By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, April 28, 2016
Charter Cable subscribers might lose access to the Atlanta CBS affiliate WGCL-TV May 1 if the two sides can't come to a new agreement.
This means the disappearance of "NCIS," "Survivor," "60 Minutes" and "The Big Bang Theory," among others. And that means no Jennifer Valdez, Paul Ossmann, Fred Kalil or Karyn Greer for local news buffs who get Charter.
Charter has about 150,000 subscribers primarily in north Georgia, said WGCL General Manager Mark Pimental.
WGCL will still be available over-the-air and from all other cable and satellite companies serving Atlanta, including Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network or AT&T U-verse.
WGCL said in a press release that it has been trying for months to get Charter to negotiate in good faith
“Even the biggest cable companies shouldn’t be able to ignore their customers,” Pimental said. “Charter should focus on keeping WGCL in its lineup while it works on its mergers."
Pimental said, if you are a Charter customer, you can help #BringCharterCableToTheTable by calling Charter at 1-877-906-9121.
He said to me today that WGCl owners Meredith Corp. continues to negotiate and they still hope to come up with a deal that won't cause a blackout for Charter customers.
A Charter spokesman did not respond to a voicemail or email request for comment.
Cable and satellite companies pay fees to air TV networks, usually at pennies per month per customer. The loss of customers who have cut the cord or chosen not to sign up at all for these services has started impacting the bottom line for both sides.
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