Posted on 12/31/2009 10:37:53 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
The impasse between FOX broadcast network and Time Warner Cable continues with less than a day remaining before the cable provider knocks the network and its cable outlets off the dial.
And as each side ratchets up the rhetoric, neither seem willing to show compromise. Could Fox really be gone from homes with Time Warner Cable tomorrow?
The Wall Street Journal explains where things are at right now:
The crux of tensions is a $1 monthly fee News Corp is seeking for local Fox TV stations it owns from each Time Warner Cable TV household. While several owners of broadcast stations have had some success seeking such fees in recent years, amid declines in ad revenue, the Fox network is seeking a much higher fee…People familiar with the matter said Time Warner Cable, one of the country’s biggest cable operators, has offered to pay Fox a similar level of fees as other owners of local TV stations: roughly 25 cents. The price Fox is seeking would set a new bar, and potentially open the floodgates for other media companies that own broadcast TV networks.
And the Los Angeles Times‘ Joe Flint has some specifics on what may happen if no deal is reached:
Besides Los Angeles, where Time Warner Cable has more than 1 million subscribers, other cities that would lose the Fox signals include New York, Dallas and Tampa, Fla. Locally, Time Warner Cable subscribers wouldn’t be able to get KTTV-TV Channel 11 and KCOP-TV Channel 13 as well as FX, Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket. Fox News Channel has a separate agreement with Time Warner Cable and is not affected by these negotiations.
News Corp. President Chase Carey is bracing employees for the probability no deal will be reached, writing in a memo to staff, “it looks like we will not reach an agreement and our channels may very well go off the air in Time Warner Cable systems at midnight.”
As shocking as it sounds, both sides are still holding firm, and the effect will be seen immediately. On New Years Day night, one of the biggest NCAA football bowl games, the Sugar Bowl between Florida and Cincinnati, takes place – and airs on FOX. There will be many angry fans of both teams and sports fans in general if the deal is not reached. The possibility of a last minute deal looms – but as each side remains unwavering, there’s a chance that, for at least a few hours, FOX and its cablers are headed off Time Warner Cable.
Either way, the clock is ticking…
Fox needs to dump cable and go solo on the open airwaves. A new TV channel in every major metro area. We already have fox and the WB on open airwaves. Time for foxnews also.
However, thanks to funding from the cable companies, they don't care.
If programming was ala carte, I'd end up with very few channels. So would most people.
I had to pay extra for my HBO and such to have it i the master bedroom. I wasn’t getting most of them even with the extra fee. Directv wasn’t the least bit interested in helping me because it was a self install. I called Dish and had them come out and set my new service up. I then called Directv to tell them to come unhook their cr@ppy service. At that point they offered me all kinds of freebies to keep their service. Said I could watch their service for free for a couple of months to compare it to Dish. The time to deal with a customers issues is before they are ready to kill you, lol.
We love the HD and when the technician came to add the HD last year, he told us that if we hooked up and antenna that we could have even more options. We can now tape 3 different channels on the dual dvr. He also let us keep the extra remotes from the unit that he was replacing. Now we have his and hers remotes. Dish Rocks.
I don’t have the HD package since I don’t have a HDTV, I have the 250 channel package. My ex-wife has the all movie package but I don’t as I rarely watch movies. But I do like Dish Network.
Get the Dish ViP722 DVR. Nice unit. Add a 1.5TB ext. USB drive to and you’ll have a ton of space.
Dish seems like they have more channels too. I was checking out the sports stations they have. Fox Sports from so many states, I can watch basketball games from Texas, Ohio, New York, everywhere. I notice Directv doesn’t have that
The jest of the note is that I looked in some old check registers and found that I was paying $14.63 a month for expanded basic cable in 1984. Now I pay $59.83 a month for expanded basic. That translates to about a 300% increase or an average of 12+% a year. Who gets a 12% raise every year for 25 years?
Bottom line no sympathy from me... TW and it's predecessors have been holding us hostage for years.
I have long viewed the cable-company-carrying of local-broadcast-station signals as a public service that cable companies provide their subscribers, yet one that is not entirely altruistic, in that it helps keep the viewer “tuned” in via the cable box.
In my area, cable or satellite, they charge the subscriber around $4.00/month for the “local station” option.
No then; left out of those elements is the fact that no matter how the viewer gets to the broadcast station, directly or via the “local station” coverage provided by the cable/satellite provider, it is only the broadcast station (or it’s broadcast network) that is directly paid by the advertising revenue for the “broadcast” channel.
Am I wrong in thinking that the broadcast channel (Fox in this case) has the economic demands a little backwards, and that it is the cable/satellite operators that should maybe be asking for a little pass-through on the broadcasters’ ad revenues, for their passing-through the local broadcast signals?
Like someone else already said to you, anything is better than cable. I got Directv. I am glad I switched years ago. My cable provider sucked. The picture looked like garbage and my internet connection was awful. Yes my picture sometimes goes down in bad weather but I really don’t care. I got plenty of DVD’s and a internet connection for times like that.
As for which on to get I don’t know what to tell you. I would look at the programing and costs and see which I prefer.
It could but in my case I won't see any increase in charges for locals like FOX since I refuse to pay for them in the first place since I can't get them all because my local station won't let me get a ABC feed.
Which DirecTv package do you have? I was looking and I saw the Choice Xtra for 34.99..but with the HD package it would come out to 64.99 per month which is not bad..but I want to know if it comes with the sports channels(Fox Sports Net Florida, Ohio, etc) I know Dish has it so that is what interested me to it. Also, I sign up and say that I was referred by someone, do I get a discount?
We've moved since then, and my one try over here hasn't yielded that same good result, but I may try it again.
to all- here’s the Time warner blurb on the issue as of right now:
“Dear Customer:
There has been a lot of media coverage this week regarding Time Warner Cable’s current contract negotiations with FOX Broadcasting (News Corporation). Our current agreement expires tonight at Midnight, and while our negotiation team is working hard to keep their programming on our system the following channels may no longer be available as of Jan. 1, 2010: FX, Fuel, Speed Channel, Fox Reality Channel, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports en Espanol. Other FOX channels NOT impacted by these current negotiations are FOX News, FOX Movies, FOX Business and National Geographic.
For Time Warner Cable customers in the Capital Region, please note that there is an agreement in place between Time Warner Cable and WXXA. This station’s programming will NOT be affected by the national FOX Broadcasting negotiation, which means you will still be able to enjoy your favorite FOX programming such as this weekend’s College Bowl games, “American Idol,” “24” and more. For those networks that may be pulled off our system, we plan to offer appropriate replacement programming for these channels.
So as you and your family get ready to enjoy the weekend, we hope that you look to Time Warner Cable for your entertainment needs. Whether you’re searching through the thousands of movie titles available on our Video on Demand service to surfing over a 100 High Definition programming options, sit back, relax and enjoy!
For updates on the contract negotiations and potential replacement programming, please visit our Web site at www.rolloverorgettough.com or call 877-267-1844. On behalf of Time Warner Cable we hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!”
Fox just disappeared from Metrocast Cablevision.
Still up in Central Florida...according to AP...Fox has given Brighthouse Networks until 3 AM EST to reach a deal or they go dark.
see if you can get uverse.....you will love it
[[ since I can’t get them all because my local station won’t let me get a ABC feed.]]
Concider yourself blessed then. And there’s been a ‘temporary extension’ in the negotiatioon talks between Fox and TW- Yippie doo dah day.
All still up and running in NE Wisconsin.
. . . . Catching up again.
[Thanks, Jet Jaguar.]
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