Published: October 30, 2008 01:36 am      

MEDIA: Channels 4 and 23 are back on Time Warner Cable

After a nearly month-long standoff, a deal has been struck to bring WIVB Channel 4 and WNLO Channel 23 back for Time Warner Cable subscribers.

LIN Television, the parent company of the two channels, reached the deal with Time Warner shortly after midnight Wednesday, following non-stop negotiations for the past week, according to Chris Musial, president of WIVB and WNLO. Channel 4 and Channel 23 were put back on the air around 7 a.m.

Musial had no specifics on the terms of the new contract, but said part of the agreement includes high definition signals of the two channels on Time Warner — Channel 4 had already been available in HD but Channel 23 had not.

“We’re very happy now that a deal was struck that is good for both sides, LIN and Time Warner,” Musial told Greater Niagara Newspapers on Wednesday. “And we’re happy for the viewers.”

A Time Warner spokeswoman did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday. A statement published on Time Warner’s Web site simply stated: “WIVB and WNLO are staying where they belong — on Time Warner Cable.”

Time Warner, which has 330,000 subscribers in the region, has been battling with LIN over CBS and CW retransmission rights for months. The dispute finally hit customers on Oct. 3, when the existing contract expired and the stations were pulled from Time Warner’s lineup. The impasse affected several LIN-owned stations nationwide, as the company demanded Time Warner pay 1-cent per customer per day per station — roughly $1.2 million for WIVB.

It hasn’t been an easy month for WIVB, and the station likely lost plenty of dollars in advertising revenue. According to Nielsen Media Research, Channel 4’s viewership for its 6 p.m. newscast dropped more than 65 percent since being pulled off Time Warner, putting the former No. 1-ranked local station in dead last. Channel 2 and Channel 7’s ratings have each jumped by about 30 percent.

It remains to be seen if the month-long break could have a lasting effect on the once-dominant Channel 4 News. During the dispute, Channel 4’s competitors seemed to make a push to win over new viewers — WGRZ Channel 2’s graphics were updated and WKBW Channel 7 announced a return to its former “Eyewitness News” theme.

Musial, however, said the station is confident its viewers will return. Just hours after being reinstated to Time Warner’s lineup on Wednesday, Musical said Channel 4 had received hundreds of e-mails from relieved viewers.

After Channel 4’s ratings took a hit from the contract standoff, Musial said WIVB’s ratings started inching upward as loyal viewers searched for alternative means to watch the station.

“I haven’t seen that as a concern or an attitude at the station,” Musial said of permanently losing viewers. “We have a group of hard-working, dedicated folks who knew what they had to do then and know what they have to do now. ... We just want to get back to what we love doing — producing the top local newscast and being part of the community.”

The contract agreement comes the day before November sweeps, the coveted ratings period where stations clamor to attract the most viewers as advertising costs are determined.

During the dispute, Time Warner had aired CBS College Sports and HBO Family in place of CBS and the CW.

Contact reporter Caitlin Murray at 282-2311, ext. 2251.