Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Sports on the air
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 27, 2002
Sunshine Network hopes it will reach an agreement with Time Warner Cable to continue carrying its programing.
If not, it wants you to know something: Blame Time Warner.
As for Time Warner, it remains optimistic a deal can be reached so it can continue to provide Sunshine Network programing.
But if not, it says blame Sunshine Network.
The two partners-turning-adversaries continue to wage a public relations battle as their 10-year contract is set to expire Tuesday. After that Time Warner pulls the plug on Sunshine Network programing.
Or is it Sunshine pulling its programing from Time Warner?
Both sides have taken their fight to the people, advertising in local newspapers and during broadcasts.
Sunshine has ran a crawl across the screen during live broadcasts giving a number for viewers to call if they are concerned about losing Lightning, Orlando Magic and collegiate coverage the network provides.
The issue, surprise surprise, is money.
Time Warner vice president of business affairs Linda Chambers said Sunshine is asking for a 60 percent increase, though previous reports have that number closer to 40 percent.
But after Time Warner initially claimed the increase was 200 percent, a number even Chambers said was "totally out there," who do you believe?
The increase may be significant, but hardly unwarranted. Sunshine vice president and general manager Cathy Weeden said when the initial deal was signed, Sunshine carried only Magic games and some Florida State athletics, and wasn't a 24-hour channel.
Since, it has added Lightning games and an array of college sports from just about every school in the state, and it offers a far better product.
"The amount of programing we deliver of FSU and Florida is paralleled by no other regional sports network in the country," Weeden said.
And Sunshine, owned by a division of the Fox Network, wants to be paid for it. But Time Warner claims it's too much. Chambers called the figure, whatever you want to believe it is, "pretty astronomical and pretty outrageous" as well as "excessive and extreme."
Time Warner already is leveling a 5 percent increase -- or "rate adjustment" as it calls it -- on subscribers starting next month.
Chambers said agreeing to Sunshine's demands means that 5 percent increase "would definitely need to be revisited."
In other words, blame Sunshine.
But Sunshine said that every other major cable operator in the state has agreed to the new rates, which in effect means the fair market value has been set.
It wants no more from Time Warner, or less.
And Sunshine said it reminded cable operators before the NHL and NBA seasons began that their contracts were expiring, but Sunshine said Time Warner dragged its feet and is begging for an extension.
Not only that, Time Warner is promoting that request as a weapon against Sunshine, claiming Time Warner is willing to keep broadcasting games while negotiations continue.
Of course it is. For 1992 prices. Until the Magic and Lightning seasons end, thus taking away the greatest bargaining chip Sunshine has.
Come Tuesday, if no agreement is reached, Weeden said Time Warner will take Sunshine programing off the air. Chambers said Sunshine will take Sunshine off the air.
Before deciding who is wrong, consider this: If no agreement is reached, Tampa/St. Petersburg and Orlando will be the only region from the Panhandle to Miami that doesn't get Sunshine programing Wednesday.
You'll be looking at a screen telling you it's Sunshine Network's fault.
Don't believe it.