Dispute Averted.... For Now.

From INNewsCenter Wire, and edited from FLNewsCenter and WOFL-TV:

This morning, INNewsCenter has learned that short-term agreement has been reached between Fox Television Stations Group and Bright House Networks/Time Warner Cable..

A similar dispute occured October 3, 2008 with the WISH-TV/Bright House Networks Dispute. INNewsCenter was on this story, as well as our sister site in Florida (known in Florida as the WALA/Bright House Dispute)  That dispute was resolved October 29, 2008--unfortunately for BHN subscribers in Marion, Gas City, and Jonesboro, there was an aftermath that eventually lead to the Big Three Fort Wayne stations, [WANE-TV (frormer cable channel 20 was dropped 10/3/08, now occupied by TBN), WPTA (former cable channel 21) and WISE-TV (former cable channel 18) both dropped 1/1/09]  dropped and one Fort Wayne station, WFWA-PBS 39, eventually being moved to the Digital Variety Package in mid 2009.

SHORT TERM AGREEMENT REACHED

 

 

(from OrlandoSentinel.com) – Florida Gator fans could be getting help from the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski doesn’t want football fans to miss out bowl games because of a fee dispute between Fox and cable systems. Fox said it had no response to the FCC statement below….Cont….

Genachowski issued a statement this afternoon: "I have urged Fox and Time Warner Cable to agree to a temporary extension of carriage if they do not come to terms on a new carriage agreement today, in order to prevent disruption to their viewers. Companies shouldn’t force cable-watching football fans to scramble for other means of TV delivery on New Year’s weekend.”

See mud slinging by both sides below!

FOX grants 'brief extension' in cable dispute

Updated: Friday, 01 Jan 2010, 1:05 AM EST
Published : Friday, 01 Jan 2010, 1:00 AM EST

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Fox television network allowed its broadcast signal to be carried by Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for a brief extension past a midnight deadline as talks over fees continued. The announcement was made just as the clock rolled past midnight Thursday on the East Coast.

Fox had threatened to pull the signal from 14 TV stations it owns, a move that would have affected more than 6 million customers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks in markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Orlando, Fla.

Six Fox cable channels including FX, Speed and Fuel, were still being distributed as carriage arrangements on those did not expire until midnight Pacific time.

Bart Simpson and the Sugar Bowl game could disappear from the TVs of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks subscribers.  In dispute are the fees that Time Warner Cable Inc. pays Fox to carry its channels. In the past, the Fox network was offered for free, and cable companies essentially paid more for FX and other cable channels that News Corp. also owns. This time, News Corp. is demanding $1 per subscriber every month for the network itself.

story continues below >>>>

WOFL FOX 35 / WRBW My65 VP and GM Stan Knott on Bright House negotiations >>>

To learn more about how to receive FOX 35 for free using a digital antenna, click here >>>

Statement from Fox (corporate) regarding negotiations with Time Warner Cable >>>

U.S. Senator John Kerry weighs in on FOX-Time Warner Cable negotiations >>>

 

Fox, hurt by reductions in advertising revenue and increases in programming costs, argues that Time Warner Cable is making money off its programming, so it should get a cut of subscription revenue. Time Warner Cable says the demanded fees are excessive.

Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said Wednesday the cable TV operator will agree to binding arbitration and any interim steps necessary to keep Fox channels on while talks continue.

"Consumers should not be held hostage during these negotiations. That's just wrong," Britt said in an interview Wednesday.

But in a note to employees Wednesday, News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said temporarily extending the current terms past Thursday would "simply extend the period of time that Time Warner profits from our marquee programming without fairly compensating Fox for it."

He also rejected arbitration as a possibility in a letter to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who had pleaded for both sides to agree to uninterrupted television for football fans "through the college bowl season."

Late Wednesday, Kerry threatened to ask the Federal Communications Commission to intervene if the sides can't agree in time.

If a new deal isn't reached, programs that could disappear from Time Warner Cable Inc.'s lineup include "The Simpsons" and several football games -- among them, the Sugar Bowl on Friday, the Cotton Bowl on Saturday and the NFL's final regular season contests on Sunday. Bright House Networks' cable TV systems also face a Thursday deadline with News Corp.

