No contract could mean no games broadcast on cable Ch. 11
The parent company of WLUK-TV says time is running out on its retransmission contract with Time Warner Cable, and such programming as Green Bay Packers games could discontinue as of Oct. 2.
In a statement released this morning, LIN TV said Time Warner has not responded to its proposals.
Were in negotiation with everybody constantly, and we are negotiating, said William Harke, spokesman for Time Warner in this region. Were just hoping LINs not going to take away its channel from our customers.
LIN is seeking a new, long-term agreement or extension agreement for its stations analog, digital and high-definition signals.
Weve got an agreement with every single other distributor in Northeastern Wisconsin, whether its cable, satellite or telephone, said, Jay Zollar, WLUK general manager.
The sticking point is the compensation LIN wants.
I believe what were looking for is less than a penny a day per subscriber, Zollar said. All other systems have agreed to this type of proposal.
Time Warner is the dominant cable system in Brown County. Other major systems in Northeastern Wisconsin are Charter Communications and Comcast. Smaller systems operate in the area as well.
Its all about the money, Harke said. Were trying to create an atmosphere where we can manage some of the costs for our customers because we pay for just about every station we get, and thats passed along. LIN is looking to make a lot more money.
LIN has 15 stations in 11 Time Warner markets.
Most cable operators, like their satellite and telecommunications competitors, now understand and acknowledge that fair and equitable compensation is essential to ensure the viability of local television, Vincent Sandusky, LIN president and CEO, said in a statement.
The disagreement has nettled Packers fans who have high-definition sets and are Time Warner subscribers. Most Packers games are carried on WLUK by way of the Fox network.
We have to make sure that was we reach an agreement on and this is on a corporate level that it doesnt have the kind of customer impact that we think this might, Harke said. LIN wants to make more money than what we think is fair and reasonable.