Fox Looks To Join CBS' Retrans Fee Act: Will Cable Look To Upstage?

[Comentary] For some time CBS has been the lone performer when it comes to garnering outright retransmission fees from cable systems to carry its local TV station signals. CBS' long-term goal is to bring in $300 million a year, about 50 cents a month for each cable subscriber. Currently, it has a long way to go. One analyst estimates CBS pulled in $26 million from retrans deals in 2008. Other media companies -- News Corp.'s Fox network; Walt Disney's ABC and General Electric's NBC -- have been on the sidelines of this issue. Up until now.