Fox Sports Southwest (FSSW) "threatened to pull the
plug on" Marcus Cable's broadcast of last night's Rangers-
D'Backs game "because of a contract dispute," according to
Mark Couch of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. FSSW had "yanked
the game" from Marcus' lineup late in the day "because
Marcus wouldn't sign a new contract" to carry FSSW's
programming. Marcus, the largest cable provider in Tarrant
County, TX, ran a blue screen apologizing to its customers,
and continued to run the apology even after FSSW reinstated
the game. The game was back on the air at about 8:30pm
local time, right around the first pitch. Marcus' deal
expired in December, and it has been paying expired rates
for Rangers games. FSSW VP & GM Jon Heidtke: "There comes a
certain point where you can't continue to offer that unfair
advantage to them." Marcus Cable COO Lou Borrelli: "Never
in my wildest dreams did I imagine that they would use our
customers as a bargaining chip." Rangers VP/Media Relations
John Blake said the dispute was between FSSW and Marcus: "We
have nothing to do with it" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/24).
Heidtke said that after the game returned, "Negotiations
picked up. ... We hope they are concluded without any
additional interruption" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/24).
