On October 2nd, you could lose your favorite programming…
[SIZE=3]KNOW THE FACTS![/SIZE]
Time Warner Cable has a short-term agreement to carry the signals of WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 on its cable system. The agreement expires on October 2, 2008. For the past two months, our parent company, LIN TV, has attempted to reach a new long-term agreement with Time Warner.
We are asking our viewers who subscribe to Time Warner Cable to insist that Time Warner Cable be fair to you and be fair to Buffalo’s #1 rated “News 4 - Keeping You Connected”!
FACT: Time Warner Cable thinks that it can carry WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23’s signals without paying fair market value, yet still charge you for it!!
Time Warner Cable benefits financially from including broadcast stations, like WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23, in its line-up, and like any other business, they should pay fair market compensation, or less than a penny a day per station/per subscriber, for that ability to resell our station’s programming to its subscribers.
Local broadcast stations are among the most important channels cable operators provide. WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo reports – around-the-clock – on Buffalo’s news, politics, traffic, weather emergencies, public service announcements and has been major part of the community since 1948.
FACT: It is unlawful for Time Warner Cable to broadcast our signals without a contract.
Under Federal law, Time Warner Cable cannot carry our signals without a contract. If we do not reach an agreement by October 2, 2008, Time Warner will no longer have the legal rights to carry WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 on its cable system and will deprive viewers of popular sports programming, including Buffalo Bills NFL Football games, the AFC Divisional playoff games on January 10, and January 11, 2009, as well as the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009, and entertainment programming including The Price is Right, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
FACT: WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 are FREE… but only for viewers with an antenna.
WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 does transmit our programming over the airwaves and customers can get our signals for free via an antenna. That does not mean, however, that Time Warner Cable, one of the largest cable companies in the United States, has the right to take our signal for free and resell it to you for a profit.
Here is a basic analogy: If you were to get a drink of water at a public drinking fountain, it is free, but once the water is placed in a package, it is no longer free. The same holds true for local television programming delivered through a subscription-based provider.
FACT: It is untruthful for Time Warner Cable to blame WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 for rising cable rates!
Time Warner Cable already charges you for local stations. They do not have to raise rates.
FACT: Time Warner Cable pays for other channels – channels that you may not even watch!
Time Warner Cable pays cable networks, such as ESPN, TNT, Disney, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, and the list goes on and on. Cable companies often say that local broadcasters have “unreasonable demands” and they are trying to “protect their subscribers from increasing their rates”. If that were true, why are they paying cable networks that have far less viewership than us?
We do not believe that less than a penny day per station/per subscriber is an unreasonable demand for our award-winning news, sports and entertainment programming. It is actually much less than what cable companies compensate many of its cable networks, none of which have the high viewing of your local CBS station.
FACT: This is an issue that affects not only WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 but all broadcasters.
Most cable operators, like their satellite and telecommunications competitors, now understand and acknowledge that fair and equitable compensation is the norm. Many carriage agreements between local stations and cable systems are expiring soon. Broadcasters across the country will be negotiating for fair market value with their cable and satellite providers and most will reach agreements without engaging in a dispute.
FACT: We have reached agreements with every major cable company, except for Time Warner Cable
LIN TV has reached carriage agreements with every major cable, telecommunications, and satellite operator that carries our stations, including providers in Buffalo such as Verizon, Comcast, DirecTV and DISH Network. We know from those agreements that what we are asking for is very reasonable.
FACT: Cable is no longer a monopoly. You now have choices!
DISH Network is offering a $50 incentive if you switch from Time Warner to the DISH Network service. 1-888-DISH-950.
Verizon’s FiOS TV service also carries LIN TV stations in the Buffalo area. Viewers may call (888) 438-3467 for more information on FiOS TV.
Don’t forget, you can always use an antenna. WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo and WNLO CW 23 broadcast in both standard analog format and in digital HDTV format. Most viewers will simply need a switch to be able to watch completely for free using an over-the-air antenna.
HELP US KEEP WIVB-TV AND WNLO-TV ON TIME WARNER
BY CALLING THEM AT 716-558-8881 for customers in the Buffalo billing area
and 1-800-756-7956 for customers in the Rochester billing area!
Letter from Chris Musial, President and General Manager of WIVB/WNLO-TV
Programming you will miss after October 2nd WIVB-TV & WNLO-TV
WIVB-TVWIVB-TV
News 4 News 4 Wake Up!
News 4 at Noon
News 4 at 5 & 6
News 4 at 11
News 4 Wake Up! Sat & Sun
News 4 at 6 Sat & Sun
News 4 at 11 Sat & SunNFL Football Bills vs Arizona 10/5
Bills vs San Diego 10/19
Bills vs Miami 10/26
Bills vs NY Jets 11/2
Bills vs Kansas City 11/9
Bills vs San Fransico 11/23
Bills vs Miami 12/7
Bills vs NY Jets 12/14
Bills vs Denver 12/21
January Playoffs
College Football Florida vs Arkansas 10/4
Tenn vs Georgia 10/11
LSU vs Florida 10/11
LSU vs S. Car. 10/18
Georgia vs LSU 10/25
Georgia vs Florida 11/1
Alabama vs LSU 11/8
Notre Dame vs Navy 11/15
Arkansas vs Miss State 11/22
LSU vs Arkansas 11/28
Georgia Tech vs Georgia 11/29
Auburn vs Alabama 11/29
Army vs Navy 12/6
SEC Championship
Brut Sunbowl 12/31
Gator Bowl 1/1
Daytime The Price is Right
Young & the Restless
Bold & the Beautiful
As the World Turns
Guiding Light
OprahCBS Primetime How I Met Your Mother
Two and A Half Men
NCIS
Criminal Minds
Survivor
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Miami
CSI: New York
Ghost Whisperer
Numb3rsCBS Late NightLate Show with David Letterman
Later with Craig Ferguson
WNLO-TVWNLO-TV
News 4 10 O’Clock News at 10
10 O’Clock News at 10 Weekends
Daytime Martha Stewart
Better Buffalo
Who Wants to be a Millionaire
The CW Network
Primetime Gossip Girl
90210
One Tree Hill
Privledged
Smallville
Supernatural
America’s Top Model
i thought this was a bold move by TW, it would be pretty different with on 2, 7 news…