Cablevision has pulled WPIX 11, along with three other stations owned by the Tribune Company, over a dispute about getting a new carriage agreement.
"Tribune and their hedge fund owners are demanding tens of millions in new fees for WPIX and other stations they own," Cablevision said in a statement, which was published by The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and other media outlets. That statement, according to various published reports, added that Tribune is "trying to solve Tribune's financial problems on the backs of Cablevision customers."
Tribune counters that Cablevision unfairly pulled the channel.
“Tonight, while in the middle of negotiations with Tribune and without warning, Cablevision unilaterally removed four Tribune stations in four markets from its cable systems," according to a statment posted on the company's website. "Cablevison took this action despite our offer of an unconditional extension of the current carriage agreement with no change in terms while negotiations continued. To be clear, Tribune was willing to provide Cablevision subscribers access to the valuable programming on these stations while working toward a new agreement. Tribune never made any threat to withdraw these stations or any demand that Cablevision remove them."
Tribune also added, in its online statement, that Cablevision is not paying its fair share.
“Tribune makes a substantial annual investment in local news, live sports and high-quality entertainment programming. Cablevision has never compensated Tribune for the retransmission of its local stations, which are among the most highly watched channels on Cablevision’s line-ups. What we have proposed amounts to less than a penny a day per subscriber, well below what Cablevision pays to providers of less well-watched channels."
Some have felt that losing PIX is unfair given that customers pay to see it for their cable service.
Nicole Saracino, a Mount Kisco resident, was among them, feeling that it's a shame customers are not getting the service that they paid.
"They fight like this all the time," said Scott Meyer, a Hartsdale resident. He felt that both sides were being greedy.
Editor's Note: Patch has a partnership with PIX 11, called "Patch on PIX," where the station features major stories from Patch sites in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This story has also been updated to reflect person-on-the-street reactions.
What do you think? Is Cablevision right to drop WPIX, or is it being unreasonable? Vote in our poll and sound off in our comments section.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/16/entertainment/la-et-ct-nickratings-20120716 and also http://auburnjournal.com/detail/212787.html
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/syracuses_wsyr_channel_9_block.html Here is another: http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r26251034-FIOS-TV-Tennis-channel-being-dropped- And another: http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-TV-Programming/Funimation-Canceled/td-p/408359/page/25 and there's more: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-12-19/entertainment/bal-sinclair-using-its-baltimore-airwaves-in-negotiations-with-verizon-20111219_1_fios-subscribers-verizon-fios-verizon-s-fios and still more: http://www.fidosysop.org/2793/12/wfla-8-tampa-bay-coverage-may-end-on-verizon-fios-system/ Only a matter of time!
Next rate hike ... by even a dime ... and I am GONE from CableVision.
And there really is no one service that is immune from such blackouts. As I pointed out in another message above, FiOS has had blackouts in several cities -- including one where an ABC affiliate was able to reach a deal with every other television cable/satellite service except for FiOS. It is only a matter of time before such a disagreement happens in this area -- unless the FCC ever decides to, or is forced to, step in. Just my .02
" WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has declined to take up a challenge from cable television operators to the 18-year-old requirement that they carry local broadcast stations on their systems. The justices rejected an appeal Monday from Cablevision Systems Corp. The court upheld a federal "must carry" law, enacted in 1992 when cable TV systems faced much less competition than they do today. Cablevision, the nation's fifth-largest cable TV operator, sued the Federal Communications Commission over its ruling that forced Cablevision to carry the signal of a distant home-shopping station on its Long Island cable systems. The federal appeals court in New York upheld the FCC's determination. Cablevision said in court papers that "the monopolistic nature of the cable industry...has been replaced by vibrant competition." The Obama administration urged the court to stay out of the case. It noted that being carried on cable systems "remains critical to broadcast stations' financial viability generally." C-SPAN, Discovery Communications and Time Warner Cable filed briefs in support of Cablevision. C-SPAN said 12 million cables homes lost all or some access to its programming when cable operators were forced to make room for broadcast stations in the 1990s. The station, WRNN is based in Kingston, N.Y., about 90 miles north of New York City. The case is Cablevision v. FCC, 09-901."
The sticking point between Cablevision and WPIX / Tribune is not just the amount the broadcaster is demanding to be paid, but according to published reports in a trade journal, Tribune is also trying to tie together their stations in Hartford and Waterbury as part of the deal.
They have a right to charge what they want and Cablevision can pass the expence to the consumer. If cablevision is the only cable provider in the area then the people that don't allow us to choose a different company is the problem. If we had a choice of cable providers than we would be paying less (price wars). If you don't like it don't use it. We all pay crazy gas prices and if we don't then we walk. it's unfair but so is life.
Sam, what makes you think that Cablevision customers would want to pay for a channel that I can get perfectly well for free with a rabbit ear antenna? It is time to stand up to all of the program providers who want to nickel and dime us. We watch their shows and sit through their commercials. Why should they pick our pockets as well? Other stations get by perfectly well on their own, why should be be forced to bail out the rest?
Supernatural Beauty and the Beast Nikita If they would just move to a UHF frequency I'd be able to get them over the air again and that would solve a lot of problems.
I think PIX also streams their local news on WPIX.com The syndicated shows like Seinfeld are on various cable networks.
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/tv-zone-1.811968/the-cw-is-back-on-cablevision-1.4158847