The "angry corporate feud" between Time Warner and Fox
has escalated again, according to Bill Carter of the N.Y.
TIMES. Fox placed ads in newspapers in several cities
yesterday, warning football fans that they might be left
"scrambling" to see this year's Super Bowl. Execs from Fox
and Time Warner exchanged "bitter charges," accusing each
other of "misrepresentations and outright lies" in a dispute
that involves contracts to transmit the signals of Fox
stations in such cities as Tampa, FL, Milwaukee, WI and
Austin, TX. The newspaper ads on the possibility of missing
the Super Bowl were "especially terrifying" to Packers fans
in Milwaukee and to Austin's "strong contingent" of Cowboys
fans. Fox warned that viewers should be sure they have
adequate broadcast antennas on their homes, or else plan to
watch the game via a satellite dish. Fox's ad stated the
reason for the potential Super Bowl problem was Time
Warner's refusal to negotiate a new agreement for
retransmission rights to Fox's broadcast channels in those
cities. Those agreements terminate December 31, and Fox
says without a new deal, the stations will no longer be
available on Time Warner systems. As many as 1.5 million
homes in five cities could be affected (N.Y. TIMES, 12/17).
