Cablevision customers will likely miss out on Mets games this weekend.
WPIX-TV New York and several other Tribune-owned stations went dark on Cablevision yesterday amid a battle over new fees.
WPIX, the New York affiliate of the CW network, airs some Mets games, as well as shows such as “Gossip Girl.” The station is set to air the Mets games tonight and tomorrow against the Washington Nationals.
Cablevision, which has more than 3 million customers in the New York area, yanked four stations in all, including a Tribune-owned Fox affiliate in Connecticut, in the dispute over retransmission fees.
The Bethpage, LI-based cable operator hasn’t been paying fees to carry Tribune’s stations. However, skirmishes over retrans fees are commonplace as more broadcast stations start asking cable and satellite-TV providers to pay to carry their channels.
Tribune accused Cablevision of blacking out WPIX and the other stations in the “middle of negotiations” and “without warning.” It says it offered to extend their current deal while the two sides talk.
Tribune, which also owns The Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 after a disastrous buyout, led by real-estate tycoon Sam Zell, left it saddled with billions in debt.
Cablevision, controlled by the Dolan family, blasted the bankrupt company’s owners for causing the blackout by asking for tens of millions of dollars in new fees.
“Tribune is in bankruptcy and the greed of their new hedge-fund owners caused this blackout,” the cable company said in a statement.
Cablevision also accused Tribune management of acting “illegally,” in packaging the channels together as part of talks.
“We are pursuing both legal and regulatory options to stop Tribune’s illegal tying and will continue to hold the line on increasing programming costs,” according to the statement.
In a letter on its website, Tribune said Cablevision acted “unilaterally” in removing its four stations and that it has not asked for the stations to be withdrawn as negotiations continue.