Some 3 million Cablevision customers in the top TV market in the United States — Long Island, Westchester, Brooklyn, and parts of Connecticut and New Jersey — could miss this weekend’s Oscar telecast if the cable company doesn’t reach a re-transmission agreement with WABC-TV Channel 7. Starting today, the ABC-owned station began running on-air alerts that warn subscribers of an impending blackout that could start at 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday unless a new deal is reached. Affected subscribers who don’t want to miss the awards show will have options, including receiving WABC-TV the old-fashioned way, free and over-the-air.
ABC released this statement today on behalf of Rebecca Campbell, WABC-TV’s President and General Manager: “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.”
A similar standoff occurred late last year between Time Warner and Fox, but it was resolved in January.
UPDATE: Cablevision responded with this statement from Charles Schueler, an exec VP of communications and community relations: “It is shocking that in these difficult economic times, ABC Disney is threatening to remove WABC unless Cablevision and its customers pay $40 million in new fees for programming that it offers today for free, both over-the-air and online. It is not fair for ABC Disney to hold Cablevision customers hostage by forcing them to pay what amounts to a new TV tax. We urge ABC Disney not to pull the plug and instead work withus to reach a fair agreement.”
A similar standoff occurred late last year between Time Warner and Fox, but it was resolved in January.
All joking aside, I loathe Cabelvision. They just screwed us out of two months of HGTV and Food Channel. Their boxes suck and the signals get weak intermittently. I hope the company and everyone who works for them go bankrupt. They took off a bunch of channels after the conversion to digital in an effort to get you to by another box at 10 bucks extra per month. The repair guy is pretty cool though. Seriously though, pitchforks are coming if I miss my Oscars.
I dropped Cablevision as soon as Verizon was available in my area.
I have had no regrets.
That’s all well and good, but at least those of us who live in the town of Brookhaven still don’t even have that option
It’s either CABALVISION or The Dish®, so I’m stuck too.
Verizon is awesome
I changed to Fios two years ago and have been quite happy. More channels, multi-room DVR, and no limits on how many computers can be connected to the modem. We’d also been having problems with our cablevision phone connection and they ceased as soon as we switched.
I have Cablevision and know how you feel Pauly.
I’ll bring the torches and the angry mob free of charge.
Cablevision is classless. Anyone who saw the 10 minute explanation on their side of the Scripps argument, which they played on continuous loop on both Food Network and HGTV until the end of the disagreement knows that this company does NOT have their customers in mind. They used their power to try and blame the whole thing on Scripps and now look what’s happening. Unfortunately, no FIOS in this area or cablevision would have been off my tv a LONG time ago!
By the way, CEO James Dolan is a piece of garbage.
WTF?!?!?!
In this glorious age of internet information, I can’t imagine you not finding a generous amount of dirt on this–to excerpt a Baldwin–dirty little pig.
Thank god i dont live there
At least Channel 7 gave Cablevision subscribers enough notice about a possible shut out. For those not in the New York area, there was no notice that HGTV and Food Network was pulling the plug on Cablevision until it happened.
I have worked at cablevision for the last ten years and I can tell you for a fact that James Dolan is a money grubbing PIG. The services we provide to the customers are marginal and this is the new way of squeezing money out of the consumer a little more each year.
Free and over the air will require the purchase and installation of an antenna for HD sets and a converter box and antenna for those who use analog sets connected to a cable box (people who never thought they’d need a converter box because they had cable). So it will not be free to watch ABC during the standoff.
Think about this as you blame Cablevision for the potential interruption on ABC service … if ABC charges Cablevision (and then other cable providers) to rebroadcast ABC signals, then you can count on your cable bills going up at least at much as ABC is charging for the rebroadcast right. Do you really want to pay your cable company more money to watch ABC programming that is free to everybody without cable? That ABC freely gives away on the Internet? Does that seem reasonable to you. I am siding with my own interests here and not those of ABC or the cable companies.
I am not a Cablevision customer. I am stuck with Time Warner and Comcast. I have cable partly because the over the air signals are not strong where I am and partly for the cable-only channels. For this privilege I pay enormous monthly fees. I am unwilling to pay an additional fee in order to watch ABC in realtime on cable its programming is available free from so many other sources. Should ABC negotiate a fee structure with my cable companies for this programming and should my cable companies raise my rates, I will have not choice but to downsize my cable services to off set the additional fees.
Meanwhile I fail to see how ABC can believe that we should blindly pay extra for stuff they give away free just because we watch it via a cable box instead of through the air or on the Internet.
Much as you are complaining about Cablevision now, just wait until your rates go up in order to pay ABC. Then you will complain about rate increases just as loudly.
