Michael's Insight

Insight offering more than 100 HD channels in Evansville and Bowling Green

100 HD channels are now available in every district we operate! 

This spring, we launched our Digital 6.10 Upgrade in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky because it would allow us to offer more than 100 HD channels to area customers. 

Today, those efforts have been rewarded and all of the new HD channels – a collection of the most popular HD channels found anywhere - are now available.

And this is only just the beginning. 

In the coming weeks, we will be transitioning the remaining channels still available in analog to 100% digital in both the Evansville and Bowling Green markets. This will allow us offer more HD channels and even faster broadband speeds - faster than our already fastest 50 meg service.  

We're also rolling out our promotion, “100 Days of HD.” This is an interactive  game where customers can learn more about Insight's HD offerings. Also, the first time you play the game, you can enter for a chance to win a 22" or 42" HDTV, free HD/DVR service or a 10 Pack of free HD movies. Prizes will be awarded weekly over 100 days. For more information, please click here.

We’re thrilled to provide our customers with the most advanced and reliable services found anywhere in our service area. For your convenience, a full list of all the new HD channels (A subscription to programming packages or premium networks is required for access to some channels) and their channel placements that have been added to the Insight lineup is copied below:

Evansville

• 909 CNN Headline News HD
• 911 Univision HD
• 913 Cooking Channel (aka Fine Living) HD
• 914 DIY Network HD
• 917 Smithsonian HD
• 919 RedZone HD
• 921 Fox Soccer Channel HD
• 942 CMT HD
• 943 VH1 HD
• 944 MTV HD
• 948 Investigation Discovery HD
• 950 Encore HD
• 956 Fox Movie Channel HD
• 957 Turner Classic Movies HD
• 958 Starz Edge HD
• 959 Starz Kids & Family HD
• 960 HBO Family HD
• 961 HBO Signature HD
• 962 ActionMAX HD
• 963 The Movie Channel HD
• 964 Showtime Too HD
• 965 MoreMAX HD
• 966 MGM HD HD
• 967 BET HD
• 968 CBS College Sports HD
• 970 Outdoor Channel, The HD
• 971 VERSUS HD
• 973 Tennis Channel HD
• 975 G4 HD
• 977 BIO HD
• 978 Nickelodeon HD
• 980 Disney XD HD
• 986 Lifetime Movie Network HD
• 988 WE: Women's Entertainment HD
• 989 E! Entertainment HD
• 990 Style HD
• 992 BBC America HD
• 993 Planet Green HD
• 995 truTV HD

Bowling Green

• 909 CNN Headline News HD
• 911 Univision HD
• 914 Cooking Ch (FKA Fine Living) HD
• 915 DIY Network HD
• 918 Smithsonian HD
• 919 RedZone HD
• 921 Fox Soccer Channel HD
• 942 CMT HD
• 943 VH1 HD
• 944 MTV HD
• 948 Investigation Discovery HD
• 950 Encore HD
• 956 Fox Movie Channel HD
• 958 Starz Edge HD
• 959 Starz Kids & Family HD
• 960 HBO Family HD
• 961 HBO Signature HD
• 962 ActionMAX HD
• 963 The Movie Channel HD
• 964 Showtime Too HD
• 965 MoreMAX HD
• 966 MGM HD
• 967 BET HD
• 968 CBS College Sports HD
• 970 Outdoor Channel HD
• 973 Tennis Channel HD
• 975 G4 HD
• 977 BIO HD
• 978 Nickelodeon HD
• 988 WE: Women's Entertainment HD
• 990 Style HD
• 992 BBC America HD
• 993 Planet Green HD
• 995 truTV HD

 

Insight's Evansville, Henderson and Bowling Green districts going all-digital

Having already launched our Lexington, Northern Kentucky and Louisville digital transition efforts, we're now announcing that our Evansville, Henderson and Bowling Green districts will now begin the same process.

Lexington now has more than 100 HD channels, Northern Kentucky will have them very soon and Louisville isn't far behind.

Now, these communities can be assured that those great features, in addition to a multi-room DVR service and will continue to have the fastest Internet speeds available.  Our customers already have the fastest broadband in town with our 50 meg service and this project will allow us to increase those speeds even more, down the road.

Over the next few weeks, we will begin communicating with our customers to tell them what they need to to in order to prepare for this transition, called the Digital 6.10 Upgrade. Channels that are currently transmitted in analog will be provided in digital after this conversion.

As we've done previously in our other markets, we're committed to making this conversion as seamless as possible.

Our Lexington and Northern Kentucky markets have already made this transition seamlessly as all of their channels are now delivered in digital. We're steadily moving through that same process in Louisville and it is going very well.