In Florida, two television viewers filed a lawsuit Wednesday against News Corp., seeking an injunction to ensure that the Fox broadcast of the Florida-Cincinnati Sugar Bowl contest would remain on Bright House's cable system. Circuit Judge Maura Smith in Orlando did not immediately rule.

Time Warner Cable has more than 13 million TV subscribers and Bright House has more than 2 million, though their dispute involving the Fox network only concerns 14 Fox-owned stations covering such markets as Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas and Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg and Orlando, Fla.

Besides the Fox broadcast network, six cable channels -- FX, Speed, Fuel, Fox Reality, Fox Soccer and Fox Sports en Espanol -- and certain regional sports networks were also up for negotiations throughout the Time Warner Cable and Bright House service territories. Unaffected are Fox News, Fox Business Network and National Geographic, which is partially owned by News Corp. Those three are covered by deals that aren't expiring yet.

Separately, TV station owners are also negotiating deals with several cable systems around the country. About 650,000 subscribers of cable TV through Mediacom Communications Corp. in markets as large as Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are also in jeopardy of losing Fox and CBS broadcast signals as a fee dispute with Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. nears a midnight Thursday deadline.

Many of these disputes get resolved at the last minute with no disruption of service. Last year, Viacom Inc. threatened to pull Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and other channels from Time Warner Cable but the two reached a last-minute deal.

The last time a major broadcaster went dark on a cable TV operator was when The Walt Disney Co. asked Time Warner to pull signals from its 10 ABC stations in May 2000 in a fee dispute. Time Warner took the signal off for a day before succumbing to pressure and agreeing to an extension. A deal was made later that month.

"Normally they work things out," said Derek Baine, a senior analyst at SNL Kagan in Monterey, Calif. "But it's very hostile and it's very ugly."

Thomas Eagan, an analyst at Collins Stewart LLC, said Time Warner Cable would take the more direct hit from a standoff because subscribers could defect to one of its competitors, such as DirecTV or Verizon's FiOS.

Consumers would still be able to get the stations with an antenna if they have a digital TV or converter box, but most Americans these days get broadcast channels through subscription services such as cable TV or satellite. And if a channel gets pulled, they'll likely call their cable TV operator, not the network.

Although the networks are transmitted freely over the airwaves, the companies behind them have been increasingly demanding fees from the cable TV and satellite operators for retransmitting those signals, in part to pay for expensive event programming such as sports.

"It costs money to satisfy that thirst of consumers to go out and buy the product, the football, the baseball, the NASCAR," Tony Vinciquerra, chairman of Fox Networks Group, said in an interview. "To stay vibrant in the world of television, we need to be able to compete."

In the past, Fox had offered the broadcast signal from Fox-owned stations for free in exchange for subscriber fees on new cable channels it launched. Since 1994, Fox has started nearly a dozen cable channels, including FX, Speed, Fox College Sports and Fuel. But launching new channels has slowed, putting the focus on getting paid for the broadcast signals, which still command the largest TV audiences.

Fox is asking for $1 per month per subscriber, which Fox says is in line with what Time Warner Cable pays for the lower-rated cable channel, TNT. But Britt said his cable TV company has already cut deals for "much lower" than that with Fox affiliates -- stations that carry Fox programming but are owned by other companies.

He said any higher fees would need to be passed on to consumers in their monthly subscription bills.

Scott Varley, a 45-year-old Time Warner Cable subscriber in Los Angeles, said he would miss the Speed channel and other Fox programs if they were pulled. But he expects the sides will eventually reach a deal, and he's resigned to accepting whatever price increases his provider imposes.

"Everybody always complains that they don't want to pay more for cable, but they'll end up doing it because we don't have any choice."

AP Business Writer Andrew Vanacore in New York, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen in Los Angeles and AP Writer Mike Schneider in Orlando, Fla., contributed to this report.

 

Additional articles:

• CNN
• USA Today
  
• Dallas News
• New York Times

 

Learn more at  www.keepfoxon.com.

