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Negotiations between Time Warner Cable and Hearst Television Broke Down

R

robmadden1

Time Warner says that Hearst pulled its signals at midnight because talks were at an impasse, according to Multichannel News http://www.multichannel.com/article...ner_Cable_Disconnect_over_Retrans_Dispute.php. The company said:

“Tonight, Hearst Television has chosen to black out their signals from our customers rather than continue negotiations, despite their CEO saying just two weeks ago that broadcaster blackouts are unfair to consumers. Time Warner Cable has reached hundreds of agreements with other broadcasters without broadcaster blackouts, but Hearst’s demand for a nearly 300% increase is way out of line. That kind of outrageous increase is unfair to our customers and unsustainable for our business. We believe broadcaster blackouts are wrong. Despite Hearst’s blackout, we stand ready to continue negotiations and are hopeful that their stations will be returned to our lineups shortly.”

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2012/07/09/no-word-yet-on-ch-5-time-warner/
 
This is making me wonder about WMTW-TV (ABC) channel 8 of Poland Spring, ME (Portland market). Time-Warner Cable is the major service provider in the city of Portland.
 
I saw this in a local paper online. I'm fortunate not to be in their territory. I have trouble with the station involved when I use an antenna, but it's farther away than other stations in the market. Fortunately, I get another NBC station on cable, and Time-Warner was providing one to people in the affected station's area.
 
If you're wondering which market is getting shut out, here they are:

ABC:
WTAE/Pittsburgh
WCVB/Boston
WMUR/Manchester
KETV/Omaha
WMTW/Portland
KMBC/Kansas City
KITV/Honolulu

NBC affiliates:
WESH/Orlando
WLWT/Cincinnati
WXII/Winston-Salem
WPTZ/Plattsburgh-Burlington

CBS:
WLKY/Louisville

The CW:
WKCF/Orlando
KCWE/Kansas City

Independent:
WMOR/Lakeland-Tampa

One gets the feeling that the only ones getting hurt are the networks and the viewers, especially NBC with the Olympics coming up and ABC in certain dayparts. Out here in Hawaii KITV and ME-TV is blacked out for now and we no other way to see ABC shows unless you have a OTA TV or subscribe to either Dish, DirecTV or Hawaii Telecom's new cable TV upstart.
 
mrschimpf said:
WLKY in Louisville is currently being replaced on TWC's acquired systems by WROC in Rochester.

The connection between all the replacement stations is they're owned by Nexstar, who isn't happy about their signals being piped across the country in affected markets.
Click to expand...

It seems TWC's mode of operating is to piss off as many people as possible. People complained about how Insight operated in this market before. TWC has nothing on Insight. The sad part is, 25% of the subscribers could leave and TWC would not miss the revenue.
 
I think it's funny, as many times as Nexstar has reached retransmission impasses with cable companies, that they are the scabs in a few of Hearst's markets now.

We are getting Hallmark Movie Channel and GAC in place of KMBC and KCWE in Kansas City; I'm surprised TWC hasn't reached a temporary deal with Nexstar's KQTV in St. Joseph.
 
only1moore said:
If you're wondering which market is getting shut out, here they are:

ABC:
WTAE/Pittsburgh
WCVB/Boston
WMUR/Manchester
KETV/Omaha
WMTW/Portland
KMBC/Kansas City
KITV/Honolulu
Click to expand...
...WISN-TV/v12 Milwaukee (Hearst's second-longest term license overall) isn't involved in this spat?...
 
TheRob said:
We are getting Hallmark Movie Channel and GAC in place of KMBC and KCWE in Kansas City; I'm surprised TWC hasn't reached a temporary deal with Nexstar's KQTV in St. Joseph.
Click to expand...

Would that be permissible since KQTV services another DMA and is a distant network signal? I'd think network nonduplication could be enforced by KMBC. So, I'm doubting a deal, but TWC might go ahead and import a distant network signal there if they are doing so elsewhere.

ABC would likely side with Hearst on this one, even if it means ABC network losing exposure for a short period on TWC in KC.
 
azumanga said:
On Bright House in Orlando, WESH was replaced by WBRE in Wilkes-Barre, PA -- why couldn't they import a much-closer NBC affiliate, like WFLA in Tampa?

http://networkedblogs.com/zJMOu
Click to expand...

Is WBRE on satellite, besides spotbeam on DirecTV or Dish? Could be technically easier and cheaper than getting a fiber link from an out of market station that might not agree for its signal to be out of market.
 
ding12 said:
So, I'm doubting a deal, but TWC might go ahead and import a distant network signal there if they are doing so elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I know from the past, cable companies can carry distant network signals and the 5 superstations and for each just pay the equivalent of a copyright fee, which doesn't go to the actual station owner. However, network non duplication and syndicated exclusivity can be enforced by local stations.

Perhaps there is a waiting period from the time a local station can submit that request to the time that it has to be enforced, so this is the maneuver TWC is doing to carry WBRE out of market hundreds of miles away, with the anticipation of course that a deal will be done, but their customers aren't hostaged to loss of network service in the interim.
 
Ocala,FL can pickup a feed of Gainsville local channels to. Lake of the Ozark and Sedaila,MO picked up two sets of local Channels. KSPR/KMIZ/Topeka's ABC/CW and so on are near by. Comcast should just bought TWCKC in KC area.
 
Ultimajock said:
...WISN-TV/v12 Milwaukee (Hearst's second-longest term license overall) isn't involved in this spat?...
Click to expand...

They had a separate deal in which Time Warner provides WISN-TV's direct fiber signal to non-affected Charter Communications systems, which serves the outer ring of the Milwaukee market, under a side agreement, which is why they were spared from the standoff.
 
ding12 said:
TheRob said:
We are getting Hallmark Movie Channel and GAC in place of KMBC and KCWE in Kansas City; I'm surprised TWC hasn't reached a temporary deal with Nexstar's KQTV in St. Joseph.
Click to expand...

Would that be permissible since KQTV services another DMA and is a distant network signal? I'd think network nonduplication could be enforced by KMBC. So, I'm doubting a deal, but TWC might go ahead and import a distant network signal there if they are doing so elsewhere.

ABC would likely side with Hearst on this one, even if it means ABC network losing exposure for a short period on TWC in KC.
Click to expand...

KMBC and KQTV are both available on the cable system in St Joesph with no syndex blackouts while the new fox station KNPN replaced WDAF on the cable system there, it might depend the agreements between the networks and stations and how much protectionism is in the agreements
 
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