He may have been talked into it and regrets his decision.
This is his second time around numnutz, so he had two non intentions?
you are catching on…..
Good observation B L.
Dan, you need to get your s*&^ straight on the cable commission, The cable commission only exists to negotiate new cable contracts. The commission has no duties assigned to them to deal with ongoing complaints or reviews of an existing contract. I know its stupid but that’s the way the city set it up. Basically a cable commission gets appointed when it comes time to go out for a new cable contract and then is theoretically disbanded after the new contract gets signed.
Believe me, I’m no fan of the last set of appointees but the ongoing issues are no their problem.
MOLLY
Appreciate the post, but that’s exactly my point. The commission doesn’t have to agree to such a confining and useless role. At that, their sole responsibility was poorly handled. The point you obliquely make is that the commission doesn’t have to be set up that way. I would think that any forward thinking member would make it a condition of his or her service that they have a role and a say in such matters as tonight’s public hearing. Moreover, and city that took boards and commissions seriously would not have set up the cable commission in such a figurehead fashion. This identifies one of the largest, unheralded structural problems for the city: it has an ineffectual, nearly useless set of such public bodies. Conversely, strong cities and towns, you can be sure, are that way because of stellar service from its board members.
I would worry about big corporations.
Yeah, let’s worry about the ones who give people jobs.
No corporations no unions
Matt enough. Just stop already
This commission was made up of know nothing blowhards. I’d like to know which of them actually have cable or do they have dish or direct? Did the buffoon mayor even check to see if they were negotiating for a service that they don’t even have.
Also I wonder if this commission had anyone with a modest or fixed income on it????
Ya know, this sorta fits the conclusion of my post above, but on the local level, not state or federal; career politicians! Look at the way Pittsfield is run vs. the “closer to the public” smaller local towns. Stockbridge and Great Barrington come to mind because those are two with which I am familiar. In Pittsfield, politicians seem to be, well, politicians mostly. Boards are set up often as honorariums to increase the prestige of appointees and have little real authority. The smaller towns mostly cobble together governance with professional, compensated, non-elected officials who report to an elected board comprised of regular people with mostly real jobs. The appointed boards have real authority mostly and usually get stuff done…again, not always. I am not saying any of these are perfectly run, but when I call a representative or board member, my call is answered or returned and I feel I am heard. It’s a ton of work to be on most boards, elected or appointed, but it needs to be done as service, not as a career move.
No problems Moll. But you don’t wait until it hits you in the face and you don’t put Lo on Any commission, that’s why we call him Lo.
Gaetani does rule.
Trump doesn’t look Presidential, he looks like a floral park mobster, and now he sounds like trish, with that stupid whisper voice.
Be respectful of YOUR President
He says the Economeeee is great, well, wait until that OVERSEAS money flows in? When???? You have a humongous debt, you fruitcake.
YOUR President is making America great again!
Describe Agreat America,anti public schools,anti EPA,Anti union,anti blue collar
Buffoon alert^^^^^^
Hey, Pittsfield, it’s Public Hearing Day – Spectrum will be on site to hear your comments about their performance in the City Of Pittsfield over the past several years. If you are able to share your thoughts, we encourage you to attend – if you can’t make it, PCTV will be there to cover the hearing for air on our three channels. 1301, 1302 and 1303….Coverage starts at 6:00.
Let’s hope Gaetani shows up,latey
he is the go to guy to get thins done.
And Spectrum will instantly forget the concerns and immediately ignore them.
I usually agree with you mr Dean,but not on this one, and i’m not Gaetani.Gaetani has possibly helped me to stay in my home, we’re talking 400 dollars a quarter for sewer increase. I don’t see anyone other than the Planet and the four City Councilors doing anything concrete, to help all of us with a different approach, do you?
Another thing he has stated, it’s one thing to pay insurance to our employees which I believe is great for them at our expense, but can the average tax payer expect to give them such a great deal, when that same taxpayer has his/her own insurance to deal with, and is way inferior????
Dow down, way down. trump is Doomed.
You need ex-lax
You really aren’t that smart
Well, when it’s up p,Rump touts and spouts, just sayin.
As that what Freud would suscribe? Lol
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Political retreads? With the exception of Morandi I would call them political retards.
Kinnas making good points but Tyer cut him off.
It’s great that so many people went to the cable TV hearing and spoke out. I just wish they had as much concern for the other screwings that we endure in this city.
