Man satellite sucks. A lot of people I know have it and the reception really is as bad as all the rumors during even the slightest bit of rain or wind (and yes, sometimes for no reason)
MOST of dish network's 100 some odd channels are repeats (same exact channel on at least twice) or radio like channels that is just music with no picture at all (theres more than 20 of these last time I played with it)...there are a handful of spanish only channels as well.
For locals, you need an antenna, either strapped to the dish, or rabbit ears...= shitty picture. And at that point, why bother??
Personally, I dont watch many channels either, but I need cable (mostly for my internet
)