News San
Diego to Hold Hearing On Padres Blackout
By Swanni Follow @SwanniOnTV
Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2013) -
Politicians sometimes issue feckless press releases calling on
TV providers and programmers to end a fee fight that threatens
to lead to a channel blackout. But a San Diego City Councilwoman
today will take an unprecedented step in an effort to get Time
Warner Cable to broadcast San Diego Padres baseball games.
Councilwoman
Sherri Lightner is holding a
hearing today
to listen to testimony from
Time Warner Cable and Fox Sports San Diego as to why they can't
reach an agreement for the former to carry the latter, according
to UTSandiego.com.
Dish, DIRECTV and Cox
have all agreed to carry the new Fox Sports San Diego, which
will air the Padres games, by April 1, in time for the
Padres' season opener against the New York Mets. The channel
also airs games featuring the Los Angeles Clippers and Anaheim
Ducks.
But Time Warner Cable, the largest TV provider in the San Diego
area, has failed to sign on so Lightner will get the
companies to do something in
public they apparently have had trouble doing in private -- talk
to each other.
Since Time Warner Cable claims Fox is asking for 400 percent
more than Cox wanted to carry the Padres games in 2012, it's
unlikely that Lightner will work any miracles today. But it will
be interesting to see what the company officials say in public
about what has become an emotional issue in the San Diego area.