Information available by phone at: 1-866-KEEP-FOX

 

 

STILL NO DEAL

 

(from LATimes.com) - With only hours to go until their current contract expires, News Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. were still trying to hammer out a new deal for the cable system operator to carry News Corp.’s Fox TV stations and several of its cable networks. The likelihood of a new accord before today’s midnight deadline appeared to be quickly diminishing, and the possibility was increasing that millions of Time Warner subscribers could see Fox shows disappear from their TV screens. On Wednesday, News Corp. President Chase Carey, in a memo to the company’s employees, said, “At this time, it looks like we will not reach an agreement and our channels may very well go off the air.”…Cont…

Other cable channels to possibly be taken off of local BrightHouse/Time Warner cable systems: Fox Sports Florida, FX, Fox Soccer, Fuel TV, Speed, Sun Sports

LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Bart Simpson and the Sugar Bowl game could disappear from the TVs of Bright House Networks subscribers in Central Florida.

In dispute are the fees that the cable company pays FOX to carry its channels. In the past, the FOX network was offered for free. Now, the parent company of FOX, News Corp., is asking for $1 per subscriber every month for the network itself.

Vice President and General Manager of WOFL FOX 35 and WRBW My65 Stan Knott responds to questions about the negotiations between FOX and Bright House Networks.

 

 

In an interview with FOX 35's Bob Frier, Stan Knott addresses the following questions:

• What do viewers need to know about negotiations between FOX and Bright House?

 

• Hasn't broadcast television helped to make cable a viable business?

 

• How will you respond to callers on New Year's Day who can't find FOX 35 should an agreement not be reached?

 

• Why not just extend talks to allow FOX programming to appear on cable until an agreement is reached?

 

 

 

(Potentrially) Gone From Bright House... ROUND 2

Ava's Reaction to the LIN/BHN Bloodbath

Eff Landlord...

I recently installed a 13 foot antenna right outside my door and I was told to move it. Eventually, I moved it next to another antenna that was set up when the apartment complex was built--unfortunately, I tried to use it and got no results. I asked the maintence o fix their own antenna. Unfortunately, due to liability reasons, they couldn't. So I had no other alternative but to move my antenna right next to their antenna. This could not have come at a worst time.

Negotiations Continue...

Edited From Don Lundy @ WRTV Indianapolis

Others Losing Patience...

While I was driving up and down Marion, I saw a lot of people with outdoor antennas, satellite dishes and saw a lot of people at Radio Shack and Lowe's Hardware and said they were putting up outdoor antennas at their homes. Since I live in an apartment complex, I am not allowed to get satellite TV--I would have to move. So I had no choice but to place an outdoor antenna. Feel free to comment on how you are surviving this.

UPDATE: WISH-TV/Bright House Negotiations Continue...

An update on the LIN-TV/Bright House Networks Dispute:

From Michael Malone at Broadcasting & Cable: Confusion In LIN Markets, "Snow" In Indianapolis...With no retrans deal between LIN and Time Warner Cable in sight, viewers left out in the cold. - Viewers are equal parts confused, irritated and angry that LIN and Time Warner Cable (TWC) failed to reach a retransmission consent agreement late last week, resulting in 15 LIN stations being blacked out on Time Warner systems. TWC handed out some 50,000 antennas over the weekend to help viewers get the local picture. Many found the old-school technology insufficient. "Watching the Colts on Rabbit Ears yesterday was terrible but at least we got to watch it," one viewer wrote to WISH Indianapolis. (WISH is actually clashing with the cable provider Bright House Networks there, as Bright House negotiates its retrans deals through TWC.) "Yes, there was a lot of ! snow but it was better than nothing." (more)

INNEWSCENTER NOTE: This cable outage could potentially last into November or Early 2009.

UPDATE: Negotiations Continue

125,00 Indiana and 10,000 FL Panhandle households lose familiar TV face

(From IndyStar and WALA-TV) Bright House Networks subscribers woke up Friday to find WISH-TV (Channel 8 Indianapolis) and WALA-TV (Channel 10 Mobile/Pensacola) programming replaced with offerings from other channels. The cable company’s partner, Time Warner Cable, and LIN TV Corporation of Providence, failed to reach a deal on a retransmission consent contract. The deadline was 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Both sides had said they were hopeful a deal would be reached, but 11th-hour talks failed to produce one. On its Web site, WISH shows a video instructing people how to plug an antenna into the back of a TV and watching programming manually. “Contract negotiations are continuing in earnest,” Jeff White, president and general manager of WISH, said today. "... We're working with Bright House to get back on their air." “This issue continues to have everyone’s attention,” Buz Nesbit, president of Bright House Networks Indiana, said on the company’s Web site Thursday. “I fully expect to have this relationship restored.” For now, Bright House subscribers without an antenna for their TVs will be unable to watch Indianapolis Colts games and popular CBS shows, such as “CSI: Miami” and “Without a Trace,” until a deal is reached. Also affected are WIIH (Channel 17), WNDY (Channel 23), LWS (Channel 61) and WANE (Channel 15) for Marion viewers. Bright House serves about 125,000 households in Indiana.

