While I also suffer with other local Bronco fans over the inability to watch live games because we are required by the Nielsen company to watch TV network stations on their Albuquerque affiliates, I also would like to get Colorado news coverage. Unfortunately, we are also prevented from watching Colorado public television.
Public television is supported by donations from its listeners and not by commercial advertisements. Nielsen is a holding company whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Although Nielsen has no duty to serve the public, the FCC uses Nielsen’s geographic advertising viewer areas.
Since we live in Colorado, we should be allowed to watch Colorado public television, especially since it is not supported by commercial advertisements. I have tried to get DirecTV to switch our public television station from New Mexico’s public television stations to Colorado, but it will not do so because of “our ZIP code.” Colorado Public Television is not only available in Denver, it is also available In Grand Junction (western Colorado) and Pueblo (southern Colorado).
The First Amendment not only applies to those who wish to express their views, but it protects the right of citizens to choose what “speech” they want to hear. Most importantly, this means that we, residents of Southwest Colorado, should be able to choose to watch public television for our own state.
We are being deprived of our constitutional right by two private companies, Nielsen and DirecTV, as well as our federal government, which has abrogated its constitutional obligations to private companies.
Robert Dawes
Durango
