Having just moved from Madison, I concur that the local cable there ranks
among the worst.  I remember seeing the NCAA west regionals at the Dane,
which were televised on ESPN2, and thinking of the irony that TCI Madison
didn't at the time carry ESPN2 (or many other good stations).  (Side note:
these are the same folks who tried to cancel BET based on surveys of
mostly-white populations, and wondered why they got flooded with
complaints.)
 
Anyway, having moved to rochester, I decided to pass on cable altogether
and (on the recomendation of several Hockey-Lers) went the DSS route.  I
have DirecTV now, and it carries lots (all?) of the fox networks, including
Fox Sports Detroit (CCHA), MSC (WCHA, focussed on gophers), Empire (ECAC),
and the networks covering HEA.   From what I hear, PrimeStar has comparable
coverage.  So far, I am extremely happy, and I look forward to seeing a lot
of college hockey this season.  For once, I'm glad that college puck is not
more popular than it is; out-of-region NCAA football games are blacked out
unless you pay extra for the "NCAA football" package, which is akin to the
NFL, NBA, NHL, etc. packages.
 
So, if you can afford it, a DSS is a good option (note that Primestar
doesn't make you buy the dish, so less money upfront, but you can take a
purchased DirecTV dish with you between cities if you travel a lot... mount
it on a cinderblock :-)
 
As far as bars, the Regent Street Retreat near campus and Jingles by the
Dane County Coliseum are both hockey-friendly places with dish access, so
they might be worth a shot for more casual CCHA-watching.
 
Parting shot:  is the WCHA ever going to get a real TV contract?  Knowing
the fanaticism and sheer numbers of Wisconsin fans, I have to believe the
demand is there for more than local-only tape delay of home badger hockey
games....   And will the dearly-missed Howie ever do color commentary
again?  *sigh*
 
 
-john
 
 
          -==-John R. [log in to unmask]
                 --- "When in doubt, roll!" ---
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.