As you contemplate how much your cable TV habit it costing you, Time Warner Cable has announced that the MSG Network pulled MSG and MSG Plus from the cable carrier. And MSG says that Time Warner dropped them! more ›

We've been off the cable television for quite some time (all you need is a Roku box, people), so it's with great relief that we read that we're saving so much money by having kicked the habit. 20 Something Finance broke down the numbers recently, discovering how much a cable subscription costs each household in an average lifetime, and what one could make by investing that money instead. more ›

Listeners to WBAI have been enjoying Al Jazeera English since last December, when the progressive radio station started broadcasting in NYC. But until today people getting their news from the channel had to rely on their imaginations to paint images of Arab Spring protests and Israeli-Palestinian skirmishes. (Or visit their website.) Now you can get Al Jazeera on the tee-vee 23 hours a day, on Time Warner Cable (Channel 92) and Verizon FiOS (Channel 466) in New York City. It's the channel's first distribution on any major cable or satellite system in the United States. more ›

Last night, over three million Cablevision customers were able to watch Fox programming once again—right before Game 3 of the World Series—after Cablevision ended its dispute with News Corp. over transmission fees. According to Cablevision, it conceded because News Corp. is really mean and greedy and the FCC didn't do anything! Well, at least folks will be able to see today's Jets-Packers games on WNYW Fox 5, right? more ›

Baseball fans with Cablevision couldn't see Cliff Lee get pummeled by the Giants during Game 1 of the World Series last night because News Corp. has yanked its Fox programming from the cable system since October 16. The two companies are arguing over transmission fees—and whether the other side is even attempting to negotiate—and Cablevision's 3 million-plus customers in NY, NJ and Pennsylvania are without their fixes of Glee, the World Series, NFL games, and Fox News. So yesterday, after another failed attempt to get News Corp. to settle and shortly before the Rangers-Giants game, Cablevision issued this statement: more ›

As Cablevision customers contemplate what bars to head to or which antenna to buy to watch the World Series tonight, Cablevision president and CEO (and Knicks owner) James Dolan sent a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski yesterday, saying that he could be in D.C. this morning for an FCC-run meeting with News Corp., because only with the FCC's involvement could good faith talks occur. However, News Corp., which served Cablevision a cease & desist letter (because the cable company's reps were allegedly telling customers how to illegally access Fox programming online) said that Dolan's letter was a "stunt." more ›

Cablevision and News Corp. are still feuding over transmission fees, a situation that has left millions of Cablevision customers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania without Fox programming, like, oh, football games, the ALDS baseball games, Glee, House, The O'Reilly Factor and Good Day, New York since October 16. And given the current tenor of "negotiations," it seems that these lowly customers may miss the World Series. Well, unless they decide to (illegally) watch Fox programs online—the media company claims that when a Fox employee with Cablevision service called Cablevision, the Cablevision rep told them which websites streamed Fox shows! more ›

Blah blah blah three million Cablevision customers in NY, NJ and Pennsylvania remain without News Corp. channels, like WNYW 5, WWOR 9 and Fox News, for a sixth day as the companies have still not reached an agreement on transmission fees. The past few days, the two sides haven't really even held substantive negotiations, and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said the FCC should "take a very serious look at whether ‘good faith’ negotiations are indeed occurring" and "move promptly to protect consumers" if they are not. more ›

Hey, Giants fans who subscribe to Cablevision: You may need to watch today's 1 p.m. game against the Detroit Lions away from home, because News Corp. channels like WNYW Fox 5 and WWOR 9 are still dark. The two sides have been at odds over how much Cablevision should pay News Corp.—Cablevision claims that News Corp. is demanding $150 million, up from $70 million—and whether the two sides should go into arbitration (Cablevision wants it, News Corp. doesn't). Now, more than 24 hours after News Corp. pulled its channels from Cablevision, the companies are supposed to resume negotiations today. more ›

At midnight, News Corp. pulled off WNYW 5 and WWOR 9—also known as channels 5 and 9—from Cablevision, leaving over 3 million people in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in the dark after being unable to come to terms with a contract. Actually, not the dark—Newsday reports that at 12:04 a.m., "screen appeared saying 'in these economic times, demanding $150 million dollars is unfair. Cablevision is willing to accept binding arbitration. We apologize for News Corp.'s action.' A voice-over blamed 'greed' on the Fox parent for pulling the stations." You can see the message here. more ›

Guess what—waiting around for the cable guy to arrive has just gotten a little more interesting, because the city has just worked out a deal with the two major cable companies over their service technicians' tendency to be late. The NY Times reports, "Under the terms of a new contract that has been negotiated with City Hall, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision will have to pay a price for failing to honor appointments... The contract will make cable customers eligible for a credit amounting to full month’s bill if a technician does not arrive on time." more ›

Disney and Cablevision still haven't come to an agreement about the fate of WABC 7. The two have been publicly sparring about fees: Disney, which owns WABC 7, wants $40 million to carry the local network from Cablevision. But the cable company is balking, so Disney says it will pull WABC 7 programming from three million Cablevision homes and businesses at midnight tonight!* more ›

