Is there a Winner in This Battle?

Interesting how both logos are eyes and combined make for black and blue.  Isn’t that interesting?  No?  Never mind, then.

Business negotiations are funny things sometimes.  I worked for a labor union long ago and far away and the “stand your ground, don’t back down” rule was a commonly used tactic when either side wouldn’t budge on one or more issues.  So was the “if you don’t give us what we want, we’re going to do this and you’re not going to like it” rule when the art of compromise wasn’t being used.  Both actions have their place in the game of give and take.


In the present situation, CBS and Time Warner, two business giants, are squared off over a marked increase in fees to carry the signals for the channels that CBS owns.  Cost of living increase?  Doubt it.  More like thinking they’re worth the extra money.  Whether or not they are is in the eye of the viewer. 


Time Warner saying no in this case is not just because that’s one hefty little fee increase which is guaranteed to be passed along to its subscribers.  It also has to do with the fear of giving in and having everybody else asking for the same amount of increase because it was already done for one network.  That’s not an irrational fear, either.

You might think I’m coming down on the side of Time Warner.  Not solidly.  I’m touching a toe down on their side only because they’re my TV provider and I can see where this fee increase would take my cable bill in the not so distant future.  Getting down to it, though, these conglomerates are more like bullies in the schoolyard, squaring off against one another for the right to claim more of everybody else’s marbles.  Makes me want to gather my marbles and find another schoolyard.  Unfortunately, that’s not really an option – or a solution.

At the moment, Time Warner has yanked CBS’s programming in several locations, including mine, with a message as to what’s going on and a few alternatives to dealing with it.  The loss of CBS’s offerings isn’t hurting my feelings much, but I can see where it might bother others.  There will be a loss of revenue for CBS as a result, and the blackout could be extended beyond where Time-Warner has it in place now.  Yes, “hitting them where it hurts – their money belt” is also a time-honored negotiating tool.  It’s been known to backfire, but it’s also been known to work.

So, the the first punch has been thrown in this battle.  Should be interesting to see who actually wins the war.  I’d like to think it’ll be the consumers in the long run, but I think we’re just waiting for them to fight it out and then turn to us for the reward.