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Going ‘over the air’ sees locals dumping cable

Streaming, broadcast take a bite out of big bills

Posted 11/3/22

Valley residents — particularly seniors — are the latest group joining legions of television watchers who are “cutting the cord” from cable.

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Subscriber Exclusive

Going ‘over the air’ sees locals dumping cable

Streaming, broadcast take a bite out of big bills

Posted

Valley residents — particularly seniors — are the latest group joining legions of television watchers who are “cutting the cord” from cable.

That has meant a move to streaming services as consumers are opting to keep some services, with options like YouTubeTV, Sling and others, or going for services such as Netflix or Hulu, which can offer a mix of entertainment.

Residents in Sun City West use various platforms for television entertainment. Some choose to bundle. That includes Internet service, land lines and cable television. Richard Bookie, Sun City West resident, said he uses T-Mobile for his 5G Internet service with FUBO TV, which is a streaming service that primarily focuses on channels that distribute live sports, as well as news and network television shows. He posted to the Sun City West Independent Facebook page, adding this service is far better and cheaper than cable. And encouraged other residents to cut the cord.

Another Sun City West residents, Serena McClellan McNally, moved to Sun City West and subscribed to Hulu-live and loves it, in addition to WiFi service through Cox.

Those local residents are not alone in ditching cable. A report released in 2021 by Digital TV Research found pay-TV subscriptions dropped by 6 million between 2019 and 2021 and that it is estimated there will be 72.8 million homes without a cable subscription by 2027.

Moving to streaming comes with it’s own challenges. First is having a good enough Internet connection to get shows consumers want. Costs for those in the Valley can run anywhere between $50 and $150 per month, depending on the service.

Residents can choose to not embrace streaming and go old-school with a digital antenna. The Valley has 12 “over the air” channels that broadcast local coverage of NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, PBS and more, and each of those channels has a set of subchannels that offer more programing.

To get those, you need an antenna. That’s where a company like Chandler’s Channel Master comes in.

Channel Master sells over-the-air broadcast entertainment products, such as TV antennas, over-the-air DVRs and TV antenna mounting equipment.

The company manufactures its products and sells directly to customers. Antennas range from $69 to $249, according to its website. Channel Master was first established in 1949 and many Valley residents still recognize the brand, said Coty Youtsey, the company’s owner and CEO.

The company’s customers typically are age 55 to 64, he said.

“The older demographic is more familiar with the Channel Master brand and TV antennas, in general,” Youtsey said. “They are closer to our brand as many of them have memories of having a Channel Master and TV antennas in their home. The younger demographic is not as familiar and needs to be educated more.”

But old-school TV antennas — traditionally mounted on rooftops — can do a lot of good in this digital age.

Both indoor and outdoor antennas can slash monthly television costs over the long-term. A TV antenna gets residents free live high-definition channels such as ABC, CBS, Fox and PBS among others. Those channels — which used to come through via rabbit ears — are now part of television packages that often are an additional charge to the consumer. For instance, Dish Network charges around $12 per month for the local Phoenix or Tucson channels.

“(With the) antenna, there is no monthly bill,” said Corey Brown, co-owner of A2Z Electronic Wizards. “It’s a better price than Cox or satellite companies will give (customers).”

About 70% to 80% of the business at Electronic Wizards is from the purchase of antennas — those who want to cut costs, he said.

The company buys from distributors based on the frequencies used in the Phoenix market, according to Brown.

For Valley residents, the antennas should be in range, Brown said 95% of the population of the Phoenix metro area lives within 35 miles of the broadcast towers on South Mountain.

An HDTV antenna starts at $349 that comes with 80 to 100 free channels with labor included.  

“(Our customers) don’t want to deal with the (cable) company or (want) to cut costs,” Brown said.

The Surprise business has been a mainstay in the area. Brown said he remembers helping his father, Keith, when he was 9 or 10 years old. Two years ago, he became the company’s co-owner, he said.

The company brings decades of expertise — having been in business since 1993.

“(We are) a one-stop shop,” Brown said.

At Channel Master, officials look to untangle customers from their cable bill.

“It’s a one and done set-up,” Youtsey said. “There’s no one else that makes the product and sells it to the consumer online.”

Ages 65 and older rank fourth is terms of age demographic for the Chandler company.

Channel Master President Joe Bingochea said most seniors like accessing local broadcast TV for free.

“They find this perfect for them,” he said.