The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

KAYU is asking for Time Warner Cable to pay for its signal. We believe that our customers should not have to pay more for something that can be received for free elsewhere. We work very hard to keep our rates as low as possible for our customers. Customers have the ability to access FOX programming over the air, and even online, for free.

During the negotiations which started over 4 months ago, KAYU has increased their demand by almost 400%.

We have made good faith counter offers to KAYU during these negotiations; however, KAYU has rejected them all.

Northwest Broadcasting, Inc, parent company of KAYU TV, has announced that a stalemate has been reached in its sincere repeated attempts to negotiate a retransmission agreement with Time Warner Cable, which operates systems in Coeur d'Alene and Moscow, Idaho, Pullman, Washington and Libby, Montana. As a consequence, KAYU Fox 28 has disappeared from Time Warner systems in these areas.

The termination stems from the two parties failing to reach an acceptable financial arrangement for the cable company to continue offering KAYU Fox 28 to Time Warner customers. Many viewers would not realize that cable companies pay for channels such as Lifetime, CNN, USA, BET, A&E and ESPN. Some cable companies pay as much up to $3 or $4 per subscriber per month for some of these kinds of channels. To date, Fox 28 receives no compensation from Time Warner or its predecessor, Adelphia Cable.

Retransmission permission is a requirement for cable companies and satellite providers to have in order to offer local TV stations. Such agreements are in place with other cable TV companies in the 24 county coverage area reached by Fox 28. KAYU also has had satisfactory compensation arrangements with DirecTV and the Dish Network for a number of years.

Fox 28 has been in negotiations with Time Warner since July of 2006. The TV station has repeatedly given Time Warner extensions at their request to continue carrying our programming. Time Warner has made minimal effort during that time to come to the bargaining table with a value proposition for KAYU.

What's more, within the last few days, Time Warner Cable has threatened to remove from their cable system in Binghamton, New York a sister station to KAYU. Binghamton is a small city in upstate New York where there is no alternative satellite service is currently available to viewers.

In a written statement released by Time Warner Cable Northwest General Manager Correen Stauffer dated December 12, 2006, KAYU has been accused by Time Warner of "…no longer negotiating in good faith…". Their threats regarding the Binghamton station would seem to bring into question just exactly what "negotiating in good faith…" would mean.

At stake is the continued ability for Time Warner Cable customers to see great programming like Seattle Seahawk football, American Idol, the NFL playoffs, the return of "24" and the college football Bowl Championship Series beginning New Year's Day.

It is important to understand that Fox 28 continues to be available through numerous alternative means. Viewers can view Fox 28 over the air either by their primary signal on channel 28, or by translators located in strategic geographic locations around North Idaho. In addition, KAYU is available through DirecTV or the Dish Network.

The parent company of Fox 28 has invested millions of dollars over the past several years to improve our signal, enrich our programming and offer high definition digital TV service to viewers in the area.

Northwest Broadcasting, Inc awaits an offer from Time Warner Cable that is fair to all parties, and that continues to bring Fox 28 programming to north Idaho viewers for years to come.

NC43Hog wrote:Well, I am pretty sure you can get DirecTV there and subscribe to the NFL Sunday ticket. You're not that remote.