Ohter screwings, many others,many? Imagine the Seinfeld Parents at a w
Terry was shut down by the Mayor,seen that, the Seinfeld mom lookalike spoke longer. Pete White was ignored by the Mayor when introducing the dignitaries.
Terry was shut down by the mayor because he pointed out that it was up to the mayors office to make sure Spectrum is adhering to the terms of their contract. Great point super citizen Kinnas! You rock!
She thinks it’s up to her to be vibrant and dynamic.
Sorry, my fingers haven’t been the same since PCTV has moved the channels up.I’m typing with a pen.
Speaking of robbing people, Bonnie and Clyde are on channel 58.
Stormy Daniels for U.S. President in 2020! She will tell people the truth about Donald Trump! I hope Stormy picks Monica Lewinsky as her running mate. Stormy & Monica 4 Prez in 2020!
I’m voting Andy Nuciforo next Congressional Election, before our Nation goes to Pot.
He is indeed a pot hole
Enough matt. You’re busted again
Skipper, how did you figure out who I am?
Matt, its not hard.
Skippy, can you give me a call? I’m at Avogadro’s number.
Really, you think i dont know what that is matt. Busted
Admit Skip. You just Googled it.
Nope Matt. You are wrong again. Why did you stalk others on disqus?
Not me Skippy.
I’d like to know what really happened to that little girl years ago on Plunkett Street. Has the Planet ever thought of putting on his Sherlock Cap? for old times sake?
Yes, we have thought about it.
She thinks it’s up to her to be vibrant and dynamic.
Did she fulfill that mission tonight?
Great turnout of senior citizens. The mayor got a good view of the people she is taxing out of their homes. Does she give a crap? I believe it is hard to think much about the lesser fortunate when your wine glass is full and bubbly and the la ti da crowd is swooning at your feet. Senior what? Elderly what? Don’t be bothering me right now as I have to find something to spend more money on.
Drop Spectrum. They are not interested in your business.
Everyone that spoke was older or disabled, ironically,Terry was disabled from speaking by the Mayor.
It sounds like a very angry group of at least 200 people showed up to complain to Spectrum representatives. Good for them!! Now let’s see if anything happens and Spectrum got the message. Lower your outrageous prices way down and stop making everything so difficult for your customers.
Yeah, have a Berkshire Rate, pay for it with Berkshire Bucks. Seinfelds Mom says she’s moving back to Boston….because of this?
Maybe Spectical needs a T I F.
A couple City resident’s trying, and only to be shut down, one with the water and now activist-Super Citizen Terry at the Cable Meeting. Gaetani can take care of himself, but when Terry gets up there, it’s like the Mayor or Schools try to shut him down. Do we have to have a Planet Special on PCTV or maybe an on-line get together with Super Citizen.
Nice to see everyone standing up to Spectrum. It’s good to vent. However, absolutely nothing will change.
Oh it’s going to change alright. But not in a good way.
Guarantee bills will increase no less than every 6 months. Cable companies are like banks and they can FEE you to death. And they will. One guy said that they are now charging $5 if you pay your bill by phone. I get charged for a “sports package” and all I have is ESPN. If they can find a way to charge you for the snacks you eat while watching their shows they will. Guarantee you that in some Spectrum basement office there is a guy brainstorming that very possibility.
Do politicians get kickbacks for turning a blind eye to the robbery? I dunno….but…
In regards to last night’s Spectrum meeting, Helen “Cookie: Moon was there walking around with a mason jar (mentioned before on this blog) filled with what looked like Wheat Germ or some other type of tasteless, new age dietary supplement. What is it about her, that she constantly has to ingest food in public? Some apologist here suggested that she could be a diabetic. The public hearing was at 6-She’s eating. The council meeting is at 7-She’s eating. You mean she can’t plan her sugar intake around her public schedule. Maybe I’m too old, but it just seems rude to me.
Les’t we forget-without the Wiz it would cost 2000 more to wipe our ass. Let’s hope, the Quarterback throws a long pass, to save us another two thousand fast-so that we can be at last be able to cast a vote to defer the seven idiocrats. good job Wiz.
Gaetan I has em on the ropes, the unforgiven seven won’t be able to get away from that incredible increase that could have happened.
Trump is thanking Putin on his killer election Victory.
Sarah (Elvira) Sanders W H P S is a paid informant.
Very sexist, uniformed and FAKE NEWS
Really, so what you’re saying is Trump hasn’t done anything as President other than cowtowing to Russia and Putin, that is ridiculous. There are several things he has done, he’s fired about twenty five people surroundinghim,he gave the richest in the world huge tax breaks ( that’s the big one) and it will be a colossal failure with the deficit ballooning to unreachable correction.
