Tribune's WPIX, Three Other Stations Go Dark on Cablevision

MSO and broadcaster are latest to spar over retrans fees

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/17/2012 9:16:50 AM

Cablevision Systems and Tribune Co. are the latest to step into the retransmission-consent fee boxing ring, after the broadcaster's WPIX and three other stations were pulled from the MSO's systems at around midnight Friday.

WPIX, affiliatied with The CW, was dropped from Cablevision's New York-area lineups. The others are WCCT (CW) in Hartford, Conn., carried in a small portion of Connecticut; KWGN (CW) in Denver, carried in some of Cablevision's Optimum West markets (formerly Bresnan Communications); and Philadelphia's WPHL (MyNetwork), which had been available in a small portion of New Jersey.

According to Tribune, Cablevision pulled WPIX and the other stations while the previous retrans agreement was still in effect.

Click here to read the full story at Multichannel News.

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Every Cablevision customer should be ashamed of both Sam Zell and Tribune for this blackout that result in the viewers from being able to watch their favorite shows with Cablevision. I feel that Sam Zell and Tribune are both trying to be like the Neil Bogarts of Casablanca Records fame of the 1970's disco era, the Trinity Broadcasting Network's, the David Smith (one of the Smith brothers from Sinclair Broadcast Group), the Harry Pappas as part of the Pappas Telecasting Companies, the Bernard Madoff's, the Enron's, the Worldcom's, the Adelphia's, the Tyco's, and the Martha Stewart's, of the 2000's by letting broadcast greed get out of control so all of the head employees and bosses at Tribune to be able to enjoy carefree lavishly spending to support carefree lavishly lifestyles with luxurious homes, luxurious jets, luxurious cars, join luxurious clubs, and have other luxurious items just to make them very happy then trying and willingness to improve the quality of all the stations they owned and control and making the viewers happy as well. I feel that Sam Zell has not learned enough from the Tribune bankruptcy in 2008. I hope and I wish that both Sam Zell and Tribune get scolded by both by the ACA and the FCC for making the viewers being forced to deal with this blackout because they could not make a deal to get the stations back to it's customers sooner and with a fair deal with Cablevision. I hope and I wish that Sam Zell and Tribune goes out of the broadcast business in owning TV stations. I feel that both Sam Zell and Tribune are trying to bribe like the General Tire/RKO General of the 1960's and 1970's by not being very honest of not only the viewers by making them miss the shows on Cablevision and also on themselves. I hope and I wish that the FCC would force Sam Zell and Tribune to allow Cablevision to carry it's stations without any interference, in the event Sam Zell and Tribune fails to allow Cablevision to carry it's stations, then the FCC would force Sam Zell and Tribune to allow Cablevision to import out of market stations that are very real close to the station being blacked out being affiliated with the same network, in the event Sam Zell and Tribune fails allow Cablevision to import out of market stations that are very real close to the station being blacked out being affiliated with the same network, then the FCC would allow Cablevision to carry the out of market station with the same affiliation without any restrictions and also be allowed to continue to carry the out of market station that it's digital television signal is reachable by a outdoor antenna including both it's SD and HD feeds on the cable system even after the dispute is over without any interference for 12 whole years to meet FCC rules and regulators. I would gladly love to see that Sam Zell and Tribune to surrender, give up, and forfeit control of all the stations they owned and then the FCC would allow all the broadcasters be allowed to purchased any of the stations Sam Zell and Tribune owns and control with the broadcasters being required to make a real big concession that they would promised not to have any difficulties with all the cable and satellite operators when making deals to carry stations without any interference for 12 whole years with me preferring CBS to own WPIX, KTLA, WGN, and WDCW, News Corp to own WPHL, KTXL, KSWB, the Seattle duo, the Indy duo, the Connecticut duo, the New Orleans duo with 38 to MYNET, 26 to FOX, 54 to CW, and 8 to ABC, the Denver with KWGN to FOX with KDVR to CW, the Saint Louis with KPLR to FOX with KTVI to ABC and KDNL to CW, and WSFL to MYNET, and the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston CW stations going to Belo to meet FCC rules and regulators. I feel that both Sam Zell and Tribune are way too busy being the Carly Rae Jepsen Call Me Maybe, Rebecca Black Friday, Double Take Hot Problems and Guns N Roses Axl Rose as well as trying be act like the Lyle and Erik Menendez's as the greedy murderers, the Jeffrey Ireland's and the Patrick Jones's as the drunks, the Rodney Dangerfield's, the John Belushi's, and the Chris Farley's as the comedians, the John Robert Ewing's and the Cliff Barnes's, the Charles Montgomery Burn's, the Homer and Bart Simpson’s, the Peter Griffin’s, the Garfield cats, the Cookie Monster's, the Miss Piggy’s, the Victor Newman’s of the broadcasting industry of not coming to reach a deal with Directv to carry it's stations to the viewers with Cablevision. I feel that both Sam Zell and Tribune are trying to turn into the 1919 Chicago White Sox's baseball team and the Southern Methodist University football of the 1980's to force Cablevision to accept a take it or leave it deal to carry it's stations. I urge all of the viewers with Cablevision to boycott both Sam Zell and Tribune right now for making the Cablevision viewers suffer from being able to watch their favorite shows.

James Cieloha - 8/17/2012 8:08:46 PM EDT

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Tribune's WPIX, Three Other Stations Go Dark on Cablevision

MSO and broadcaster are latest to spar over retrans fees

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