Bright House may lose Fox programming

A contract squabble between two media giants could see Fox broadcasting stations and Fox-owned networks disappear from cable systems such as Bright House Networks in less than two weeks.

Fox News Corp. which owns WTVT, Channel 13, is threatening to pull all of its holdings off cable systems programmed by Time Warner if the cable company doesn't agree to pay a $1 month fee for every subscriber.

Time Warner is refusing to pay, accusing Fox of being "unfair to American families" by threatening to withhold programs.

Fox has taken out full-page advertisements in newspapers, including The Tampa Tribune, as well as set up a Web site ( www.keepfoxon.com) and a hot line (1-866-KEEP-FOX).

Cable subscribers are being warned by Fox that by Jan. 1 they could lose popular programs such as "American Idol," "24," "Glee" and "House" and local newscasts on affiliate Fox 13.

Gator fans also would miss out on the Jan. 1 Allstate Sugar Bowl featuring Florida versus Cincinnati. And News Corp. also would yank off FX, Fox Movie Channel, Speed, Fuel TV and regional Fox Sports networks.

A company spokesperson said Fox News Channel and Fox Business Channel would remain because they are part of a separate contractual arrangement

Time Warner, which provides content for Bright House, has launched its own campaign. On its new "Roll Over or Get Tough" Web site, Time Warner says, "Some TV networks have demanded that we pay them a lot more for their programming, ... up to 300 percent more than what we are currently paying. We don't think that's fair, especially considering the economic reality everyone is facing today."

The fee squabble covers several markets where long-term deals with Fox television stations are about to expire, including Tampa, Orlando, New York and Los Angeles.

A $1 fee per subscriber may not sound like much, but in the Tampa Bay area alone there are nearly 1 million subscribers. Overall, 13 million subscribers would be affected.

In the past, major networks have not received fees for allowing their broadcast network channels to be carried on cable, although they have been paid for their cable channels.

Such brinksmanship sometimes happens during contract renewals, and the sides usually resolve their differences before viewers notice a difference and potentially alter their viewing habits.

The stakes are higher than normal this time, though, because the fight could set a precedent if Fox ends up getting a fee from Time Warner.

With dwindling advertising revenue, broadcast networks are looking at the cable retransmission fees as a possible revenue source.

Even though this dispute would affect WTVT and Bright House locally, the battle is being fought by News Corp. and Time Warner.

"We've been through these kinds of negotiations before, and it's going to be Fox and Fox alone that could decide to take off their programming," said Joe Durkin, Tampa Bay area spokesman for Bright House. "We want to carry the programming, and it would be a shame not to have the Sugar Bowl and miss Tim Tebow's last game."

News Corp. officials wouldn't comment beyond a statement that says Fox has attempted to negotiate "in good faith" with Time Warner for the past nine months.