So I ask my sister in-law why she watches Faux News

[spinbaby]

Nice woman, lives in rural Tennessee, is always telling me some crap she heard on Fox...

Anyway, I asked her why she watches that crap and found that Fox is virtually the only news source she or anyone else in the area has. She lives in an area that's both poor and that has no cable TV--satellite is the only option if you want to watch any TV beyond two fuzzy broadcast stations. She, like her neighbors, subscribes to Dish Network's basic family package because it's the cheapest satellite option available at $20 a month. The "family" package offers a limited range of wholesome programming and includes as its "news" channels only Fox, Headline News, and two of the Cspans. So she watches Fox.

I think I'm going to buy her an upgrade for Christmas.

[NoSheep]

1. We should contact Dish Network and complain!

[electropop]

2. Is Headline News so horrible she won't watch it?

I mean, it's still pretty right wing, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch. At least a little reality slips in occasionally on HN.

[SoCalDem]

3. Switch her to Dish.. Their cheapest has FSTV & Link and NO Fox

http://www.dishnetwork.cn/basic.php?PHPSESSID=e4e7aa95d143132f967b97d07cf2f0d3

[spinbaby]

5. Er...that's the Canadian Dish Network

Down here, it's Fox.

[SoCalDem]

7. I am not in Canada.. It's the comapny we use for Dish

It's the basic package for $19.99 a month .. did you click the link????

[spinbaby]

11. Yes, it's Canadian

The one my SIL uses is http://www.dishnetwork.com/

[datadiva]

4. Dish just recently added this family package

One step up is only about $9.00 a month. I think they did it because of all the right wingers complaining about the adult programming on dish. I think they should have added another "news" channel.

[spinbaby]

8. It seems to be hugely popular in her area

They love that it's "wholesome" and cheap. SIL doesn't even pay the extra $5.00 for adding broadcast channels to her package. Too expensive.

[Raydawg1234]

6. TV, What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.

How about buying her a computer and broadband internet access.

[noonwitch]

9. I watch it sometimes to see what the other side is saying

One of my cousins gave me a hard time about it. I told her that I wasn't in the nielson rating thing, so what did it matter?

I didn't realize that Comcast keeps track of what you watch, or at least that's what she told me. I still watch occasionally so that I can be informed-not about the "truth", but about what others are saying. The same reason I surf freerepublic sometimes, although, I must say that I have done that enough to have a soft spot in my heart for some of them-they remind me of my grandpa. I also like the Viking Kitties-it's clever and funny.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. What would you upgrade her to?

Some other corporate propaganda?

[spinbaby]

13. MSNBC, network TV

Almost anything would be an improvement.

[kath]

12. Presumably she can watch network news (from her local network stations)

on Dish, no?

Still corporate media, but not as biased as Faux.

[spinbaby]

15. Nope

Costs $5.00 extra. She won't pay it.

[Clark2008]

14. I've been trying to point that out for months on this board.

I live in Tennessee - all-be-in in a larger town - but many rural voters don't get an news beyond Faux and/or the Reich-wing offerings on talk radio. There is NO left-wing or even moderate-wing talk radio for rural people.

No wonder they vote for Shrub in spades. They don't hear the good about anyone else.

So when I hear people say, "Fuck the South," or curse us because a little less than half voted for the Democrat, they need to take into consideration what passes for "news" down here. Dems really need to work harder to get their message to rural voters.

[AndyTiedye]

16. How Do We Do That?

How do we reach these people?

It's not that we're so eager to write off the South,
but nobody has been able to answer that question.

[spinbaby]

17. We'd have to get media in there

I think my SIL is fairly typical--very limited TV, no newspaper, no Internet, some radio while driving. I'm always surprised at how cut off she is from current events.

[redaestcyr]

18. WE DO NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE RULE COMMUNITIES

I agree with that because as a black female, I recently retired from the US Postal Service as Postmaster of a rule community in California that got nothing but right wing stations, which they really had little choice but to go with what they knew.

Many were elder white Americans and did not venture out side of the community, needless to say they did not take kindly to me as the new Postmaster of that community that was in bad need of a new post office they were unable to get the feds to buy into, until a little black female came to the community and gave them the brand new office they had been fighting eight years to get, I broke ground on the new site about eighteen months after I was sworn in.

I could do not wrong after I presented them the new office, I had captured the heart of most of them, but there was a few that even though they were outnumbered would never accept me no matter what I did.

In spite of there reception of me, they were still right wingers, but the good thing was I was always able to tease them about it and tell them I would change the mind set and even after I retired I promise them I would be back to visit the local pubs and remind them of all the problems with Bush they would be sorry for voting for him because he was as bad for them as he is for people that look like me.

And come Nov. when we really start working on his lying Ass, along with all of the leadership of the republican party, I will be back to claim the prize.


Reda StCyr