GOVERNOR PATERSON URGES TIME WARNER CABLE AND LIN TV CORPORATION TO RETURN TO NEGOTIATING TABLE AND REACH AGREEMENT
Governor David A. Paterson today wrote an open letter to the chief executive officers of Time Warner Cable and LIN TV Corporation, urging the two companies to return to the negotiating table and come to a workable solution in their on-going dispute. The letter was addressed to Glenn A. Britt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Cable, and Vincent L. Sadusky, President and CEO of LIN TV Corporation.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Governor David A. Paterson today wrote an open letter to the chief executive officers of Time Warner Cable and LIN TV Corporation, urging the two companies to return to the negotiating table and come to a workable solution in their on-going dispute.
The letter was addressed to Glenn A. Britt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Cable, and Vincent L. Sadusky, President and CEO of LIN TV Corporation, and appears in full below:
Gentlemen,
On Friday, Oct. 3, two Western New York television stations – WIVB-TV Channel 4 and WNLO-TV Channel 23 – ceased broadcasting because of a revenue dispute between LIN TV and Time Warner Cable.
This disagreement is now headed into its third week, preventing 330,000 Western New York families from watching their favorite programming, including Buffalo Bills games. These games are an important engine of the State economy, but, on an emotional level, they are also a source of state pride.
I am calling upon LIN TV and Time Warner Cable to return to the bargaining table to settle this matter, and in the interim allow Western New Yorkers to watch the Buffalo Bills game vs. the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 19th, at 1:00 p.m.
I understand that you have a responsibility to your shareholders to maximize revenue, but right now, all sides are hurting. LIN TV is losing because WIVB-TV and WNLO-TV are hemorrhaging viewers and advertising revenue. Time Warner Cable is losing because its subscribers are increasingly switching to other providers. And the reputations of both companies are being damaged.
The people of Western New York are also losing. Bills games are not just about football. They are part of the foundation of this community. Every Sunday, generations of Western New Yorkers – families, friends and neighbors – put everything aside and come together to cheer with one voice for one team.
The television industry in America is a private enterprise, but in many respects, television is also a public service. In that spirit, I call on you to engage in good faith negotiations. I am also offering an outstanding mediator to help: Charlotte Hitchcock, my Deputy Secretary for Labor and Financial Regulation.
Ms. Hitchcock was recently at the bargaining table with AIG and the Federal Reserve, helping to reach a workable solution to their liquidity crisis. She has extensive expertise in sensitive talks and I encourage you to take advantage of it.
These discussions will not be easy, but the people of Western New York deserve a speedy resolution. My office stands ready to assist in any way we can.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely, The Honorable David A. Paterson Governor of the State of New York
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