Lifetime Television Demands Cable Company Restore Channel to Its Lineup
Posted on: Thursday, 12 January 2006, 21:00 CST
By Kimberly S. Johnson, The Denver Post
Jan. 12--Lifetime Television, a popular women's network, teamed with 50 women's advocacy and anti-violence groups Wednesday to demand that satellite-TV company EchoStar Communications put its programming back on the air.
In a full-page ad in The Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News and The New York Times, Lifetime and groups such as the National Organization for Women and the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network said the removal of the network denies viewers access to information and support on issues such as breast cancer, heart disease, violence and economic equality.
"Your drastic, unnecessary actions and unwillingness to restore Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network to the air and to continue working toward an agreement suggest that you do not listen to what women want and do not have their best interests in mind," the ad said.
Douglas County-based EchoStar, which operates the Dish Network, is involved in a contract dispute with Lifetime. EchoStar says Lifetime wants to increase its programming prices too much. But neither EchoStar nor Lifetime would give a dollar amount for the increase.
Lifetime's programming was pulled Dec. 31 when the previous contract expired.
In a letter to Lifetime, EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen accused the New York-based network of "playing politics" by rallying women's groups against the Dish Network.
He said EchoStar has renewed hundreds of contracts for other channels it broadcasts.
"We completed 322 channel contracts in 2005. We have three negotiations pending," Ergen said. "Lifetime ... they know our number, and we're happy to take their call." EchoStar spokesman Mark Cicero said the company has received many calls from subscribers thanking it for protecting them from price increases.
"We continue to fight for our customers and protect them against the 76 percent rate increase demanded by Lifetime," Cicero said.
Talks with Lifetime have resumed, but EchoStar would not give specifics.
In October, EchoStar pulled the Outdoor Life Network off the Dish Network after they failed to agree on a new contract. Negotiations are ongoing.
Lifetime spokesman Gary Morgenstein said the network isn't asking for a 76 percent increase. He said it wants a 4-cent increase per subscriber per month.
With $850 million in revenues in 2005, Lifetime ranks 15th among all TV networks, according to a report by Broadcasting and Cable magazine. But ratings have slipped in recent years as other channels, such as Oxygen, have emerged with more original content geared for women in the prized 18-49 age demographic.
Dish Network does not offer the Oxygen network but has made the Women's Entertainment channel and Encore Love available to most of its 12 million subscribers.
Launched in 1984, Lifetime is broadcast to 86 million households nationwide. Lifetime Entertainment Services is a joint venture of the Hearst Corp. and the Walt Disney Co. and comprises Lifetime Television, the Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Online.
The network also has partnerships with more than 200 leading nonprofit organizations.
To inform people about the contract dispute with EchoStar, Lifetime is sponsoring a rally at Civic Center today at noon.
Similar rallies were held Wednesday in Houston and Greenville, S.C.
"The last time Lifetime aired a documentary on domestic violence and the hotline number, calls increased 600 percent," said Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The Denver-based organization was listed in the ad after being contacted by Lifetime last week.
Lifetime contributed $5,000 to $10,000 to the group in 2005, Smith said.
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Source: The Denver Post
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