I've said this more than once, but it bears repeating; this is a complicated process that won't happen overnight. We'll be certain to keep you posted about our progress as we work hard to minimize any disruptions caused by the process.

We're aggressively moving through this all-digital project because we understand that our customers want the best in high-definition entertainment and the fastest Internet speeds available. In fact, we hear from many customers every single day requesting more and more of these great features.

We're committed to keeping our customers on the cutting edge of technology and this is a big step in that process.

Insight and Raycom agree on three year extension

I'm thrilled to report that Insight and Raycom Media have reached an agreement to continue to deliver Raycom's WAVE in Louisville, WFIE in Evansville and WXIX in Northern Kentucky to Insight's customers. 

Both companies decided to put customers first by avoiding an interruption in programming, and signed a compromise deal that will guarantee Raycom carriage on Insight's systems for three more years.

Too often, recently, we have seen retransmission negotiations between broadcasters and other cable operators break down, leading to a programming blackout. I applaud Raycom for working with us to reach a win-win solution for our customers who also are their viewers.

 

Insight launches 50 Mbps broadband in Northern Kentucky, Evansville and Bowling Green

A couple weeks ago, I announced that we would soon be rolling out the next generation of broadband to our customers in Evansville and Bowling Green.

I’m proud to now say that our infrastructure upgrade is complete and the DOCSIS 3.0 platform — along with its 50 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload speeds — is now available in these areas.

And to top it off, we’re now rolling out these advanced service in Northern Kentucky, as well.

If you’re a Broadband 20.0 customer, you’ll be receiving an email today inviting you to become one of the first to experience Broadband 50.0. Soon after, we will be advertising Broadband 50.0 to all our customers interested in upgrading their Internet connection.

This is a really exciting announcement and it’s only the beginning. Broadband 50.0 is far superior to any other generally available home Internet offerings in the area. As I mentioned, we’ll be making announcements soon about other Broadband offerings, new HD channels, multi-room DVR’s, and exciting new programming on cn|2.

And if you live in Louisville or Lexington, sit tight. I’ll be making announcements about Broadband 50.0’s availability in those districts in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Insight launching DOCSIS 3.0 broadband

50 Mbps speeds coming soon for Evansville and Bowling Green

I've talked for some time about how we’ve been readying our network to support the rollout of DOCSIS 3.0. Today, I'm happy to announce that the rollout of the next generation of broadband will begin soon.

In our Evansville/Henderson and Bowling Green districts, customers will be able to order our first speed enhancement on the DOCIS 3.0 platform -- 50Mbps download/5 Mbps upload -- before the end of this year. 

Obviously, this will take the already fastest Internet speeds available in this area to an entirely different level.

And of course Broadband 50.0 customers will also receive free internet security, webmail, ESPN3.com access, personal web pages, and an “always on” connection, all of which is standard with Insight Broadband.

Now, if you live in other Insight markets, I already know what you’re thinking. “When can I get it?”

The best answer I can give you today is that you’ll be hearing from us in just a few short weeks that we’ll be rolling this service out in other districts, as well, shortly after the first two districts.

This is just the start of some really exciting developments we’ll be announcing in the coming months. It's been a little quiet on the new product front while we worked to ready our networks for the coming launches.  Watch for many new HD channels, multi-room DVR's, exciting new programming on cn|2 and more in the coming months.  We’re going to be rolling out some very advanced features and services which will be available to all Insight customers.

Keep checking back as we’ll be making more announcements soon. 

UK vs. Georgia football on Insight

For the second time this year, the University of Kentucky football team is preparing to play on the Comcast Sports Network – a channel Insight doesn’t carry. And for the second time this year, we’re making it available to our customers throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. 

This Saturday’s UK-Georgia game will air at 7:30 pm ET on the Comcast Sports Network, and our customers in Louisville, Lexington, Northern Kentucky, Bowling Green and Evansville/Henderson will be able to see it live.

Here’s how you can see the game:

• Louisville - For customers with a digital box, the game can be seen on channel 503. For customers without a digital box, it may be seen on channel 15.
• Lexington - For customers with a digital box, the game may be viewed on channel 503. For customers without a digital box, the game can be seen on channel 14.
• Northern Kentucky - For customers with a digital box, the game can be seen on channel 503. For customers without a digital box, the game can be seen on channel 99.
• Bowling Green - For customers with a digital box, the game may be viewed on channel 503. For customers without a digital box, it can be seen on channel 5.
• Evansville/Henderson - For customers with a digital box, the game may be viewed on channel 503. For customers without a digital box, it can be seen on channel 74.

