Charles William “Charlie” Ergen (born March 1, 1953) is an American businessman and is the co-founder and current Chairman of the Board, and former President and CEO of Dish Network and EchoStar Communications Corporation. Ergen owns 52 percent of Dish and Echostar shares and holds 88 percent of its total voting power. With an estimated 2014 net worth of $17B, Ergen is reportedly the wealthiest person in Colorado.
Charlie Ergan Quotes
“We’re able now to provide local television channels to all Americans, so all 107 million households will be able to receive their local channels via satellite, which will give us true effective competition to the dominant cable providers, no matter where a person may live,”
“[People] are more price sensitive than they were two months ago because of the cost of gas, … For me, that’s a huge advantage.”
“Together, our companies only have about 17 percent of the pay television market. Just the Comcast-AT&T [business] alone will have something well north of that, … Just that company, in the cable industry, has about 78 percent, according to the FCC report in January. So we’re a very small fish in a very big pond.”
“The main reason Disney and the others don’t want to sell a la carte is because when you give customers the choice, they buy less channels. Less channels mean you make less money.”
“To use a poker analogy, if the deck is a bit stacked against you, spread the deck on the table and let everyone see the cards,”
“When you deal with change, you have a couple choices: You can lead it and make the rules, or you can be a fast follower, or you can be a slow follower.”
“The world is changing…. I don’t, as a consumer, want advertising that’s not relevant. If we’re going to take a side let’s take the side of the consumer.”
“People will steal it if you don’t make it easy to buy it.”
“Allowing your kids to watch TV doesn’t have to mean they have no choice but to see commercials for junk food and alcohol.”
“I care about our employees more than anybody in my company. I care about my kids, too, but that doesn’t mean I give them everything that they want.”
“If the broadcasters were to win on their claims, they’d outlaw the DVR.”
“Ultimately, broadcasters and advertisers have to change the way they do business or they run the risk of linear TV becoming obsolete.”
“You either trust someone day one until they prove you wrong, or you say, ‘I don’t trust you until you show me I can trust you.’ I’m the latter.”
“Some people are averse to change, but the advertising model is going to change with or without the Hopper. What we’re saying to the broadcasters is, ‘There’s a way for you not to put your head in the sand.”
“There are only two kinds of employees that I’ve run across in 30 years. There are ones that get results, and ones that make excuses. If you’re in that second camp, you’re not going to like Dish.”
“I believe it’s less risky long-term to embrace change.”
“Blackjack is very scientific. There’s always a right answer and a wrong answer. Do you take a card, increase your bet, bet big or bet small. There’s absolutely a right and wrong answer.”
“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.”
“Together, our companies only have about 17 percent of the pay television market. Just the Comcast-AT&T [business] alone will have something well north of that, … Just that company, in the cable industry, has about 78 percent, according to the FCC report in January. So we’re a very small fish in a very big pond.”
“Poker is a game where you don’t have to have the best hand to win. Poker is really reading other people and reading human emotion, which certainly comes into play in business.”
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