Massillon Wins Arbitration Case Against FSN Ohio

Arbitrator Patricia Murphy has ruled "in favor of Massillon Cable TV, which argued that it should be paying less to carry FSN Ohio" because the RSN no longer carries Indians games, according to Linda Moss of MULTICHANNEL NEWS.  FSN Ohio is appealing the ruling, which was filed with the FCC this week.  Murphy ordered FSN Ohio to reimburse Massillon for the "excess affiliation fees" the operator has paid during the dispute, plus interest. Fox must also pay Massillon's legal fees. Earlier this year, Massillon "sought arbitration for its dispute" with the RSN, after conditions set by the FCC in '04 following News Corp.'s acquisition of DirecTV allowing distributors to file for arbitration in carriage disputes involving Fox-owned RSNs.  In '06, Indians games moved from FSN Ohio to SportsTime Ohio, the team-controlled RSN (MULTICHANNEL.com, 11/14).