Free Republic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The nation’s two largest cable providers, as promised, have announced the makeup of their “family-friendly” programming tiers. Comcast, the nation’s largest cable operator, announced its new “family tier” package Dec. 22, selecting Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Nick Games & Sports, National Geographic, Science Channel, Discovery Kids, PBS’ Kid’s Sprout, Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, CNN Headline News, The Weather Channel, C-SPAN, C-SPAN 2 and Trinity Broadcasting. Time Warner, the second-largest cable company, announced earlier that its family tier would feature Disney Channel, Toon Disney, Nick Games & Sports, Boomerang, Science Channel, Discovery Kids, Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, FIT-TV,...

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. senators Thursday urged the cable and satellite television industry to address the glaring absence of popular sports channels from new packages of family-oriented programming they plan to offer.But so far, the three biggest cable companies and both satellite television providers have unveiled packages without popular sports channels, like Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN. They do include broadcast channels that carry some sports. "You're going to have to come up with a family tier plus sports," said Sen. George Allen, a Virginia Republican and former football player in college. "The marketplace is going to want to have that."