10:03 AM - Stations gets support

LIN TV and its stations said in nearly identical statements on their Web sites that they have heard from many customers who want the issue resolved. "We thank you for your tremendous support throughout this dispute," the statements said. "We have received thousands of e-mails and phone call from viewers who understand our position and are willing to stand by our side." -- Associated Press

11:20 AM --- Bright House willing

TIme Warner Cable, which is negotiating on behalf of Bright House, is offering to resume talks with LIN TV Corp., but so far, there has been no answer, Bright House Network's Indiana division President Buz Nesbit said in a conference call today. He says the cable companies are offering multiple ways to settle the deal and reach a contract. WISH-TV and the other LIN-owned stations didn't go black at midnight exactly because talks were still going on. He says cable negotiators asked for an extension but LIN declined. "It is a very, very, very unusual situation," he said. In the meantime, Nesbit says it has a supply of antennas and AV switches that it will make available to customers for free. The company is encouraging subscribers to use them for the Colts game in case a deal hasn't been reached by Sunday. Until a deal is reached, Bright House is showing Starz Family on WISH (Channel 8), sports on LWS, SoapNet on WNDY, and Starz Family on WANE. On WIIH, which typically shows Spanish-language programming from Univision, Nesbit says the company is negotiating a side contract with Univision and should have it back up by the end of the day. -- Erika Smith

1:30 PM -- Talks resume

LIN TV spokeswoman Courtney Guertin said talks had resumed between the company and Time Warner Cable, which is representing Bright House Networks in its dispute with WISH-TV. “We are still actively negotiating and hope to come to a resolution,” she said. In a prepared statement, LIN TV said that Time Warner

was slow to react to demands for compensation by WISH and other LIN TV stations across the country. “We previously offered Time Warner an extension and they didn’t accept it, nor even respond. They finally sent their first serious proposal late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, and we worked diligently beyond midnight to close the gap, but were unsuccessful.” -- Erika Smith

5:30 PM -- Angry Colts Viewers...

