More local HD channels have been added for DISH Network subscribers in 14 local markets in the U.S. New satellite launches have expanded programming capacity for the company and were probably instrumental in DISH’s ability to offer these new local HD channels.

The fourteen new markets which have new HD channels are: Augusta, GA.; Davenport, IA; Evansville, IN.; Monroe, LA.; Paducah, KY.; Rochester, MN.; San Angelo, TX; Shreveport, LA.; Wichita, KS. and Wilmington, NC.

The remaining new channels are scheduled to be launched on August 18th, when DISH Network will launch local HD programming in Bangor, ME; Macon, GA.; Rochester, NY.; and Traverse City, MI.

Dave Shull, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network had this to say regarding the new channels: “DISH Network is proud to offer the most HD local coverage in America. We continue to expand our local HD channel service because we know how important it is to our customers to watch sports, movies and their favorite primetime shows in high definition.”

DISH Network offers local HD programming in 170 markets, accounting for 96% of U.S. households.

A number of DISH Network packages are available for every budget and include free installation.

According to BroadcastEngineering.com, DISH Network is now providing local coverage in all U.S. television markets. This is good news for many of the markets that had not previously been offered access to their local stations via satellite.

A statement by DISH CEO Charlie Ergen makes it clear that this was a goal that the company had its sites set on for some time.

“While our nearest competitor offers local channels in only 75 percent of local markets, DISH Network is committed to offering consumers in all markets — particularly those living in smaller and rural communities — a full complement of satellite TV services,” Ergen said.

The expansion of local offerings was made possible by a new satellite that was placed in service by the company, and also the passage of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010.

Previous to the passage of the new law, there were certain restrictions on where satellite broadcasters were permitted to make access to local channels available to subscribers.

This is a pretty good leg up for DISH over their competition. Recent advertising campaigns have revealed the intense competition among pay-TV providers for superiority in delivering high definition programming. Lately it seems to be all about HD, but with this new development, DISH has another benefit to highlight in order to attract new customers.

DISH Network’s recent expansion of local channels to 210 markets in the U.S. caught the attention of the National Association of Broadcasters. The NAB has been trying to expand the availability of local programming for as many viewers as possible.

The recent launch of a new satellite along with the passage of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010, the company was able to substantially increase the number of local channels available to subscribers.

NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton said: “For more than a decade, NAB has worked for expansion of local-into-local television service in all 210 TV markets across America. Local TV broadcasters provide both the highest-rated entertainment programming as well as local news reports that can be lifesaving in times of crisis. By offering each of their customers access to local TV stations, Dish Network enhances localism and preserves the enduring values of broadcast television.”

There are surely a great many DISH Network subscribers who have recently been given access to their local television channels after year of difficulty receiving programming in their local markets.

Soon after passage of the new Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010, DISH Network announced plans to add local channels in 29 additional markets on June 3rd.

The move will set DISH Network apart as the only pay-TV provider to offer local channels in every one of the 210 local broadcast markets in the United States. The company is clearly working to keep its role as the nation’s fastest-growing pay-TV provider in America.

The news should be a welcome development especially for smaller rural markets that do not currently have access to their local broadcast television channels via a reliable pay-TV provider.

DISH Network President, Chairman and CEO of DISH Network released the following statement: “We are proud to announce that every American will soon have access to their local channels from DISH Network. While our nearest competitor offers local channels in only 75 percent of local markets, DISH Network is committed to offering consumers in all markets – particularly those living in smaller and rural communities – a full complement of satellite TV services. All Americans, regardless of where they live, deserve access to key in-state news, sports, weather and other programming.”

Local markets DISH will be bringing local channels to include: Alpena, MI; Biloxi, MS; Binghamton, NY; Bluefield, WV; Bowling Green, KY; Columbus, GA; Elmira, NY; Eureka, CA; Glendive, MT; Greenwood, MS; Harrisonburg, VA; Hattiesburg, MS; Jackson, TN; Jonesboro, AR; Lafayette, IN; Lake Charles, LA; Mankato, MN; North Platte, NE; Ottumwa, IA; Parkersburg, WV; Presque Isle, ME; Salisbury, MD; Springfield, MA; St. Joseph, MO; Utica, NY; Victoria, TX; Watertown, NY; Wheeling, WV; and Zanesville, OH.

As the nation’s second-largest satellite TV provider, DISH Network has show itself to be very aggressive with its marketing, technology and programming recently and seems to be pushing to take the lead from rival DirecTV. If DISH continues with improvements and innovations at this rate, I would not be surprised to see DirecTV fall to second place.

The recent passage of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 by Congress was welcomed by DISH Network. The company indicates that the passage of the measure clears the way for the company to become “the first pay-TV provider to make local broadcast stations available in every television market in the United States.”

Currently, DISH Network offers local programming in most U.S. markets and they would clearly like to be in the lead when it comes to making the most local channels available.

With that announcement and an aggressive advertising campaign in recent months, DISH appears to be ramping up their efforts to attract new customers. With a total of around 14.3 million subscribers, DISH Network is the nation’s second largest satellite television provider.

It appears that the company has their eyes on that coveted number one spot that is currently occupied by DirecTV. DISH Network appears willing to make the investment in new channels and technology that will give them a shot at earning that position.

There are some mighty unhappy DirecTV customers in Adams County, Wisconsin, and it’s not even DirecTV’s fault! The satellite provider is being forced to discontinue local programming from the Madison area in favor of local programming from the Wausau/Rhinelander  area.

