[mythtv-users] Damn you Time Warner

[Brian Wood]

On Apr 8, 2008, at 3:05 PM, Brad Fuller wrote:
>>
>> They can require the cable company to pay a fee to the station in
>> order to carry their signal, which the cable system is then free to
>> not do.
>
> not do what? Not pay the fee? Or not carry the station's signal?

If the station requires a carrying fee then the cable system is free  
to not pay the fee AND not carry the station. They may not carry such  
a station without paying the fee.

When these rules first went into effect a lot of stations saw a  
windfall bonanza, only to discover the local cable systems would not  
pay the fee, and they had to wait a year until they could change their  
option.

This led to a lot of "call your cable operator" type spots.

With the high capacity of modern cable systems pretty much any station  
that is truly "significantly viewed" is carried on cable systems,  
especially now that the satellite companies are doing a lot better at  
carrying local stations.

beww