Talkback

It is about time [for a la carte sales of cable channels]. I will enjoy watching worthless channels that few people watch disappear. No longer will the masses fund worthless and destructive channels like MTV, VH1 and Logo. In the end, a la carte programming will be a win-win for consumers and the networks. Consumers will get what they pay for — which is as it should be. Providers can fine tune their price schedule to reflect actual supply and demand — which will result in clear market sense and more efficient use of valuable bandwidth.

Jim Kelly, Ave Maria, Fla.

Obviously neither [Chris] Matthews nor [Keith] Olbermann work in the MSNBC PR department. But it is curious that, hours after admitting the error [that ratings for coverage of Tim Russert’s death were counted as part of the June ratings for Hardball With Chris Matthews], the inaccurate news release remains up on the NBCU media Web site.

Fred Farrar, Los Angeles

Once again, it is the poor getting screwed, blued, and tattooed! If you can’t afford a digital TV or cable, you might as well turn your TV into a planter because these damn converter boxes don’t work … I got my box and hooked it up. First I get about half of the stations I get with analog. And, the stations I do get, only work part of the time. The rest of the time they pixellate and freeze up or simply say, “no signal.” It’s all bull!

Alan Vandever, Indiana

The problem [with Verizon FiOS’s 50-Mbps data service] is pricing. As with most new things, the price should get cheaper later on, but $140 per month is too much for right now. Some will still get it, especially businesses. … However with more services like Netflix offering streaming video instead of mailing DVDs, there’s going to be more and more demand for faster speeds and companies hoping to stay competitive need to keep up.

Bill Taylor, Santa Barbara, Calif.