Dave Smith wrote:

> I can subscribe to individual channels on my satellite. I have to
> subscribe to the basic networks, but the specialty channels can be
> bought individually or I can get them in bundles. They keep shifting
> the bundles around. You subscribe to one bundle to get a particular
> channel and then find that it has been moved to a different one. If
> there are two good channels in a bundle with 8 others, they will add
> something and then split the bundle into two, putting one of the good
> channels in one bundle and the other in the second bundle. That was
> what they did when they started carrying Fox. The old bundle had 11
> news stations. They split them into two bundles of six.

The cable/sattellite companies awre masters of the bundle. Our cable
company, Metgrocast, is upgrading the entire system to fiberoptics. In a
few weeks we get new rates and new bundles. I have HD, but if I want the
History Channela nd National Geographic in HD, they are part of a $5 bundle
over the already $$$ HD package. If I want HD Net, that comes in another $5
bundle with stiff I don't want.

Just as bad is XM radio. I just got a new car with XM and a three month
free trial. I can get music only for $10 or I can get talk and news for $10
or both for $13 or so., even more for $17. How much can a person listen to?
I still have time to decide, but I'm probably going for the mostly music.