NEW YORK – Once again, Time Warner Cable Inc. subscribers in Greater Portland and in several other markets nationwide face the possibility of losing one of their local network TV stations.

Time Warner is still trying to reach a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. on the fees that Time Warner pays to carry Sinclair’s stations. The two sides said Friday they have agreed to a second extension, so the existing contract now expires at midnight tonight.

After that, local affiliates of Fox, CBS and ABC could go offline for some Time Warner customers. No NBC stations will be affected.

In Portland, the Sinclair station is WGME-TV (Channel 13), which carries network programming from CBS.

If there is a blackout, Time Warner says customers will still be able to see network programming. It plans to replace signals from Sinclair with feeds from nearby stations in other cities, a tactic the company says it can pursue under its existing contract with Sinclair until the end of February. That means subscribers will still see shows such as “Glee” and “Desperate Housewives” but not the local news.

In an e-mail statement, Andrew Russell, Time Warner’s regional spokesman, said: “Time Warner Cable will continue to provide all available CBS network programming to its customers.”

That includes Sunday’s New England Patriots divisional playoff game against the New York Jets, he said.

Sinclair general counsel Barry Faber said the broadcaster was looking for an extension of one week. But Time Warner is confident it can reach a deal with Sinclair in the next 24 hours, said spokeswoman Maureen Huff.

Separately, Sinclair and regional cable provider Bright House Networks said Friday they have reached a tentative agreement on fees and have extended negotiations until next Friday to work out details.

Those talks cover stations reaching about 1 million Bright House customers.

These types of disputes have grown more contentious over the past few years as broadcast companies seek higher fees from cable TV providers.

Traditionally, broadcasters relied on advertising to pay the bills. But with competition for ad dollars on the rise, they have been looking for a second source of revenue.

In addition to the CBS affiliate in Portland, major stations affected by the conflict include the Fox stations in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y., and San Antonio, Texas, and the ABC station in Greensboro, N.C. Both ABC and Fox stations are affected in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio.

Viewers would still be able to watch the local station with newer digital TVs and an antenna.

 

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