Round One:WSOC announces it is trying to work things out with TimeWarner Cable, but things aren't looking so good. Company starts doling out shows that you won't be able to watch anymore - heavy hitters like Oprah, Grey's Anatomy, Lost and WSOC News
Round Two:TimeWarner starts sending out e-mails saying it was working with WSOC, until it went public with the problems and says WSOC just wants too much money.
The e-mail had quotes like "
Local ABC affiliate WSOC-TV has threatened to remove its programming from Time Warner Cable customers unless their unprecedented demands are met."
TWC says WSOC wanted millions more, because they weren't making the money they needed, saying "
That’s like asking you to pay extra rent now when your lease isn’t up until the end of the year, just because the landlord isn’t earning enough money from other tenants. It’s outrageous, and unfortunate that our customers could be the victims here."
The gut-punch in my opinion, was the following paragraph.
If TWC and WSOC-TV do not reach an agreement by April 1st and WSOC decides to pull its station from the channel line-up, customers will be able to access WSOC programming over the air with an antenna or online. Popular ABC programming such as Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, Lost and The View can be viewed at www.abc.go.com. Daytime programming such as All My Children and General Hospital can be viewed on SOAPnet and http://www.abc.go.com/.
Basically... if they pull ABC, you can still get it online and you won't miss anything. Ouch!
Round 3:
You didn't really think WSOC was just going to let that go, did you?
Nope. They replied via their website and Facebook, yup - online mediums!
Is WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV really asking for a fee that is 5 times more than other TV stations currently receive from Time Warner Cable?
No, while the agreements between TV stations and cable operators are confidential, it has been published that LIN TV reached an agreement in October 2008 with Time Warner cable asking for 30 cents per subscriber. WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV are seeking considerably less than 30 cents per subscriber for both stations combined.
The gut-punch from WSOC? The reply to "other options for getting programming" was to offer other options for television!
How can I get WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV?
There are lots of ways you can watch WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV in high definition. If you have a new digital set, it likely already is equipped with an in-set tuner that allows you to watch WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV without cable or satellite. You can also watch WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV if you sign up for one of the satellite services: DIRECTV (1-800-DIRECTV) , DISH Network (1-888-DISH-916) and AT&T Uverse. All three of these companies not only carry WSOC-TV’s standard signal in digital, they both offer High Definition boxes that, when connected to a standard antenna, will allow you to view our High Definition programming without any additional monthly charge.
Should be interesting to see where the bitch fight goes from here.
Stay tuned...if you can.
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