Bright House Networks subscribers, angry about losing their signal to WISH and possibly to the Indianapolis Colts game Sunday, resorted to antennas and threats Friday to solve a problem that's largely out of their control. "If they don't get this straightened out, we're going to switch to DISH (Network) or something," said Chris Pfeiffer, an Indianapolis subscriber. Early Friday morning, Bright House stopped broadcasting WISH (Channel 8) after talks broke down between the cable company's partner, Time Warner Cable, and WISH's parent, LIN TV Corp. They failed to agree on a retransmission consent contract to carry the CBS affiliate here and channels on LIN stations in other states. Talks resumed Friday, but no agreement had been reached as of late Friday evening. LIN is seeking nearly $2.3 million a year to carry programming from WISH and four other Indiana stations. Bright House pays nothing for the stations now, but other providers do. "We hope to get it resolved as quickly as possible," said Jeff Simmermon, a Time Warner spokesman. "We're trying to shoot for something fair and equitable." The WISH blackout, which affects 125,000 Hoosier households, was supposed to occur at midnight Thursday. But the 11th-hour talks continued 15 minutes past the deadline. At that point, the story gets tricky. The cable companies say LIN negotiators walked away from the table -- a surprising move, they say, because Time Warner officials thought they had made enough headway to get a contract extension. Talks have been going on for months, they say. But LIN TV spokeswoman Courtney Guertin said Time Warner negotiators came to the table a week ago, not months ago, and offered their first serious proposal just hours before the deadline. The sides were just too far apart. "We previously offered Time Warner an extension, and they didn't accept it nor even respond," LIN said in a statement. Both WISH and Bright House say they've gotten calls from viewers who have taken their side. But they've also gotten a lot of angry calls. Pfeiffer said the call volume was so high at Bright House on Friday afternoon that she couldn't get through to complain. Downtown Indianapolis subscriber Patricia Moore decided to vent to LIN TV instead. She blames the company for being "greedy" by demanding money for programming that is otherwise free with an antenna. Her top concern is not being able to watch the Colts on Sunday on her high-definition TV. "I feel so powerless and put upon," Moore said. There's a chance many Hoosiers will flock to bars to watch this weekend's game against the Texans. Often, sports bars, such as the Blue Crew Sports Grill in Fishers, subscribe to a satellite TV service to show the games. WISH, for one, is encouraging viewers to switch to satellite. It teamed up with DISH Network to offer Bright House subscribers who switch a $50 gift card. That incentive will remain in effect through Oct. 12, regardless of whether LIN and Time Warner reach a deal, DISH spokeswoman Robin Zimmerman said. So far, it's unclear whether subscribers are jumping ship. Zimmerman said DISH has noticed a spike in the number of calls, but she could not attribute it to the WISH blackout. AT&T spokesman Chris Bauer said it's too early to tell how many subscribers are switching to its U-verse service. Bright House, in an attempt to keep customers happy, is offering free antennas and A/V switches so subscribers can pick up WISH over the air. The cable company will install them, but subscribers must schedule an appointment, said Buz Nesbit, president of Bright House's Indiana division. Rich Joubert, a McCordsville subscriber, couldn't wait that long. He bought an antenna during his lunch break Friday and griped in line with another customer holding rabbit ears. "I wasn't really surprised," he said of the blackout. "I kind of had a feeling that it was going to happen." Bright House is also offering free installations of its high-speed Internet service so subscribers can stream CBS shows over the Web. WISH-less Web users also can access today's broadcast of the American Family Insurance Circle City Classic parade at www.wishtv.com, said Jeff White, the station's general manager. Until a deal is reached, Bright House is showing other programming on the channels where WISH and other LIN stations used to be. Starz Family has replaced WISH, and the Big Ten Network is showing on WISH-HD (Channel 708). Sports is on LWS (Channel 61), SoapNet on WNDY (Channel 23) and Starz Family on WANE (Channel 15) for Marion viewers. As for WIIH (Channel 17), which typically shows Spanish-language programming from Univision, Nesbit said the company is negotiating a contract with Univision and should have the channel back up soon. "It is a very, very, very unusual situation," Nesbit said. Indeed, most disputes over retransmission deals don't result in a blackout, and if they do, they end quickly. At issue is a federal rule that, every three years, lets broadcasters choose to have their stations carried for free or demand compensation for their programming under a negotiable retransmission consent contract. Network affiliates, such as WISH, often go for the compensation because they think they have a product worth selling. WISH and other LIN TV stations are asking for "less than a penny a day, per station, per subscriber" from Bright House and Time Warner Cable, according to White. Under that formula, Bright House would have to pay nearly $2.3 million a year, a figure that probably would raise subscribers' bills. In addition to Indiana, this monthslong dispute affects Time Warner Cable's customers in Buffalo, N.Y., and Austin, Texas. Stations that LIN TV owns in those markets also went dark early Friday.

Saturday -- Ava's Statement

See Ava's Blog for details.

Sunday -- INNewsCenter Note

Due to the ongoing negotiations between WISH and Bright House, no new multimedia of INNewsCenter will be posted on either INNewsCenter on You Tube and INNewsCenter in High Definition on Veoh. Should the two parties come to an agreement before October is over, they will be posted.

BREAKING NEWS: GONE FROM BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS

OH MY GOD!

WHAT HAPPENED?!