After threatening to pull its stations—and programs like the Sugar Bowl and American Idol— from Time Warner cable systems at the stroke of New Year's and then remaining on air while it extended talks, News Corp. has come to an agreement with Time Warner Cable over subscriber fees. However, neither side would disclose the terms of the agreement. more ›

It's a New Year's miracle: While News Corp. threatened to pull its stations from Time Warner Cable systems during subscriber fee negotiations at midnight, Fox remained on air. It turned out that two media behemoths agreed to extend talks. The Wall Street Journal reports they have "avert[ed] any programming disruptions for cable subscribers for the time being." more ›

Did you try to get your morning dose of Pat Kiernan before heading out the door this morning only to be met by the black screen of death? Time Warner Cable is down in Brooklyn, and parts of Queens, for at least a few hours. We called to find out more but their phone is busy, or off the hook, or something. more ›

Don Imus, the popular radio personality, will be joining Fox Business News. Imus lost the MSNBC simulcast of his "Imus in the Morning" radio show and was kicked off CBS radio after he made questionable remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team two years ago—but then was picked up by ABC Radio. Fox Business News' EVP Kevin Magee said, "We're excited to welcome a renowned broadcaster like Don Imus to the FOX Business team. His 40 years of on-air experience combined with his superb interviewing skills and capitalist sensibilities will be a great addition to our lineup." Mediabistro says Imus will be incorporating more business into his show—can't wait to hear him make fun of fat cats! more ›

There was great excitement in the cycling community last month when the DOT finally finished turning the treacherous Sands Street approach to the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn into an elegant, elevated bike lane. Transportation Alternatives even held an opening celebration, dubbing the Sands Street lane the "Budnick Bikeway," after Noah Budnick, a T.A. advocate who almost died riding his bike on Sands Street in 2005. more ›

After some delays, the country is finally switching its TV signals from analog to digital. And the government is expecting a lot of confusion from the estimated 1 million people who are unprepared for the switch—the AP reports, "The Federal Communications Commission put 4,000 operators on standby for calls from confused viewers, and set up demonstration centers in several cities. Volunteer groups and local government agencies were helping elderly viewers set up digital converter boxes that keep older TVs functioning." If your TV is hooked up to cable or satellite feeds, you should be fine, but if you're wondering, the Star-Ledger has a good guide on the new world of DTV (did you know the FCC is still giving $40 coupons for convertor boxes—they just take 9 business days to arrive). Here's more at the FCC's DTV.gov site. more ›

Yesterday, residents at East 95th Street apartment building The Highgate got a super annoyance as they tried to tune into Super Bowl coverage: Their cable service from RCN conked out. One resident told WCBS 2, "I called them around 1 when the picture was going in and out every few minutes, and they told me it would clear up within two hours." But when 6 p.m. rolled around, his "reception was completely shot, with pixelated video cutting out or pausing practically every three seconds." Another neighbor lamented her failed party, "I'm filled with the rage of a thousand suns, actually. It ruined my party and I made chili and everyone I know came over and now they left and I think I might not have friends anymore." RCN told them they might not have a technician to the building until Wednesday, so they'll have to stick to DVDs in the meantime. more ›

Say goodbye to the Colbert Report, Spongebob Squarepants and yes, even The City (we hardly knew ye), Gawker is reporting that "From New York to Los Angeles, Viacom channels like Comedy Central are set to flicker off cable systems in the first minute of 2009." The two companies have been not-so-publicly negotiating for some time, and now the network is holding their channels hostage. more ›

Verizon has entered the cable TV game today, providing an alternative to Time Warner and Cablevision in select neighborhoods. For $94.99, the current promotional deal for FiOS includes unlimited local and long-distance phone service, an Internet connection of 20 megabits per second and a television package that includes 100 high-definition channels. But according to the Times, the company’s expansion could be hindered by some 65,000 Verizon workers who are threatening to strike for higher wages, caps on health care payments and limits on outsourcing jobs. more ›

Ooh: Silicon Alley Insider brings word that Verizon just got approval from the NY State Public Service Commission to bring FIOS to NYC. Apparently FIOS TV will launch TV service in the "coming weeks," as "it's already been taking orders in launch neighborhoods." When it was first announced the cable TV-phone-Internet option was coming to town in April, the city said, "This is a historic agreement that when approved for the first time will bring true cable television service competition in each in every home in all five boroughs of New York." It's hoped that FIOS will be available to 30% of NYers by the end of the year. more ›

You knew it would come to this: Spitzer paramour Ashley Dupré is trying to parlay her infamy into regular fame with a career in reality television. Her lawyer says the former escort has “prospects for many exciting new projects” and she's headed to Hollywood. Though “a rep” for Dupre (presumably one rep on a team of many) admits she doesn’t quite have a TV deal yet, E! News is reporting that a dating show may be in development: "They are talking to MTV about Ashley being the next Tila Tequila." Anyone else relieved to have absolutely no clue what that means? more ›

There's a new game coming to town for cable subscribers who have been yoked to Time-Warner Cable or Cablevision out of necessity. New York City has finally struck a deal with Verizon to provide competing cable services throughout the five boroughs. more ›