Time Warner , Sinclair at odds over HD

[Gregg Lengling]

http://www.dispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/01/20060201-C5-04.html

Viewers who plan to watch Super Bowl XL in the high-definition format shouldn't count on doing so via Time Warner Cable.

Negotiations between Sinclair Broadcast Group, parent company of ABC affiliate WSYX-TV (Channel 6) and Fox affiliate WTTE-TV (Channel 28), and Time Warner remain deadlocked.

Super Bowl XL will air Sunday on ABC.

Sinclair general counsel Barry Faber offered little hope yesterday that an agreement would be reached.

"We made a proposal many months ago — March, I think," Faber said. "They made a counterproposal some months later — December, perhaps."

Time Warner's counterproposal failed to satisfy Sinclair, so another round of proposals and counters began.

Carrying HDTV signals is the latest front in a long struggle between broadcasters and cable systems over payments for programming.

Sinclair and other broadcasters have argued that, because cable and satellite services pay cable networks for programming, broadcast stations should be compensated, too.

Time Warner and other cable and satellite companies have contended that, because such stations are offered free to viewers over the airwaves, programming fees shouldn't be charged.

Faber suggested that HD viewers switch to Wide Open West.

[FiberOptic]

This is a joke?  Right?

[Gregg Lengling]

This is a joke?  Right?

Uh.....NO....look at the link for the origin of the story, this is in Columbus!!!!
 :bang:

[gparris]

I understand what Gregg is trying to say here is that we in Milwaukeeland, who have TWC HD, do not "suffer" the problem of Sinclair with ABC HD like some other TWC HD subscribers do - reference this location-like when a sports event of this Sunday's game occurs.

Comcast had a problem with its Sinclair locations, last year I believe and decided to make peace with them and the customers got their HD channel for the game that day. Later, Comcast decided to fix that HD channel carriage in all or most of its SBG owned stations in its system unlike TWC has.

[jrowland96]

From what I've read on other forums, this is an ongoing thing in columbus, and they've NEVER had the local ABC affiliate braodcast in HD, so no surprise that the super bowl won't be in HD in Columbus.

[Mark Strube]

This is hilariously ridiculous... Sinclair and TWC are both just shooting themselves in the foot... over and over and over again.

[John L]

This is hilariously ridiculous... Sinclair and TWC are both just shooting themselves in the foot... over and over and over again.

I am blaiming the fault at Sinclair.  I mean no other broadcast O & O stations seem to demand the cable system to pay them to carry thier station.  So what makes Sinclair boss?

Eventually, and I predict that WVTV-18 will be the new The CW affiliate and WCGV-24 will be a independent by September.  Non of those probably won't offer HD on TWC unless they resolve the issue by then.  Obviously The CW will be offering HD programming.

-John L.

[Joseph S]

TWC might produce better programming running an anti-Sinclair network with interviews from the CEO's hooker, the folks that got sold lemons from the used car dealership the "company" bought him, and videos of the illegal helicopter rides they gave candidates for office.

At least their sorry "news" is going the way of the dodo. It's 2006 and I still can't watch 18 because their antenna is aimed the wrong way at low power compared to rivals.
 :bang: