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Erie Times-News

By Peter Panepento, Erie Times-News, Pa.

Jan. 13--Adelphia Cablevision subscribers are anxiously waiting to hear whether they will be able to receive the signals for Erie's NBC and CBS affiliates after Monday.

But, like a good television mystery, the conflict between Adelphia and station owner Lilly Broadcasting might not be resolved until the last minute.

Lilly, which owns Erie's NBC, CBS, UPN and WB affiliates, has given Adelphia until Monday to agree to a new contract that will allow the cable carrier to broadcast its stations.

If the two sides are unable to strike a deal, Lilly has threatened to pull its stations off the air for Adelphia subscribers.

Officials from both companies said Thursday that the negotiations are serious and ongoing -- and both sides say they expect a deal to be consummated before the deadline.

"We're optimistic," said Tom Carey, Adelphia's general manager. "We'd like to say more, but it isn't in our best interests right now."

But with the deadline looming, some Adelphia customers are growing impatient.

The loss of local NBC and CBS signals would mean residents in Erie suburbs such as Millcreek, Harborcreek, Summit and Fairview would be unable to watch shows such as "CSI," "Survivor" and "The Today Show" through their cable carrier.

Faced with that prospect, Millcreek resident Mary Ann McDanniels-Kulesa said she plans to petition the Federal Communications Commission to keep Lilly's stations on the air.

McDanniels-Kulesa said Lilly's threat penalizes apartment dwellers who are unable to receive Dish Network -- a satellite network that has a contract to carry Erie's local broadcast stations.

"All entities have a responsibility to get this done," she said. "This is like a David and Goliath thing. These are two big corporate entities with big pockets who do not care about the little guy."

The most recent contracts between local broadcast stations and cable carriers expired Dec. 31.

Most of the contracts, including those involving Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc. -- the owner of Erie's ABC and Fox affiliates -- have been settled.

Louis Gattozzi, WJET-TV's vice president and general manager, said Nexstar has reached a deal with Adelphia and has not announced plans to pull its stations off the air locally.

Lilly Broadcasting, meanwhile, has contracts in place that will not disrupt its programming in the city of Erie and in Meadville.

But Lilly and Adelphia have been unable to strike a deal.

The sticking point has been the per-subscriber fee Lilly has been asking for from Adelphia.

In the past, broadcasters typically did not ask for fees from cable carriers.

But with some satellite networks -- including Dish Network -- willing to pay the fees, broadcast stations have been following suit.

If Lilly and Adelphia are unable to meet Monday's deadline, Adelphia subscribers might be faced with the choice of switching to Dish Network or using an antenna to pick up Lilly's stations.

Lilly Broadcasting General Manager Brian Lilly said Thursday he hopes that doesn't have to happen.

"I would hope we would have something wrapped up today,"he said.

Adelphia's Carey said he believes both sides are willing to do "whatever it takes" to reach an agreement before Monday's deadline.

McDanniels-Kulesa, meanwhile, said she plans to host a news conference today at 10:30 a.m. to launch her campaign for the FCC to resolve the dispute.

She is also calling on the municipalities that have given Adelphia cable rights -- namely Erie's suburbs -- to step in on behalf of their residents.

"It is time for the governing bodies of these communities to get involved with this dispute to see that public access is not lost," she said.

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