Fox Cities TV is reporting that LIN TV stations Thursday warned their viewers that Time Warner Cable “has ceased” carrying their signals tonight after both sides were unable to reach a new retransmission-consent deal. The current agreement between Time Warner and LIN TV expired at 12:01 AM October 3, despite the fact  negotiations are continuing. The standoff involves 15 stations in Austin, Texas (KXAN/KNVA); Buffalo, N.Y. (WVIB/WNLO); Columbus, Ohio (WWHO); Dayton, Ohio (WDTN); Fort Wayne, Ind. (WANE-TV); Green Bay, Wis. (WLUK); Indianapolis (WISH/WNDY/WIIH); Mobile, Ala. (WALA/WPBG); Springfield, Mass. (WWLP); Terre Haute, Ind.(WTHI) and Toledo, Ohio (WUPW). In Indianapolis and Mobile Alabama/Pensacola, FL, the actual operator carrying several LIN-owned stations is Bright House Networks. Bright House has a business relationship with Time Warner, which negotiates its retransmission-consent deals in that market, according to a Bright House spokeswoman. CBS affiliate WISH-TV in Indianapolis on its Web site posted a message to Bright House customers, saying that as of midnight tonight the cable operator will no longer have the right to carry it, WNDY-TV, WIIH and LWS. In Buffalo the two LIN TV stations, CBS affiliate WIVB-TV and CW affiliate WNLO-TV, posted a very similar message to Time Warner subscribers in that market. In that upstate New York DMA, the LIN stations said, “Please know that we are disappointed we have not reached a deal yet and that our loyal viewers may no longer be able to watch their favorite programming on Time Warner's cable system.” “We have tried in earnest for two months to reach an agreement with Time Warner,” the Web posting continued. “The fact that we have agreements with every major cable, satellite and telecommunications company, except for Time Warner, makes the failure to reach an agreement with Time Warner even more frustrating.” Time Warner spokeswoman Robyn Watson said talks with LIN TV are continuing, and Bright House posted a detailed status report on its Web site telling customers it expects “a favorable resolution” of the situation with the broadcaster in Indianapolis. “We would like to reassure you that we believe there will be no interruption in service,” Bright House said. “We are confident that the signal will not be withheld…There have been times, in the past and recently, in which the cable television industry has faced hurdles in programming negotiations. We are proud that these have always resulted amicably and with no loss in programming to our customers.” In a series of eight bullet points, Bright House also said that LIN’s WANE-TV in Marion, Ind., is also involved in the retransmission-consent dispute. “We are aware of the importance of these stations and are taking all necessary steps to continue carriage,” Bright House said on its Web site. “We were very surprised to learn that LIN TV, owners of WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) appears to be considering removing their signal. We do not plan to not let that happen.” The issue being negotiated is the cash compensation that LIN TV is seeking for its stations. On the site in Buffalo, the LIN stations said, “We are asking Time Warner to pay fair market value for our programming, and our programming should not be free to one of the largest cable companies in the nation who wants to take our signal and resell it to you for a profit.” Time Warner doesn’t want to pay for broadcast programming that’s available for free over the air by anyone with an antenna. Also on Thursday, Pali Research analyst Rich Greenfield issued a response to a report he did Wednesday on the LIN TV-Time Warner negotiations. In that report, Greenfield noted that one of LIN’s stations, KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas, has posted a question-and-answer section about its dispute with Time Warner, and its position on retransmission-consent compensation. On the site, the station says, “Here is the basic analogy: If you were to get a drink of water at a public drinking fountain, it is free, but once the water is placed in a package, it is no longer free. The same holds true for local television programming delivered through a subscription-based provider.” Joseph Young, senior vice president and general counsel for Mediacom Communications, informed Greenfield that the Sinclair Broadcast Group had used a similar analogy, involving water, to argue its case for retransmission-consent compensation. “These arguments do not stand scrutiny,” Young said. “What the bottler charges for cannot be the water—which is free to everyone—because rational, informed consumers would not pay for a product that they can get for free.” What consumers would be paying for is the added value of a company putting the water in bottles, distributing it to retailers and making home delivery available, according to Young. “What they are paying for, then, is not the signal or its content, which are available for free, but instead the two values added by the cable company: delivery of better reception than is often available over the air and, for customers who desire to view the various cable networks available only through a subscription video service, the convenience of being able to seamlessly “flip” from cable networks to broadcast stations without having to use an ‘A/B’ switch or other method,” Young told Greenfield. Stay tuned to INNewsCenter for more developments as they become available. There is page on INNewsCenter called "THE WISH-TV Survival Guide."

