Time Warner, CBS draw viewers into fee spat

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

New York • CBS and Time Warner Cable can't work out their differences, so they want viewers to help settle the fight.

Three million Time Warner Cable customers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and other cities remained without access to CBS for a third day on Sunday after the cable provider dropped the network in a spat over fees.

The blackout meant affected customers could miss Tiger Woods' victory at the Bridgestone Invitational, as well as shows including "60 Minutes." Also at stake was preseason National Football League coverage starting next week.

CBS said Sunday that no negotiations were taking place. A Time Warner representative, Maureen Huff, maintained that, "Talks continue."

In the meantime, the two New York-based companies have been taking their cases to the public with full-page print ads.

A CBS ad Sunday, for example, showed a TV screen with shots of the shows people wouldn't be able to watch, including "The Big Bang Theory" and "Big Brother."

"Call Time Warner Cable now," the ad urged. "Tell them you want your CBS 2 back!"

Time Warner Cable customers who turned to CBS this weekend were greeted by a message on white screen saying the network had made "outrageous demands" for fees. It advised viewers that they could still see their favorite shows through several ways, including "using an antenna to get CBS free over the air."