DISH Network Corp. (DISH) Chairman Ergen: Unplugged

On the AutoHopper
What about DISH’s infamous AutoHopper, a device to remove commercials from DISH DVRs? The thought of it drove CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS) CEO Les Moonves to vent: “If they want to eliminate our commercials, we will not be in business with them — it’s pure and simple.”

Ergen’s take at the conference: “I don’t want to kill ads. I think advertising is great, and I’m very aware that there’s multiple revenue streams in television, subscription and advertising. But I also don’t want to put my head in the sand, and I think the world is changing.”

“If the broadcasters were to win [their various lawsuits aiming to get rid of the AutoHopper]on their claims, they’d outlaw the DVR,” he said.

DISH: It’s not a job; it’s an adventure
“It takes a lot of guts to work at this company,” Ergen said. “We’re a little bit like an Indiana Jones movie, where we’re always in trouble and we always get out of it. We’re going from alligators to arrows to snakes.”

Or going from just a pay-TV company to an everything-wireless company, if DISH and Charlie Ergen get their way.

The article DISH Chairman Ergen: Unplugged originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Dan Radovsky.

Fool contributor Dan Radovsky and The Motley Fool have no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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