RANT 'N' RAVE
Sky's the limit
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Illustration by Dot |
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Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
I do.
Six months ago, in a burst of uncharacteristic free-spending, I splashed out on a
SkyPerfecTV system. As an Englishman, I was already familiar with Rupert Murdoch's
all-embracing empire (he also owns Fox, the New York Post, the Times, Sun
and News of the World in the UK, book publisher HarperCollins and a host of
Australian papers, so the chances are you're heard of him too) and had a good idea of what
to expect. The pamphlet that came with my equipment promised me a wealth of untold
televised riches, including the chance to see live Premier League soccer from England and
a bunch of classic TV series such as Star Trek and Hill Street Blues.
But the real clincher was Sky News.
Unashamedly UK-based and tabloid in format, Sky News offered a unique chance to
see stories making the headlines at home that don't get picked up in Japan. It gave me
sports and celebrity gossip, news on UK films and TV, plus the chance to see Tony Blair's
rictus-like grin about five times a day. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it is to
mine. For the last six months, I have eulogized Sky to anybody and everybody who's listen.
But all that changed with a letter I received last week.
The letter (no return address) informed me that from April 1, Sky News is going to be
removed from the SkyPerfecTV system. The letter apologized for any “inconvenience"
not going to take it lying down.
Of course, I realize that satellite broadcasters have the right to change their programs
as they see fit, but don't consumers also have the right to make an informed choice based
on what they believe they are getting for their money? If I had known when I bought my
dish that this was going to happen, I might not have bothered.
Neither am I naive enough to believe that I can change the mind of Mr Murdoch's mighty
minions. But if the alternative is to smile sweetly and let them ride roughshod over me
and my fellow subscribers, then I'm going to have a bloody good try. By the way, a phone
call of complaint to Sky's service center (03-5500-3488 - why not give them a call?)
revealed that the service was being withdrawn due to financial problems. I suspect that Mr
Murdoch's definition of financial problems differs significantly from my own.
If I am alone in feeling so strongly about this, then I'll have no choice but to buckle
under. But if anyone reading this is prepared to put their name to a petition, or feels
even half as strongly about it as I do, then please send an email to: saveskynews@yahoo.com
After all, your favorite channel could be next on the hit list.
Many thanks to contributor Nigel Kendall for this Rant.
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