He still doesn’t have a wall and Mexico won’t pay for it,he is undermining The Constitution daily, people are dying In the streets and attacked at it’s highest toll ever,his son in law is a thief and he has screwed a Porn Star and has said he never paid her to keep silent, is that Presidential? he grabs woman by the Private parts and has a contigency of woman coming forward with sexual abuse complaints.
Even Steven Speilberg could not have created a nightmare so scary as the one Donald Trump is making us live through right now.
Stop speaking badly about YOUR President who is making America great again
Have you learned to speak Russian yet Mr Dean? It may come in handy.
Dusty you are FAKE NEWS
не быть мудаком
Simon – aka Matt – you are fake news
I think the record is stuck again.
I don’t fault Trump for firing 25 people…they needed to go. He made a big mistake with Bannon, but the others are part of draining the swamp which is what Trump voters like myself expected him to do. In case people haven’t figured it out yet, the politicians in this country, often in both parties, are not that great. Many are just in the gig for the perks and salaries. Many are evil and seeking to spread big government so Americans are enslaved to all of these no good politicians. Go Trump in that regard!!
I want the deficit to go down also and do want lower spending, but our nationwide infrastructure is falling apart so we do need to spend money and we DO NEED A WALL. All the drugs that so many Americans are dying from everyday are coming from the areas where we need a wall.
All of these women coming forward against Trump, I don’t buy it because they could have come forward before he was elected. We know that many of these women were paid to lie by Democrats. When have Democrats let poor treatment of women keep politicians out of the White House? Democrats were ready to put the BIGGEST Womanizer of all back in the White House to co-president with Hillary. This after he had been accused of lying under oath and so many women came forward saying he had raped him. Yet Bill and HIll are superstars to so many on the left even to this day. Hollywood loves them and Hillary is always given little skits to do on award shows to make fun of Trump. I can’t handle the hypocrisy!!!!
The way you can defend anything this guy does makes me think he has something on you…just like he has on McConnell and Paul Ryan. Have you been bad Pat?
Dusty stop watching MSNBC and CNN. You are being brain washed with their nonsense. Trump is not a perfect man, but he is not the evil dictator that Mika and Joe, Rachel Maddow and all the other idiots are portraying him to be.
Pat, just curious are you a buxsom women, dusty might be on to something.
Trump probably has a contract with , she must stay with him through the Presidency. This guy’s a real creep.
Not nice to spread FAKE NEWS about YOUR President
Make G E great again!
My President sucks bad.
Trump is a big fat pig and Stormy has the photos.
Yet Democrats are crying to this day that the biggest pig of all when it comes to women didn’t make it into the White House to co-president with Hillary, his co-dependent enabling wife. Yes Bill was accused of lying all over the place when it comes to women and many accused him of raping them, but he and Hillary are still superstars to the left in Hollywood and here in Berkshire County and across the nation. Bill’s popularity remains high with the Hollywood crowd who are always gushing to get photo ops with him especially the young nubile women. Hillary gets to read jokes putting down Trump on Hollywood award shows when her OWN HUSBAND is a SERIAL WOMANIZER.
Had Hill and Bill made it into the White House as the left wanted them to be, all the ugliness would have been swept under the rug. No ugly name calling because as School Committee will no doubt tell me……stop talking about Hillary since she wasn’t elected. THAT’S JUST THE POINT. You folks on the left WANTED her elected even knowing the history of her and her husband. The liberal media would be in high gear covering up anything bad about Hill and Bill if she was elected just as they did throughout the presidential campaign.
We also know that many on the left paid to have women lie about Trump and many refused. Now since the Russia collusion is not coming to anything, the left is turning to bring Trump down with that old standby of sexual accusations which MSNBC and especially Mika and Joe were running wild with this morning. They are just plain nasty people.
I heard that Bill Clinton broke up Don Jrs marriage. Oh my Pat. Oh my it must be true.
Are you a nubile woman Pat?
Why is Dick Linsey still writing for the Eagle? Compare his cable TV piece with that of Iberkshires. There is so much more content in the Iberkshires story than the Eagle had. It’s not the first time and probably will not be the last.
Once Trump is no longer president, the media has a huge problem. The media no longer has any credibility for so many people. The media is not to be trusted or believed due to serious bias issues. The media in this country is in a death spiral.
President Trump there is stuff going on in the Country.