WBTW files FCC complaint against Time Warner Cable
The complaint centers around Time Warner Cable's decision to remove WBTW from select cable systems impacting viewers in such communities as Johnsonville, Effingham, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, Georgetown as well as Richmond and Brunswick counties in North Carolina.
In the complaint WBTW contends Time Warner violated the commission's rules by failing to provide any advance notice to Media General, WBTW's parent company. It also claims Time Warner violated the FCC's requirement to provide reasonable notice to its subscribers of the channel lineup change.
The complaint requests the that FCC sanction Time Warner for "its knowingly and willful violation of the FCC's Rules."
"Hundreds of viewers have written and called expressing their concerns about the loss of service," WBTW Vice President and General Manager Michael Caplan said. "There is a great deal of misinformation in the marketplace. We would like for the public to know that the decision to drop WBTW was Time Warner Cable's and theirs alone."
When reached for comment Friday, Time Warner Cable Vice President for Media Relations Melissa Buscher decline comment because company officials had not yet seen the complaint.
On Monday, Time Warner Cable customers contacted WBTW after receiving postcards from Time Warner informing them that beginning as early as Tuesday; the company was removing WBTW from its line-up.
In Surfside Beach, WBTW was replaced by My Network, and in Georgetown, by the Home Shopping Network.
Among the viewers who contacted WBTW, Jim Russell of Murrells Inlet, who says he called Time Warner Cable when he turned on his television and noticed the change.
"I said what's with Channel 13 not being on and they told me that Channel 13 is no longer broadcasting," Russell said.
Russell was among several viewers who contacted WBTW, via phone calls, e-mails and comments on the station's Facebook page.
"I was disturbed when I tuned to channel 13 this morning and found HSN instead of WBTW. As the only local channel I was receiving on my Time Warner service in Georgetown, I watched WBTW exclusively for local news and weather, and whenever I watched CBS programming," wrote Georgetown County resident Dan Hall. "I was even more disturbed when the Time Warner customer service rep told me that WBTW had pulled their broadcast from Georgetown and other local communities in the Myrtle Beach area."
Hall told News 13 Thursday that he was surprised by the channel shuffle, and also called Time Warner and spoke to a Customer Service Representative.
"He said he had just received a piece of paper that told him WBTW decided to remove their service from Time Warner," Hall said.
Another viewer wrote that they were told that the "FCC forced Time Warner to drop WBTW and subscribers should complain to the FCC."
The complaint make several references to the statements made by Time Warner customer service representatives blaming WBTW and the FCC for the change.
When asked Thursday about statements made by Time Warner staff to Russell and Hall that the station was "no longer broadcasting" or to blame for the change, Buscher said she was unaware of the comments.
"This issue is about duplicate programming. WBTW is an out of market affiliate in the Georgetown County Area," said Buscher. "By removing the station we're able to provide more programming options in the future to our customers. To include, faster broadband and more HD services and that's what out customers have come to expect."
"We want to ensure our viewers and our advertisers that WBTW is still in business, still on the air, and still serving the Myrtle Beach-Florence area," said Caplan. "The community also should know that Time Warner Cable's removal of WBTW News 13 from some of its cable systems resulted from a decision made by Time Warner Cable alone. They did not consult with us or give us any advance warning. We have requested that Time Warner Cable listen to the local community by immediately returning WBTW to all of the systems WBTW was previously on."
