Some Jersey Cablevision Customers Could Lose CBS2 [POLL]

Every now and then you hear of how a programming distributor like Cablevision, Time Warner, DirecTV or whatever has a contract dispute with a network.

Recently Time Warner pulled Channel 2 in New York off its system for a good amount of time due to a rate renegotiation.

You might also remember when Cablevision and Fox had an impasse, along with the dispute between Cablevision and ABC.

Now some Central Jersey Cablevision subscribers will be losing New York’s WCBS-TV and in its place will be another Channel 2 – albeit this one from Delaware!

However, there’s a big difference here - having nothing to do with a rates dispute, but rather an FCC regulation that the cable provider allow the newer Channel 2 (KJWP Me-TV licensed to Wilmington, Delaware) to occupy the space now allotted to WCBS-TV.

What all does this mean for you?

If you now enjoy CBS network programming like NCIS, The Amazing Race, and 60 Minutes – then, as far as I can gather – absolutely nothing.

However, if you’ve come to depend on WCBS’ local programming – like the news at 5, 6, and 11 – then you can forget about Maurice Dubois and Christine Johnson.

According to this:

Some local Cablevision subscribers may no longer get the local New York programming they are used to.

Beginning later this month, the local WCBS-TV Channel 2 will be replaced with KJWP Me-TV as required by the Federal Communications Commission, Cablevision spokeswoman Charlstie Veith said in a statement.

“The FCC was required by the federal courts to license the Channel 2 position to KJWP Me-TV,” Veith said.

KJWP Me-TV is a station based in Wilmington, Del. Veith declined to say what that would mean for subscribers who watch the NY Jets or news programs on local New York programming, but she said that CBS shows such as NCIS and CSI will not be affected.

“No matter what happens, our customers will continue to have CBS programming,” Veith said.
Affected customers have received notices from the company, and the line-up will be changed within 30 days, Veith said.

More information for Cablevision subscribers will be available later this month.

“We are always interested in the views of our customers and expect to have more to say on this in a couple of weeks,” Veith said. She would not comment further yesterday.

I'm sure their interest in hearing from their subscribers will be sufficiently met in short order!

Living in the netherworld that we do between New York and Philly – we’ve come to depend on the local programming from either city’s stations. The loss of one of them, while not seeming to be a big deal – would, at the least be an inconvenience – at most, reason to want to switch off to another program distributor.

If you’re a Cablevision customer in Central New Jersey, do you mind losing New York’s Channel 2 to a station in Wilmington, Delaware?