Posted by mo on May 13, 2009 at 10:17:12:
In Reply to: Charter sues DirecTV over ads on bankruptcy case posted by madcityradio.com on May 13, 2009 at 10:14:33:
DirecTV's ad campaign against Charter is a stroke of genius. I love the bill board and radio ads. Time to get Charter out of our market or at least have some good, solid competition in the cable field from a second carrier. After dealing with the piss-poor customer service and terrible reliability, we switched to DirecTV about 3 years ago and have never looked back.
: Charter sues DirecTV over ads on bankruptcy case
: Associated Press � 5/13/2009 8:04 am
: ST. LOUIS -- Madison area cable provider Charter Communications Inc. is suing DirecTV Group Inc. over advertisements that try to persuade subscribers to switch TV service by touting Charter's bankruptcy filing.
: Charter, which filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in March, charged satellite TV operator DirecTV with using "false and misleading" ads claiming that Charter couldn't provide the latest technology, add high-definition channels or offer new exclusive programming given its financial troubles.
: Charter said it has been able to do all that and expects to emerge from bankruptcy protection quickly.
: According the Charter, the ads have been running in print, radio, billboards and direct mailings to consumers in Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
: Charter filed the lawsuit late Monday in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, where the company has its headquarters.
: DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said the company has not seen the lawsuit and "we stand by the accuracy of our advertising."
: Charter sought bankruptcy protection to reorganize $21.7 billion in debt. It has never made a profit since going public in 1999 after piling up debt due to acquisitions.