BetaONE will rise again! - Texas town renames itself 'Dish' to get free TV

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A Texas town has changed its name to DISH in exchange for 10 years of free satellite television service.

All 125 residents of the town formerly known as Clark will get basic service and a free digital video recorder satellite TV receiver, a move that has some people joking that the Fort-Worth suburb will become a town of couch potatoes.

Despite the jokes, the switch is incredibly popular, said Mayor Bill Merritt. The city council meeting to vote on the name was packed on Tuesday night and about 12 people -- 10 percent of the town's population -- stood up to support the name change, which passed unanimously.

"I'm sure there are some people who are attached to the name (Clark) like the man who founded the town and named it after himself," he told AFP Wednesday. "At the meeting last night we had no naysayers."

The town made the change for more than just a 50 dollar monthly savings per household, Merritt said. The hope is that publicity and a budget-neutral giveaway will lure new residents.

"The getting our name out there is working and the second part is really to market ourselves - come here and you get something out of it," he said.

The best part of the contract, Merritt said, is the free television will be extended to anyone who moves to Dish and any land that is later annexed by the town. The new town signs, designed and paid for by DISH Network, were a bonus.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051116/od_afp/afplifestyleus_051116182138