Meanwhile, perhaps the taxpayers who own the airwaves should finally tell ABC and the other broadcasters that we are charging too little for the use of the limited public resources that they are using to broadcast their shows and raise THEIR rates. Certainly the U.S. Treasury could use the added cash.
Spoken like a true company SHILL.
Is that all you have to say? How original. And which company do you allege that I am shilling for? I mention several.
Am I shilling for Cablevision, a company that I do not work for and do not have any contact with? What about Time Warner and/or Comcast, companies to which I pay several hundred dollars a month and have no wish to pay more and to whom I complain regularly about service? ABC, a company I just complained about here? The Federal government because talked about how little they are charging broadcasting companies for using the public airwaves? Come on … at least be specific in you criticism. But I would guess that to you anybody who has a different viewpoint will always be a shill.
Charge the customers more? Let me start by suggesting that Cablevision CEO Jim Dolan take home no more than $100k/year before taxes? The rest of his $1.5Million salary, plus bonuses, can go to pay ABC’s fees so that his customer’s don’t have to take the hit. Oh wait, how can someone POSSIBLY live on only 100k/yr? He might have to do things that normal people (like his customers) do, like live in an average house and drive a Chevy. How could I possibly fathom the thought…?
I HAVE HAD IT WITH CABLEVISION’S BULLSH*T!!! ENOUGH WITH THIS NONSENSE, I DESERVE TO HAVE ALL THE CHANNELS I PAY FOR! FIRST I AM CUT OFF FROM THE FOOD NETWORK AND HGTV FOR A MONTH, AND NOW AT THE MOST CRUCIAL TIMING, WHAT WITH THE NEW SEASON OF LOST AND DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, AS WELL AS THE OSCARS, THEY DECIDE TO CUT OFF ABC? WELL, FU*K YOU, CABLEVISON! FU*K YOU WITH A MOTHERFU*KING STICK!!! GO DIE IN A DITCH SOMEWHERE, YOU BUNCH OF MISCREANTS!!! DIRECTV, HERE I COME!
Oligarchs at WABC and Cabalvision, and who suffers? Us. Customers are last as a PR war plays out the “it’s not our fault” songbook to confuse us. Lobbyists and millionaires is what this country is all about. We need a Robespierre to work from the top down. Clean it out a little bit.
Must we go through this again?! First HGTV & Food Network, now ABC?! The fact that it was just announced during the Bachelor was not a coincidence as well as picking the day of the Oscars! I pay way too much for my service to be treated as though I don’t matter although my money sure does! Shame on you Cablevision, charging all that money and using greed as a reason to treat your customers like dirt. I don’t have much choice in alternative providers, but enough is enough! Like your slogan says, “It’s either Optimum or it’s not” I choose not! Leave ABC and all the channels I pay for alone!
Cablevision has charged it’s customers for years for free TV, now that ABC wants a cut, they cry.
How about this, ABC drops this $40 million dollar charge and Cablevision stops charging $15+ for free TV?
That’s $15+ a month from over 3 million subscribers.
But let’s face it. ABC will get their money, Cablevision will raise their rates and everyone wearing really expensive suits win.
And Cablevision will continue to be more expensive than the DISH network, Verizon etc.
before you comment do your homework
I’m interning at Cablevision (working on public access) so I should have some loyalty to them, but these problems just keep popping up. If I miss my shows because of this I’m convincing my parents to switch.
My mom has been watching the ABC soaps for 30 years. If she loses those she’ll flip a you-know-what.
Keep ABC and dump all the non English programing that we pay for and do not watch
Please delete this racist comment.
Did you know that a person who only speaks on language is considered illiterate? Charlie’s comments demonstrated how trash and hicks lurk in the borders of civilization!!!
Not being able to read or write is what makes you illiterate, not being able to only speak one language, dumbass. Try making yourself familiar with a dictionary.
That wasn’t me. That was another Charlie.
Not only will Cablevisiom subscribers miss the Oscars, what about all of us who have watched Lost for the last 5 years? Now that the series is ending, how many episodes will we miss if this dispute is not resolved? Neither ABC nor Cablevision care. It’s all about the money. If the Oscars or Lost are held hostage, I suggest that all subscribers cancel their service and go to satellite or FIOS if they can.
Isn’t it ALWAYS Cablevision causing these problems? Since the government doesn’t want to do something about it, I guess the public should. Why stop at pitchforks? Just camp outside the Cablevision HQ and give the suits a little something to remember ya by…
Anyone notice the common denominator? ABC is saying what Scripps said… Cablevision is not coming to a fair agreement.