FOX TV AND TIME WARNER BATTLE TO BEGIN
Rupert MurdochThe deadline between Fox Television and Time Warner Cable is close, and is likely to cause similar battles between other big networks and big cable operators, with local television affiliates owned by third party companies possibly caught in the middle. Fox Television is threatening to pull its stations off of Time Warner systems if its retransmission demands for its own local broadcast stations are not met. Both parties are appealing to the consumers with advertisements, to win them over. Fox is rumored to be asking for about $1 per subscriber. That figure is said to be about what the going rate is for basic cable’s TNT Network, a price it commands with a much smaller viewer base – and is far below the large fee given to ESPN, which is said to be around $4 per household. The New York Times reports that Fox is also interested in sharing in retransmission fees collected by its local affiliates, and notes that CBS for one is actively supporting Fox as both an owner and operator of television stations and owner and operator of a network.
Editors Extra: I could care about the Fox cable channels, they really suck big time. But Fox 5 and UPN 9 are in New York and New Jersey and are broadcast stations. We love these stations as I am sure most New Yorkers do. We have a right to view them. If the stations did not send out such weak signals, we would not need cable to get them. Rupert Murdoch is planning to charge for everything next year. The New York Post online and every other online entity he has. It is bad enough Rupert got waivers to have two television stations and 2 newspapers in the same area. This used to be against FCC rules, but the the king of the worldwide media got waivers. We can understand him charging for customers in another state for his content, but the people of New York and New Jersey have a right to the programing. Why should we pay for something that is our right to have. I like Rupert, I have met him many times over the years, but he needs to rethink this idea. At least give us our right. But hey, I'm on RCN Cable and i'll still get The Simpson's and Family Guy!
Editors Extra: I could care about the Fox cable channels, they really suck big time. But Fox 5 and UPN 9 are in New York and New Jersey and are broadcast stations. We love these stations as I am sure most New Yorkers do. We have a right to view them. If the stations did not send out such weak signals, we would not need cable to get them. Rupert Murdoch is planning to charge for everything next year. The New York Post online and every other online entity he has. It is bad enough Rupert got waivers to have two television stations and 2 newspapers in the same area. This used to be against FCC rules, but the the king of the worldwide media got waivers. We can understand him charging for customers in another state for his content, but the people of New York and New Jersey have a right to the programing. Why should we pay for something that is our right to have. I like Rupert, I have met him many times over the years, but he needs to rethink this idea. At least give us our right. But hey, I'm on RCN Cable and i'll still get The Simpson's and Family Guy!
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