LIN Faces Off With TWC

As the Oct. 1 federal deadline approaches for broadcasters to tell cable operators their plans for retransmission consent, several are putting cash demands on the table, reports our sister mag Multichannel News. Stations are not being shy about their demands, says American Cable Association president Matt Polka. 

“I have seen the gamut of requested fees so far ranging from 40 cents to $1.10 per station, per subscriber, per month,” he said.

As my colleague Bob Marich reported a few weeks back, one clash of the titans worth watching is LIN and Time Warner Cable. Their contract ends October 2, and some 15 LIN stations in Time Warner markets could conceivably be pulled. LIN says negotations are ongoing. Two weeks ago, LIN chief Vince Sadusky said:  “I can’t imagine we can’t come to terms with these guys."