Fox-Cablevision Dispute Leaves Old Giants Fans In Dark

October 27, 2010 11:00 AM

New York Giants Player Bobby Thompson – File / Photo via AP

Reporting Sean Adams

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NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - The loss of Fox for Cablevision customers is a big blow to old Giants fans, who are missing their baseball team’s return to the World Series.

WCBS 880′s Sean Adams reports

Download: giants-3-amdt-sheridan-41-wgeis-rsaro

1010 WINS’ Terry Sheridan reports

When the New York Giants baseball team left for San Francisco in 1957, some New Yorkers never relinquished their allegiance.

William Kent of the Bronx helped start the New York Baseball Giants Nostalgia Society.

“We wanted a thing where we would schmooze and make friends and relive the old days,” Kent told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams.

Those “old days” included things like sneaking into the Polo Grounds.

Kent said, “We climbed over the fence into the Polo Grounds, up about, what, four stories – something like that. We would walk down to the box seats.”

That resourcefulness is needed again with Cablevision and Fox sparring.

Kent and his fellow Giants fans have to watch the World Series elsewhere.

“I’m going to a bar on Riverdale Avenue,” says Kent.

He says one Giants fan in his building rigged an old antenna to the TV.

Cablevision released a statement on the situation Wednesday:

“Cablevision has and will continue to negotiate in good faith. We are trying to reach a deal that is fair for everyone, including our customers, but there has been absolutely no movement by Fox in their attempts to gain massive fee increases from Cablevision customers to carry broadcast signals that are free over the air.

The FCC is the government agency charged with protecting television consumers and oversight of broadcast licenses. We do not understand how protecting and interceding on behalf of TV viewers in 3 million blacked out households in the Northeastern United States does not fall under the FCC’s purview. The FCC has the facts and our customers are demanding that the FCC act.”

Fox Cablevision Dispute Leaves Old Giants Fans In Dark

dabooch

The Radio Shack salesman said the digital antenna only works 20 miles outside the city. That leaves me about 30 miles short.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/10/27/cablevision-makes-new-offer-to-fox-to-end-blackout/ Cablevision Makes New Offer To Fox To End Blackout « CBS New York – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of NY

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Molitor

GW I cant go into specifics but there are plenty of sites that have EVERY MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA game streaming free of charge. Legal? No of course not.

I was able to watch all of the NL series via thse sites…
Molitor

You can easily find the FOX channel streaming for free via the internet.

GW

Molitor, But not the MLB games. MLB has it so well locked down that you have to pay to see the World Series over the internet. Frustration is the kindling of revolution.

dabooch

Plan to head over to the shack this afternoon. If the antenna works good adios to Cablevision IO, maybe I’ll use the $165 a month to go buy a new Cadillac.

Chris G

Dabooch.
That’s what we did essentially. When we dropped cable for all but internet, the savings for us went into the vacation budget. 1200+ in only 10 months already.

joe k

A pox on both their houses. I don’t know who is worse the Dolans or Murdock
Chris G

Eliezer Alter,
I have a 42 inch panasonic plasma hd tv. all i needed was an hd digital antenna. this cost about $30 from radio shack. We dropped cablevision 10 months ago now for tv service. I live about 40 miles outside the city and get 39 channels over the air. No special digital box required. That is only required for older tvs that can not use a digital signal. Any good sales man at radio shack or j&r or the like will be able to get you what you need to get these channels back.

James

I think it is about time we stand together as a united front to face both cablevision and news corp. I signed the petition posted here: http://iwantmytvback.com let’s get a massive group to ask for our shows back!

Eliezer Alter

I thought with the new law the Goverment passed a few years ago people have to pay to get a certain digital box in order to get the basic free channels.
Chris G

This is really bad reporting. Sure it tells of a problem, but come on guys. Any idiot can get around this and watch the game

Fox5 is given FREE over the air. A $30 antenna from radio shack or walmart or the like will get you your reception. You are missing the game because you want to miss it. Not because its not available.

F Fox/NewsCorp. They want to charge more money to get the feed, but you still have to watch the commercials and product placement.

F Cablevision. The cost of TV these days is insane. You can get the world series for the simple price of an antenna. You DO NOT NEED cable.