FCC pressures News Corp., Cablevision to resume talks
An announcement broadcast by Cablevision concerning the company's dispute with News Corp. Credit: TV screengrab
After two days of virtually no contact between Cablevision and News Corp., the Federal Communications Commission is exerting pressure on both sides to return to the bargaining table to settle their week-old dispute.
In a letter sent to the chief executives of both companies, William Lake, chief of the FCC Mass Media Bureau wrote: "Your contract dispute extends beyond just Fox and Cablevision. It affects millions of innocent consumers who expect to watch their preferred broadcast programming without interruption. We urge you to place the interests of these consumers first and conclude your negotiations promptly."
Bethpage-based Cablevision, which owns Newsday, declined to comment and instead issued a statement regarding the most recent FCC intervention: "We welcome the FCC's intervention. Whether through FCC action, binding arbitration or any other means, the time has come for News Corp. to end the Fox blackout of 3 million Cablevision households."
On Thursday, Cablevision updated the video message posted on Fox/5 and My9 screens, saying that "you may not know this," but Cablevision has "made several proposals" while "News Corp. [Fox's parent] has not budged off one cent."
The company did not immediately address the FCC letter, but put out its own statement, urging Cablevision subscribers who want to see the World Series [beginning Wednesday] to switch providers or purchase an over-the-air antenna.
The dispute, which began a week ago Friday at midnight when News Corp. pulled Fox/5 and My9, centers around the issue of retransmission fees. Cablevision says it pays News Corp. up to $70 million annually for all of its various Fox channels, while Fox is seeking $150 million.
Lake's letter comes after a week of barely muted frustration at the FCC. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has been especially critical of the pace of the negotiations, and in an unusual move the agency told followers on its Twitter feed on Tuesday that it will be "filling in the baseball void" - a reference to the blacked-out National League championship games - with tweets of the score. During the game Tuesday, four such tweets were released.
FCC spokesman David Fiske said he would "not argue with the characterization" that the tweets were made in protest over the ongoing dispute, but added, "my understanding [is] that that was the only day it happened" and that no others were planned.
In his letter, Lake wrote: "In particular, we request that you describe with specificity what has transpired since you initially began your negotiations, and detail the efforts your company is making to end the current impasse."
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
