Disney Dispute Could Take ABC Off Big Cities' Cable

P H I L A D E L P H I A, Oct. 26 -- A disagreement between Comcast Cable and TheWalt Disney Co. could result in a blackout of ABC affiliates inmajor U.S. cities, affecting millions of television viewers.

Philadelphia-based Comcast is in a dispute with Disney similarto the deadlock that saw 3.5 million customers of Time-Warner, thenation’s second-largest cable company, lose their Disney-owned ABCstations for two days in May. (The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company to this Web site.)

The current battle could take ABC off Comcast systems inPhiladelphia, northern New Jersey suburbs, Los Angeles, Chicago,Toledo, Ohio, and Flint, Mich., if a retransmission agreement withDisney is not renewed or extended by midnight Sunday. A blackoutwould affect nearly 3 million viewers.

For instance, in order to watch “Who Wants to Be aMillionaire,” “Good Morning America,” or “Jeopardy,” 1.5million Philadelphia viewers would have to use the V-shaped indoorantennas known as rabbit ears to pull in the signal of WPVI, theABC’s affiliate there.

Dispute Centers on Disney Channels

Each side blames the other in the current wrangle, with ComcastPresident Stephen B. Burke saying it’s a case of Disney flexing itsmuscle. Disney says it only seeks fair compensation for lettingComcast carry its Philadelphia ABC affiliate.

“That’s two times in six months they’ve gotten in this kind offight,” said Burke, who worked at Disney as president of ABCBroadcasting before joining Comcast in 1998. “My point is therethey go again. I think they are sort of trying to scare thecustomers.”

The Time-Warner blackout in New York ended when the companyagreed to carry the Disney Channel for seven years in return foraccess to the ABC stations.

Disney now wants Comcast, the third-largest cable company, tooffer the ToonDisney and SoapNet channels as well as the DisneyChannel to subscribers of Comcast’s basic service at no extracharge.