Sinclair vs. Comcast-Richmond Va. Fox TV threatens to pull cable hookup tonight (Idol/NASCAR)

[underpants]

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193424810

Richmond-area Comcast subscribers could temporarily lose access to "American Idol," NASCAR races and other Fox programming after midnight tonight.

Comcast Corp. and Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., which owns Fox Richmond, are negotiating a deal that would require the nation's largest cable company to pay for use of Sinclair's TV stations.

Comcast and Sinclair's retransmission agreement, which covers regular and high-definition channels, was set to expire Feb. 4 but was pushed back until tomorrow. If no deal is made by then, Comcast may have to remove Fox Richmond until an agreement is in place.

Fox Richmond would remain available over-the-air from an antenna for free.

Cable companies generally believe they do not have to pay for service because the channels are available free over the air. Satellite companies pay broadcasters for service, and stations make money from TV advertising.

Bill Lane, general manager at Fox Richmond, said Sinclair is adamant about resolving the issue as soon as possible, "and we're doing everything that we think is fair and just to see that happen."

[KharmaTrain]

1. Expect More Of This To Come...

The digital change-over for over-the-air television is less than two years away and the broadcasters want to find ways to cash in on those cable eyes like Faux, CNN, ESPN, MTV and the other networks do. These large
channels get a kickback from the cable operators where the over-the-air channels and the major networks are cut out of the action. With digital, the major broadcasters want to have the cable companies cut them in on the action. On the other side are cable operators who have long hated the "must carry" rule that forces them to carry all the signal in an area...with digital, a television station can transmit up to 5 seperate programs that could be construed as "must carry" that would force operators to cut back on the more lucrative cable paying customers.

With local advertising revenues down for broadcast, TV stations are looking for new "revenue streams" and your cable and satellite bill is where they're looking. Those who get greedy deserve to get burned...and between Con-Crap, Faux and Sinclair, i'd be hard-pressed to root for anyone. Thank goodness for the internet and DVDs.