That whole mess between Time Warner and Fox never really went beyond public posturing and empty threats. But with football and American Idol threatened, it drew the attention of the U.S. Senate. John Kerry was pissed!
The same cannot be said about a similar disagreement between Scripps, which owns Food Network and HGTV, and Cablevision. Like Time Warner and Fox, the two companies are arguing over the amount of money that cable company should pay to carry the provider’s channels. But no one seems to care—except for those of us in the hinterlands, where Cablevision is the only provider available, those of us who have been left without Diners, Drive-ins and Dives since New Year’s, those of us wondering where John Kerry is when he is truly needed.
Fee Spat Keeps Food Network, HGTV Off Cablevision [MarketWatch]