Published: October 05, 2008 01:47 am      

TIME WARNER: Cable subscribers make plans for Bills

AMHERST — Time Warner Cable subscribers without an antenna are going to have to leave the house to catch today’s matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals.

Negotiations were ongoing but unresolved Saturday as thousands of people lined up for free antennas at four Time Warner locations around Western New York. Before the massive giveaway at Time Warner’s Amherst location, a line of people stretched a thousand feet from the door.

Among them was Mike Smith, who came from Wheatfield for a free pair of TV rabbit ears, which can pick up WIVB’s signal.

“The Bills are on a winning streak and I’m not going to miss it,” he said. “I just hope the situation gets fixed soon. I’m not doing this for the whole season.”

Don’t count on Paul Talarico to agree. He owns Shorty’s Ultimate Sports Bar on Pine Avenue, which has satellite TV, and he’s scheduled extra staff to handle additional Time Warner subscribers.

“I love the Time Warner thing because I’m going to be mobbed,” Talarico said of people coming to his bar to watch the football game. “I hope it goes on for the rest of the year.”

Time Warner’s contract with LIN TV, the parent company of Channel 4 WIVB and Channel 23 WNLO, expired shortly after midnight Friday and the channels were pulled from the cable company’s lineup. Since LIN owns the broadcasting rights for CBS in the Western New York area, Time Warner has been airing CBS College Sports and HBO Family in its place.

Chris Musial, president of WIVB, has said in statements posted on the station’s Web site that Time Warner has refused to pay “fair market value,” adding contracts had been successfully reached between LIN and other cable subscribers like Verizon, Comcast, DirecTV and the DISH Network.

Channel 4 News has made the ongoing dispute the subject of lead news stories, which included advice on switching to satellite cable services. In an editorial aired on WIVB, Musial said Time Warner had rejected LIN’s offer for a contract extension. Time Warner spokeswoman Robin Wolfgang has said the opposite — that Time Warner asked for an extension and LIN refused. Wolfgang added that LIN fighting the issue in public is “a negotiation tactic.”

The dispute affects as many as 15 markets with affiliates owned by LIN nationwide. A statement from LIN-owned KXAN in Austin, Texas, said the company was asking for 1 cent per day per subscriber in exchange for broadcast rights. Time Warner has 330,000 subscribers in Western New York.

Wolfgang said negotiations were ongoing at Time Warner and LIN TV’s corporate offices on Saturday but it was unclear how close the parties were to an agreement.

Time Warner stores are normally closed Sundays, but the West Seneca location will remain open to give out antennas from noon to 2 p.m. so subscribers can catch the 4 p.m. game or other CBS shows like “60 Minutes” and “The Amazing Race,” Wolfgang said. She added updates will be available on Time Warner’s Web site at www. timewarnercable.com/WNY.

Contact reporter Caitlin Murray

at 282-2311, ext. 2251.