KMBC programs to continue on cable

More than 300,000 cable television subscribers came within a few hours Wednesday of having to resort to rabbit ears to watch Kansas City's top-rated station. Time Warner Cable was ready to pull the plug on KMBC-TV, Channel 9, after an impasse in talks with the station's owner. Just hours before the midnight deadline, the two sides agreed to extend their existing deal until Feb. 15. But both sides say they are far from resolving their conflict. Under federal law, each of the country's 1,700-plus TV stations has a choice in dealing with the cable operators in its area. A station can demand that its signal be carried on cable systems. Or the station can ask for payment from the cable company for the privilege of carrying its signal. The latter route was taken by KMBC's owner, Hearst-Argyle Television, the nation's ninth-largest owner of TV stations. According to industry sources, New York-based Hearst-Argyle has begun to insert tough new language involving cable networks owned by its parent company, Hearst Corp. Hearst owns 50 percent of Lifetime, which is the source of the KMBC dispute. A spokesman at Time Warner Cable's headquarters in Connecticut said Wednesday that Hearst-Argyle was trying to double the price Time Warner pays for Lifetime. Time Warner balked at the increase, which could result in higher cable bills. Time Warner's deal to carry KMBC expired Dec. 31, but Hearst-Argyle had granted the cable company an extension through Wednesday night. But an accord remained elusive. Then at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Time Warner accepted Time Warner's offer of a four-week truce. - To reach Aaron Barnhart, call (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com