UPDATE: LIN TV Sisters Potentially Gone from TWC/BHN

The ability of Bright House Networks customers to enjoy the state’s CBS broadcast affiliates may be in jeopardy, according to the Marion Chronicle-Tribune.. Bright House and LIN TV, a company that owns several Indiana television stations, have been unable to reach an agreement to extend Bright House’s contract to broadcast LIN-owned stations LIN owns three TV stations that are broadcast on Bright House in Grant County: WISH-Channel 8, Indianapolis’ CBS affiliate; WANE-Channel 20, Fort Wayne’s CBS affiliate; and WNDY-Channel 10, Indianapolis-based My TV. Buz Nesbit, the president of Bright House’s Indiana operations, said negotiations are ongoing and that he thinks a deal will be done by Thursday.

“I’m extremely optimistic that an agreement will be reached,” Nesbit said. “There has never been a broadcast signal removed from a Bright House Networks lineup due to lack of a negotiated contract.” But Jeff White, the president and general manager of WISH, didn’t share Nesbit’s optimism. “I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s not going in the direction that it’ll get done by (Thursday).” The sticking point in negotiations between the two companies has been the fee received by the LIN stations from the cable-service provider to air its networks. White said his company isn’t asking for a lot. “We’re looking for less than a penny per day per station per subscriber,” he said. He said the fee is something that the company has been able to work through in the past with other service providers, including DirecTV, Dish Network and Comcast. “Hopefully they understand in this marketplace this is something we need to do,” White said. Nesbit said the negotiation has centered around the fact that these are over-the-air broadcast stations. “They want us to charge cable subscribers to see a signal everyone else can get through over-the-air broadcasts,” he said. If a deal is not reached by Thursday, Bright House would be forced to cease broadcasting the signal for the LIN stations by 12:01 a.m. Friday. White said his company has been preparing for this possibility for several weeks and suggested that BHN subscribers begin taking steps to ensure broadcast continuity as well. Options include switching to Dish Network, DirecTV or setting up an antenna to receive the signal through the air. “We encourage people to explore the options they have available to them,” he said. Nesbit said this is just an example of LIN looking for new streams of revenue and that he thinks it benefits both parties to ensure continuity of service. “I’m hopeful this will get taken care of and the broadcasting stations recognize the responsibility they have to the community to provide programming, that it won’t be interrupted,” he said. Top-rated CBS programming includes 60 Minutes, CSI, Two and a Half Men and AFC football games, including many Indianapolis Colts games. According to the Buffalo Business Journal, Time Warner Cable/Bright House Networks officials said talks are continuing with LIN TV, owers of Indianapolis' WISH/WIIH/WNDY, Fort Wayne's WANE, Dayton's WDTN, Terre Haute's WTHI, and Toledo's WUPW. Time Warner’s licensing agreement with the Providence media giant expires on Thursday. Without a new agreement, the stations may potentially be pulled from its system. “We’re in negotiations, and we remain hopeful we can reach a deal,” said Robin Wolfgang, Time Warner vice president of public and government affairs. “Realize that this is being done on a corporate level -- and not locally.” Both LIN TV and Time Warner/Bright House have been running their own public-relations campaigns, warning viewers about the potential of the two stations being removed from the cable system.

UPDATE: LIN TV Sisteers Potentially Gone from Bright House Networks

Our friends at the Indianapolis Star report from September 16, that LIN TV, the parent company of WISH  said Monday that cable company Bright House Networks has been "unresponsive" to attempts to renegotiate an agreement to continue carrying the station as part of its Indianapolis cable lineup. If the contract with Channel 8, which carries Indianapolis Colts games, isn't extended by the expiration date of Oct. 2, the station could be unavailable to Bright House cable customers, who live mostly in the old Indianapolis city boundaries, says LIN TV Corp. Cable operators usually reach an agreement with popular TV channels before their cable expirations come due. Meanwhile, Bright House Networks has released a statement from its web site: You may have learned (through the news media) that the LIN-owned local broadcast stations WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) are considering withholding their signals from both Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks (BHN), effective October 2, 2008. Their announcement makes it sound like -- you -- as a BHN customer -- could possibly NO longer receive this station programming. We would like to reassure you that we believe there will be NO interruption in service. We are confident that the signal will NOT be withheld and that you will be able to continue to view WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) on your BHN -local cable system. We have carried all network broadcasters for about 30 years. There have been times, in the past and recently, in which the cable television industry has faced hurdles in programming negotiations. We are proud that these have always resulted amicably and with NO loss in programming to our customers. Most recently, we were able to begin to air the Big Ten Network. Rest assured that, we believe, the situation with WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) will not likely result in a loss of programming. Thanks for your commitment to BHN. We value our long-standing relationship with -- YOU -- our customer and with the Indianapolis communities. Quick information about this situation:

