Cablevision's response to Classic Sports Network's
(CSN) complaint to the FCC last month, which charged
Cablevision with making ownership-for-carriage demands, was
made public yesterday, according to Richard Sandomir of the
N.Y. TIMES. Cablevision said CSN's charges "ignore the
industrywide scarcity of capacity" to carry new services.
It also said CSN asked "too much" for carriage, then
diminished the need for it by placing it on New York's WBIS+
from last July through January (N.Y. TIMES, 4/29)..
OTHER CSN NOTES: VARIETY's John Dempsey reports that
CSN has told cable operators that if they put CSN on their
cable systems, it will "cancel" its DirecTV contract when it
comes up for renewal in two years. Such a proposal of
exclusivity could give the network "a leg up" on its
competitors (VARIETY, 4/28)....CSN is teaming with Polygram
Video to promote the summer release of "When We Were Kings."
CSN gets a commercial on the tape and supports with a week
of on-air promos and programming (BRANDWEEK, 4/28).
BUD BIDS FOR WBIS+? In N.Y., Beth Piskora reports that
sources say Paxson Communications Corp. has offered $250M in
cash to buy WBIS+ from ITT Corp. and Dow Jones & Co. The
deal could be signed "as early as next week" (N.Y. POST,
4/29). But a Paxson spokesperson denied that the company
was making a bid for WBIS+. Dow Jones declined to comment.
A spokesperson for ITT said that the company was in talks
with "a number of possible bidders" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/29).
