OK it seems there’s another cable fee fight and it’s gotten rather nasty here in la and a few other counties https://www.tribunefairdeal.com/?cid=alt-cdr-dcx-0119 is spectrum’s version of it and they get mean…
OK a few years ago Tribune broadcasting purchased LA’s oldest independant TV station KTLA 5 and there an CW affiliate and they’ve been off the air since the 2nd because of the fight
My question is once the CW notices the rating drops can they sue Tribune or spectrum for lost revenue? Like advertising and such? Assuming they don’t all ready know…
Well, I guarantee that CW is already well aware of the situation, and that they weren’t caught by surprise by it.
Around here, Spectrum knocked off both the CW and Fox outlets. Also their second and third digital subchannels.
I don’t think anyone can sue anyone in this situation.
Technically the Tribune stations are still on the air, they just aren’t being carried by their local Spectrum system, so I don’t think they’re in violation of their contracts with the networks.
And Spectrum isn’t violating any contracts, because their contract with the Tribune stations expired, and this is part of negotiating a new contract.
Usually networks and local stations run “make good” ads when their ratings fall short of what they’ve promised advertisers, so as long as the ratings don’t drop for a significant time, things should eventually even out. The group most likely to be hurt the worst is the Tribune stations themselves. They comprise a relatively small percentage of the network affiliates, but their ratings are being affected directly.
I think the CW’s recourse, if it wants any, would be to not renew its affiliate contract with Tribune the next time it’s being negotiated.
(If it were up to me, I’d eliminate all of this bitching by making must-carry work both ways. You get a TV station license, anybody gets to rebroadcast your signal as they please within the boundaries of your market.)