The latest argument between a station and a cable provider pits WABC against Cablevision, with the possibility of Cablevision subscribers losing Channel 7 by 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. WABC News reports that due to "an impasse in retransmission negotiations with Cablevision"—negotiations that have lasted over two years—ABC may pull itself from Cablevision, affecting subscribers in Long Island, Westchester, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and some areas of Connecticut and New Jersey. And here they thought missing out on Iron Chef was bad.
Rebecca Campbell, President and General Manager of WABC-TV, said that Cablevision has "no intention of coming to a fair agreement" regarding how much ABC is paid for its programming. But Charles Schueler, Cablevision's Executive VP of Communications, says that ABC Disney has threatened to pull the plug if Cablevision doesn't play "$40 million in new fees for programming that it offers today for free, both over-the-air and online," and that those fees will go directly to the subscriber's bill. (Their full statements below).
To make matters worse, the deadline for this agreement comes 16 hours before ABC is slated to broadcast the Academy Awards, leaving thousands to wonder who Sandra Bullock wore if no deal is reached.
Update: Here's the full statement WABC 7 general manager Rebecca Campbell:
"With the help of our viewers, we've built ABC7 into the most watched station in the country, and have been trying for two years to get Cablevision to acknowledge the station's value to their business. Despite our best efforts, it has now become clear that Cablevision has no intention of coming to a fair agreement. We can no longer sit back and allow Cablevision to use our shows for free while they continue to charge their customers for them. We've worked too hard and invested too many millions of dollars in programming and community outreach, to be taken advantage of any longer - especially since our viewers can watch their favorite ABC7 shows free, over-the-air, or by switching to one of Cablevision's competitors."
There's a Save ABC 7 website.
And the statement from Cablevision EVP of communications Charles Schueler:
"We pay more than $200 million a year to ABC Disney for their programming and now they say they will pull the plug unless Cablevision pays $40 million more in new fees for the exact same channels. It is not fair to force Cablevision customers to pay a new TV tax for programming ABC Disney gives away free, both over-the-air and on the Internet. In tough economic times, it is shameful that ABC Disney would hold viewers hostage by threatening to pull the plug, and we urge them to work with us to reach a fair agreement.”
Cablevision has a site for its subscribers to complain to WABC 7, even positioning the additional $40 million as a way to "help pay the salaries and bonuses for top ABC executives."