One note of importance for customers without a digital box is that you may need to run a channel scan on your TV to pick up the analog feed.

Here at Insight, we work hard to make sure our customers get the services they want – especially when it comes to the best in local sports. I’ve mentioned it before, but if you love sports, keep an eye on cn|2.  A regular sports show is in the works and we plan to make an announcement on that very soon.

And of course for the most updates on sports action on the Insight network, don’t forget to log-on to SportsOnInsight.com for the latest news.

UK vs. WKU football game on Insight

As we all know, University of Kentucky sports are a big deal for people in a large part of Insight’s service area. So when UK plays football against Western Kentucky University, another important university in our service area, well, that means our customers need to be able to see the game – even if it’s not on a channel we carry. 

Such is the case with tomorrow’s UK-WKU game, airing tomorrow night at 7:30 pm ET on the Comcast Sports Network, and our customers in Louisville, Lexington, Northern Kentucky, Bowling Green and Evansville/Henderson will be able to see it live.

Here’s how you can see the game:

• Lexington - Channel 14
• Bowling Green – Channel 5
• Northern Kentucky - Channel 422 for digital cable customers and Channel 99 for non-digital customers.
• Louisville - Channel 503 for digital cable customers and Channel 22 for non-digital customers.
• Henderson-Evansville, Ind., area - Channel 503 for digital cable customers and Channel 74 for non-digital customers.

We work hard to make sure our customers get the services they want – especially when it comes to the best in local sports.  If you love sports, keep an eye on cn|2.  A regular sports show is in the works.

And for the most updates on more sports action on the Insight network, don’t forget to log-on to SportsOnInsight.com for the latest news.

New HD launched in Columbus, Evansville and Bowling Green

Yesterday, I announced some exciting new additions to our digital television product – new QuickView channels and Primetime On Demand. Today I have some more announcements for our customers in Columbus, Evansville/Henderson and Bowling Green.

As part of our continued commitment to deliver the highest quality HD channels, 6 new HD channels are now available in Columbus, 8 new HD channels are now available in Evansville/Henderson, and 4 new HD channels are now available in Bowling Green.

As you can probably imagine, customers contact us each day because they want more of the best HD channels available. The HD channels we’re announcing today are some of the most highly requested channels out there.

The new HD includes:

• Columbus - 6 new HD channels: Spike, Comedy Central, Hallmark, MTV, Nickelodeon and HD Pay per view.
• Evansville/Henderson - 8 new HD channels: Spike, Comedy Central, Hallmark, MSNBC, Cartoon Network, Golf, Fox Sports Ohio, and HD Pay per view
• Bowling Green - 4 new HD channels: Spike, Comedy Central, Hallmark and HD Pay per view.

Now, for those of you in other markets, rest assured that more HD is on the way. As many of you know, we’ve already announced plans to transition our Lexington and Northern Kentucky districts to an all-digital format. This will allow us to deliver around 100 of the best HD channels and a 50 Mbps broadband service, or even faster, in both of those areas. And I can tell you we’ve got really big things in store for Louisville, too.

We’ll have more on these fronts in the coming weeks.

Watch the Reds in HD from the first pitch of the season

Opening day is next week, baseball fans, and Fox Sports Ohio is now in HD on Channel 930 in our Lexington, Northern Kentucky, Louisville, and Evansville, Indiana markets.

We announced Fox Sports Ohio HD would be coming to Northern Kentucky a couple months ago, along with eight other HD channels that are in the works and will be on the air in that area soon. Based on the comments I've received here, I know there has been some concern over the delay in bringing these channels to our customers, but rest assured we are working to get those channels on the air as soon as possible. And for those of you in other districts, a more expanded HD line-up is on the horizon soon too, and I’ll be sure to let you know of any developments the moment we are ready to announce.

Obviously, if we could, we would provide every HD channel immediately. However, in order for us to provide new HD channels, we first have to have the bandwidth available.  Adding HD channels means we need enough bandwidth to transmit the new channels.

One of the best ways for us to obtain more bandwidth is to migrate channels from an analog signal to digital. Analog channels take significantly more bandwidth than digital. Our goal is to migrate our analog channels in a way that is simple and convenient for our customers and to use that newly reclaimed bandwidth to provide more HD channels and other services, like faster broadband speeds.  And when we migrate channels, we have plans to help you continue to receive them at little or no additional cost to you.

Again, we’re doing all we can to provide more and more HD for our customers.  For now, enjoying rooting on Joey Votto and the Reds in crystal-clear HD.

