In New York and Elsewhere, Disputes Over Television Fees Lead to a Few Blackouts

It has become a common warning blaring on TV stations near the end of the year: this station might be blacked out come New Year’s Day. Viewers are being caught in the cross-fire as television stations argued for higher fees from cable and satellite distributors in a system called retransmission consent. Scores of distribution deals were set to expire on Saturday night. On Jan 1, however, there were almost no reports of station blackouts. As is normally the case, the warnings in public were superseded by successful negotiations in private. (Jan 1)