FSN on Bright House Networks in Central Fla.

Fans still losing out to channel stalemate

Usually in sports, when two sides can't come to terms in a negotiation, one of two things happens.

Either one side demands a trade or becomes a free agent, or everything comes to a grinding halt, in which case the fans almost always lose.

Thanks to a continuing stalemate between Bright House Networks of Central Florida and FSN Florida, a vast majority of area sports fans who have cable can't erase the big "L" from their TV sets.

Though a significant number of people in the area -- more than 200,000 homes -- subscribe to a satellite service, not everyone can take that route. Some fans who might want FSN Florida, thereby becoming a free agent of sorts, can't receive a satellite signal, or their property owner won't allow a dish. And they certainly can't demand a trade to another cable carrier. So they're stuck.

Certainly not all cable or satellite customers necessarily want FSN Florida, or any sports channel, for that matter. However, the fact remains that about 750,000 customers in Central Florida can't tune in a large number of good college football and basketball games, especially those involving ranked Pac-10 teams. Not to mention, they have few chances to see Marlins or Devil Rays games during baseball season.

Here's a quick primer on the situation:

Bright House Networks of Central Florida has never carried FSN Florida, even when the companies operated under different names.

Bright House would carry FSN Florida only on its digital tier of channels, which is available for $9.70 more per month than its standard lineup, according to Bright House's Web site.

FSN Florida wants to be available on the standard lineup just as ESPN, ESPN2, Sunshine Network and Speed Channel are.

FSN Florida is carried on most cable and satellite systems in the state, including Bright House Networks' Tampa Bay division, along with smaller cable carriers in Central Florida.

Bright House says through its research, it doesn't see enough customers wanting FSN Florida to put in the standard lineup. Doing so could pass along a price bump from adding another sports channel to everyone, including people who never watch sports.

"We're not seeing a significant market interest in this service to offer it and charge all our customers for it," said Bright House spokesperson Sara Brady. "We want to be sure we're offering a service that the majority of the market will accept and be willing to pay for."

FSN Florida General Manager Jeff Genthner said he couldn't respond to the customer demand issue except to point out the channel's programming does well everywhere else in the state, even with Marlins games shown in northern Florida.

Many readers have called and sent e-mails our way in the past, asking why they can't receive FSN Florida. That seems like a good show of support, except, as Brady correctly points out, "Those are the people motivated to write, and not necessarily representative of the entire population."

That leaves -- surprise, surprise -- money as another major player in this issue.

"Our price is lower, and I know for a fact that it's lower, than for ESPN, ESPN2 and Sunshine, which are carried by Bright House on the standard lineup," he said. "We've said this 'til we turn blue in the face. We're charging less than comparable sports networks. We're not asking for better treatment, just the same treatment."

Genthner, who said he didn't want to give exact prices because he'd rather not negotiate through the media, also said FSN Florida's revenues rely heavily on advertising. And if FSN Florida agrees to go on a higher-priced tier of channels, it can't reach as many viewers, which hurts ad rates. At any rate, with change unlikely to come soon, many sports fans come out on the losing end of this stalemate.

Courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel