COMCAST MAY PULL THE PLUG ON ABC.Byline: Staff and Wire ReportsAbout 30,000 Comcast Cablevision customers in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , along with others in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , could lose ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. programming as early as today in a disagreement between the cable company and the network's parent, The Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Co. ABC officials say it is unlikely the signal for such popular shows as ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,'' ``Good Morning America Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. The show was adapted from The Morning Exchange, a morning show created by and airing on the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio, and was launched nationally as ,'' or ``Monday Night Football'' will be blacked out in a dispute similar to one between Disney and Time Warner in May that took ABC off some cable systems for 36 hours. Exemptions have repeatedly been granted to the contract between ABC and Comcast that expired Dec. 31, said Julie Hoover, an ABC spokeswoman in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . The latest extension expires today. ``Based on the Time Warner experience, neither side is eager to go through that again,'' Hoover said. The Time Warner blackout in New York Blackout in New York may refer to:
Disney now wants Philadelphia-based Comcast, the third-largest cable company, to offer the ToonDisney and SoapNet channels as well as the Disney Channel to subscribers of Comcast's basic service at no extra charge. In addition to the Simi Valley households, Comcast lists subscribers in Lancaster, Palmdale, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and large parts of the Inland Empire. Each side blames the other for the threat of a blackout, which could ultimately affect 3 million viewers in cities across the United States. Comcast President Stephen B. Burke said it's a case of Disney flexing its muscles. Disney said it only seeks fair compensation for letting Comcast carry its Philadelphia ABC affiliate. ``That's two times in six months they've gotten in this kind of fight,'' said Burke, who worked at Disney as president of ABC Broadcasting before joining Comcast in 1998. ``I think they are sort of trying to scare the customers.'' Comcast and ABC need each other. Comcast must offer customers the local ABC stations to meet federal ``must carry'' regulations. And, the ABC stations have millions of additional viewers and resulting advertising revenues at stake. The retransmission Retransmission might refer to:
``Cable companies generally have watched their programming costs increase. They are all trying to put the brakes on that,'' said cable industry analyst David Lee Smith of Dain Rauscher Wessels in Austin, Texas. ``This is a perfect example of a major cable company trying to hold the line on costs.'' |
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