Federal governement begins broadband mapping awards

NTIA Hands Out First Broadband Stimulus Grants [Broadband Reports]

Yesterday marked the first awards for four states under the federal broadband stimulus program. In the economic recovery act, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in February, $7.2 billion was allocated to map broadband availability and construct broadband infrastructure in areas not currently served by broadband. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), one of the federal agencies charged with dispersing the broadband stimulus, announced yesterday that California, Indiana, Vermont and North Carolina have been awarded grants to map broadband.

While other states' grants for broadband mapping will be announced later, the NTIA wanted to single out these first four states awards for having, "well-formed proposals that are both fiscally prudent and serve as a model for others."

In order to begin awarding grants for broadband infrastructure in areas not served by broadband, it's crucial that the government have a good understanding of where broadband currently exists. In Indiana, we're looking forward to working with the Indiana Office of Technology, the agency designated to map Indiana's broadband availability, in creating this map.

Insight celebrates a decade serving Kentucky this month

Ten years ago this month, Bill Clinton was President, TLC and Ricky Martin topped the Billboard charts, and the Yankees swept the Braves to win their second consecutive World Series. Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it? But for many families in Kentucky, October 1999 also marks an occasion that would change the way they stay connected every day. This month marks the tenth anniversary of Insight Communications providing service to communities across Kentucky.

By the time Insight purchased these cable systems, customers had seen their fair share of operators come and go. Local employees, tired of the revolving door of owners listened skeptically, believing that Insight would last only a year or two, like the previous owners before them. In the face of those expectations, we declared that we wanted to plant our roots in the Bluegrass State serving Kentuckians and nearby communities in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. We promised to do all we could to improve the services that our new customers received from their cable provider.

Ten years later, I believe we’ve made good on that promise. Sure, we had some bumps in the road, but all in all, Insight customers are among the most satisfied cable, broadband and phone customers in the nation according to JD Powers, Broadband Reports and other independent polls and studies. Along the way, Insight has become Kentucky’s largest provider of cable television and broadband Internet service and is now, by far, the fastest growing provider of home phone service.

As the Commonwealth’s largest technology provider, Insight launched the fastest Internet service in Kentucky twice in just three years, providing 10 Mbps service and now up to 20 Mbps service. We’ve upgraded to digital cable systems, moving from 64 channels to hundreds and hundreds of channels, adding many high definition channels and On Demand programming in the process. Recently, we’ve weathered some of the worst natural disasters the region has ever experienced, while working constantly to provide the most technologically advanced and reliable services available anywhere.

Insight has become one of Kentucky’s largest employers now employing or contracting with more than 3,500 Kentuckians. We have also moved our hub of operations, our after-hours and tiers II and III call centers and our Network Operations Center to the Commonwealth. And we’ve invested millions of dollars in infrastructure to build a smart network that delivers the most advanced technology in the state.

Here at Insight, we’re proud to be Kentucky’s technology leader. But just as importantly, we’re proud to be a big part of this community – the home team when it comes to telecommunications services. Through jobs, investment and time and money spent on various charitable and philanthropic needs, Insight is committed to improving the quality of life for more Kentuckians.

After reflecting on these ten years, I’m reminded of the old Loretta Lynn song, “We’ve come a long way, baby.” But here at Insight, we’ve only just begun. In fact, we’re looking forward to announcing, in the very near future, additional upgrades to help keep you in-step with the most reliable and innovative products and services available anywhere in the nation.

Technology has changed rapidly over the past decade and here at Insight, it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. As technology continues to change, Kentucky’s families can count on the dedicated men and women who make up the Insight Team to keep them on the cutting edge. It’s a commitment we’ve made for the past ten years and it's something our customers can continue to count on each and every day.

Storm Aftermath -- The Slow Recovery

Nearly a quarter million households in the greater Louisville area are still without power in the wake of Sunday afternoon's storm. This is the result of over 5,000 broken lines and nearly 300 snapped utility poles.  American Electric Power reported that over 300,000 were still without power in central Ohio and it might be six more days until everyone has power restored.  Duke Energy reported 500,000 still out of service in the Greater Cincinnati area, including our service area in Northern Kentucky.  Needless to say, this type of damage affects all utilities are impacted by the damage of this surprise severe weather.  We are too.

Our Network Operations Center (NOC) remains without power.  Those of you outside the Louisville market and those in Louisville who have power and Internet service remain online because of the back-up generators that have now been keeping us up and running for over 30 hours.

WOW! Where's our Workforce?

A while back we were given the opportunity to hire a number of experienced customer service representatives who were looking for new positions.  Why?  Because their jobs were eliminated when their employer and our competitor -- WOW -- closed one of their local call centers.