A Brand New Kind Of TV Season: The Retransmission-Blackout Season

[Commentary] There's a new TV season developing: not the premiere TV season, not the winter weekend NFL season, not the replacement show mid-season, nor the repeat season. It's the retransmission blackout season.

Seems like the end of the year is now the time for cable operators, TV station groups and cable networks to get their business-war gear on. Big TV marketing campaigns can be waged by each side -- almost to the levels of starting up new shows. Some believe the Federal Communications Commission should step in to stop transmission blackouts, forcing these powerful companies into a cooling-down period or mediation. Why bother? We can do our own voluntary cooling-off period -- which would mean less pressure on network programming executives. What better Christmas present can we give those hard-working TV staffers who are only looking out for our entertainment needs?