Fed to Fox, Time Warner: Work It Out

In a move that has college football fans breathing a sigh of relief, Time Warner Cable has agreed to the Federal Communications Commission's request to continue negotiations over retransmission rights with News Corporation, whose Fox stations are scheduled to cover the Sugar Bowl on Friday and the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

What has those same fans waiting to inhale is Fox's cool response to the proposal.

The move by the FCC was an attempt to forestall the broadcaster's promise to pull its stations from a number of markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Tampa and Orlando by new year's day. The dispute between Time Warner and News Corp. stems from Fox's demand that Time Warner shell out a dollar per month per subscriber for the right to retransmit their broadcasts. Time Warner has argued that the fee is excessive and has counter offered 25-30 cents a head.

At an hour into the new year on the West Coast, Fox is still broadcasting on Time Warner Cable as subscribers attempt to regulate their breathing patterns in anticipation of the Sugar Bowl. To be continued...In a move that has college football fans breathing a sigh of relief, Time Warner Cable has agreed to the Federal Communications Commission's request to continue negotiations over retransmission rights with News Corporation, whose Fox stations are scheduled to cover the Sugar Bowl on Friday and the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

What has those same fans waiting to inhale is Fox's cool response to the proposal.

The move by the FCC was an attempt to forestall the broadcaster's promise to pull its stations from a number of markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Tampa and Orlando by new year's day. The dispute between Time Warner and News Corp. stems from Fox's demand that Time Warner shell out a dollar per month per subscriber for the right to retransmit their broadcasts. Time Warner has argued that the fee is excessive and has counter offered 25-30 cents a head.

At an hour into the new year on the West Coast, Fox is still broadcasting on Time Warner Cable as subscribers attempt to regulate their breathing patterns in anticipation of the Sugar Bowl. To be continued...