1. We anticipate a favorable resolution with WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) so that we can continue to bring you, our customers, important local programming and the Colts games without any interruption.
2. Since 1981, TWC and now BHN have been able to deliver WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) at no cost to you, our customers, and without any interruption. Please understand that these stations have the privilege of using FREE public air waves so both we, and they, have been “free” to the public -- you!
3. We are aware of the importance of these stations and are taking all necessary steps to continue carriage.
4. BHN is trying to manage costs for our customers; LIN TV is looking to make more money. This deal is being negotiated in good faith in an attempt to reach a fair and reasonable deal with broadcasters. We have always been able to reach a reasonable deal with broadcasters and have ensured that our customers do not have to bear the cost of the broadcaster’s business model.
5. We have successfully reached fair agreements with hundreds of broadcasters and cable networks across the country and are confident that we will with LIN TV, the owner of WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana).
6. We did provide our customers with the necessary 30-day legal notification as we are required to when there is potentially any change in programming. This notification is only a precaution, not any indication that negotiations are stalled. We are hopeful that we will reach a reasonable deal.
7. We were very surprised to learn that LIN TV, owners of WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) appears to be considering removing their signal. We do not plan to not let that happen.
8. BHN has hundreds of agreements across the country and are hopeful that the agreement with this station will continue as the others do/have. It is our hope that LIN’s management will align with our interest -- to continue to deliver WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, LWS and WIIH (Indianapolis) and WANE (Marion, Indiana) stations into your home.

Thanks for your patience. We will continue to post updates. As always, we are available by phone at 317-972-9700 (Indianapolis)/765-662-0071 (Marion, Indiana) if you would like to talk with one of our customer service representatives.

LIN TV Sisters Potentially Gone from Bright House Networks...

From WISH-TV.com and WANE-TV.com:

LIN TV Corp., parent company of Indianapolis' WISH-TV, MyNDY and WIIH, and Fort Wayne's WANE-TV announced Monday that its current contract with Bright House Networks, an affiliate of Time Warner Cable Inc., expires on October 2, 2008.  Since July 2008, LIN TV has attempted to reach a new long-term agreement or an extension agreement with Bright House Networks for WISH-TV, MyNDY and WIIH's analog and high-definition signals, however, Bright House Networks has not responded to its proposals. As a result, LIN TV expects Bright House Networks to discontinue carriage of WISH-TV, MyNDY and WIIH when the contract expires on October 2, 2008.  This will deprive viewers of important local news, traffic and weather, in addition to popular programming, including the NFL Colts Football games, and popular shows such as CSI, NCIS, Without a Trace and Survivor.

Fifteen LIN TV-owned local stations are currently carried by Time Warner in the following markets: Austin; Buffalo; Columbus; Dayton; Ft. Wayne; Green Bay; Indianapolis; Mobile; Springfield (Mass); Terre Haute and Toledo. LIN TV has successfully reached agreements with every major cable, satellite and telecommunications company, except for Time Warner, all of which have recognized the fair market value of its stations' signals.

"

Without fair market compensation, we will not be able to provide the premiere news, sports, entertainment, and other local programming, that is so important to our local viewers," said Jeff White, WISH-TV and WNDY President and General Manager. "It is unjust for cable companies to charge their subscribers a fee in their monthly bill for signals it does not pay to receive. We encourage viewers to visit our web site or call us toll free at 800-420-1213 for more information and alternative means to receive our signal." In the event that LIN TV's signals are pulled, viewers may continue to watch their local news and top-rated programming through alternative means, including switching to a satellite service such as DISH Network®. LIN TV has formed a marketing and promotional partnership with DISH Network to encourage consumers to switch to DISH Network if a LIN TV local station signal has the potential to become unavailable or is removed from a cable system. The parties jointly market LIN TV's availability on DISH Network so viewers will have the opportunity to continue watching their favorite local news and programming.