By ALEX PIAZZA
BELLAIRE -- Faith Hershiser doesn't believe she's getting her money's worth from her satellite television provider.
Nearly $80 a month goes toward her DirecTV bill. But Hershiser, of Bellaire, no longer can make it through her favorite TV shows without experiencing audio problems.
Momentary sound glitches tied to her DirecTV service began in June, and haven't disappeared.
"It's like watching TV, but somebody's swearing all the time," she said. "It seems like when you're really interested in something, that's when it happens."
Hershiser said she only picks up the audio glitches on local channels. She called local NBC and Fox affiliates, but nobody's been able to fix the problem.
Hershiser doesn't appear to be the only DirecTV customer in northern Michigan who's experienced audio problems.
Lowell Shore, chief engineer for Heritage Broadcasting Group, which owns 9&10 News and Fox 32, said he's fielded several calls from DirecTV customers over the past month.
Shore believes audio problems are caused by a "complicated signal."
"They know it's not us, but they're frustrated," he said.
DirecTV is aware of the problem, but technicians have yet to determine the cause, said DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer.
"We are troubleshooting the issue as we speak and attempting to pinpoint the cause," he said. "We understand how important these local channels are to our customers."
But Hershiser said the troubleshoot method hasn't improved her service.
"I've been calling them, but they keep telling me to troubleshoot," she said. "Maybe I shouldn't pay for it until it's fixed."
She received a call from a DirecTV representative this week who indicated that every station signal is unique, which may be the root of the problem.
Mercer said DirecTV will continue to work with local affiliates to solve audio woes. He couldn't elaborate on how many customers have been affected by sound glitches, but said the northern Michigan market has experienced problems.
Hershiser said she has friends in southern Michigan with DirecTV who haven't experienced audio problems, which makes her believe the problem is isolated to northern Michigan.
"I used to love DirecTV, and I want to love it again," she said.
