said by oliphant :

but I did like how Ergen was a bit of a scrapper when it came to programming negotiations. He wouldn't hesitate too much to pull programming off the air if the price wasn't right which helped keep their prices lower that everyone else.

That said I don't want a merger. Competition is a good thing and both E* and D* have their good and bad points and from the looks of it both are doing pretty well. For many people in the boonies these are the only two competitors they have and a merger would bring nothing new for consumers but the possibility of higher prices.

Speculation has risen in the last week that the two satcasters will merge. But some analysts have expressed doubt, noting that the federal government rejected a similar merger in 2002 on grounds that it would stifle competition.

However, Murdoch says the marketplace has changed, leaving consumers with a variety of video choices.

"There are so many alternatives, ways of getting pictures and information," Murdoch said last week on The Charlie Rose Show. "I think it would be much harder for the government to turn it down."