Who would do such a thing? Not surprisingly, it’s the feds. Sticking their noses in where they don’t belong as usual. Seems that Congress  passed a law back in 2004 which mandated the local programming that satellite broadcasters could provide to all of the counties in the country and left it up to Nielsen Media Research to figure out which local channels each county should be allowed to receive.

For whatever reason, now is the time that DirecTV is being forced to act in Adams County and a lot of the residents do not agree with Nielsen’s conclusion. It appears that Adams County lies pretty close to being in between Madison and Wausau, but I don’t live in Wisconsin and don’t pretend to know what’s best for viewers in Adams County.

It’s not as if these subscribers are asking to receive local channels from Los Angeles or something, so why should they not be able to choose which market they want to receive local channels from? It appears that they are local to both market.

I presume the government, in their infinite wisdom, had the answer. I just don’t expect it to make much sense.

For more details, see WiscNews.

DISH Network customers in six different TV markets can now enjoy more local HD programming as a result of the company’s efforts to expand it’s HD offerings and compete with rival DirecTV and the cable television industry.

Here is a breakdown of the new channels recently added and the markets they were added to:

WTVC (ABC) Ch. 9 in Chattanooga, TN; WBNS (CBS) Ch. 10 in Columbus, OH; WICU (NBC) Ch. 12 in Erie, PA; WWMT (CBS) Ch. 3 in Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI; WTHR (NBC) Ch. 13 in Indianapolis, IN; and WPEC (CBS) Ch. 12 in West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL.

Subscribers who live in those areas and already have an HD-capable receiver or DVR and subscribe to HD programming will receive the new programming at no additional cost.

These new additions bring DISH Network’s local HD offerings to 152 markets nationwide.

Here’s a quick rundown of DISH Network’s current package deals. Keep in mind, these deals may expire or be changed at any time.

DISH Family: This package is a great choice for  "family-friendly" programming. Featuring more than 55 channels of sports, news, children’s programming and more. This package is currently being offered for $24.99 per month.

Classic Bronze 100: This very reasonable-priced package has something for every member of the family. This package offers the best in entertainment, sports, news and children’s programming and includes local programming. All for $24.99 a month.

Classic Bronze 100+: This package includes everything from the Classic Bronze 100 package above but adds your local sports channels to the deal as well. A decent bargain at $29.99 per month.

Classic Silver 200: The is one of DISH Network’s most popular package deals. This one features in excess of  220 channels of the best entertainment you can find, including all the programming content from the Classic Bronze 100 package plus a variety of great channels like Bravo, MSNBC, SPEED, Animal Planet and a lot more. This one is just $37.99 per month.

Classic Gold 250: This is the plan I personally have right now and it has just about everything I want. You get more than 250 channels, including SIRIUS music. I had the Classic Silver 200 package for quite a while, but got sick of hearing other people tell me about programs on other channels like National Geographic, The Military Channel and Fox Reality Channel that I did not have, so I upgraded. This plan is listed for $62.99 right now. I also have an HD DVR, 80 or so HD channels, an extra receiver for my son’s room as well as my local channels and I currently pay about $82 a month. Compare that to the $75 a month I am paying Comcast just for high-speed internet alone!

America’s Everything Pak: This is the top-of-the-line package and includes all the programming that the  Classic Gold 250 offers and also includes HBO, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax and NBA TV. The current price for this package is $102.98.

HD channels can be added to each package for $10 more per month and the number of HD channels varies depending on the package.

To get all the information and details on these packages, head on over to the DISH Network website.

With the switch to digital TV, it seems that the ability to get local channels from your cable or satellite TV provider is more important than ever. Obviously, not everyone’s experience with digital TV compares with mine, but so far, I have found digital TV to be a bit less wonderful than all those commercials leading up to the switch-over indicated.

The main problem I have with DTV is its sporadic reliability where I live. One day I will get a beautiful clear picture and strong signal and the next day I may not be able to watch it at all due to poor signal strength. I don’t know if this is because digital television is more susceptible to interference from atmospheric or weather conditions, but that seems like a possibility.

Thankfully, DISH Network has been adding some new local channels recently, which should be quite helpful for DISH customers who have not had good luck with DTV.

The satellite broadcaster has recently added local channels in the following markets: South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana; Lima, OH; Columbus/Tupelo, MS; Springfield, MO and Alexandria, LA.

Reports indicate that the addition of these new stations mean that DISH Network is offering channels in 97% of the nation’s local markets.

Viewers in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area will finally have the option of receiving local ABC affiliate WQOW via DISH Network when the station is added to the local programming package for that area. This will be a nice plus for people who want to switch from cable to satellite or are having problems receiving the new digital TV signals.

Here in New Hampshire, I sometimes have problems receiving the digital TV signals from Boston despite a good roof-top TV antenna and a nice elevated location which gives us pretty decent reception from the Boston area most of the time. However, I am noticing that digital TV seems to be susceptible to weather-related problems.

Just this morning I was watching the Fox station out of Boston and lost my signal for a short time. I know there is some inclement weather in the area, so my best guess is that the problems I experienced were weather-related.

Fortunately, we have the local channel programming package for the Boston area as part of our DISH Network service, so we are able to watch the local stations (including the ABC affiliate in Manchester, NH) off the satellite, which works out nicely.

For those of you waiting to see WQOW on DISH Network, word is that the station is scheduled to be added no later than October 1st.