• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Friday, January 2, 2009 10:15 AM

Before this week's dispute between Time Warner Cable and Viacom, which was settled at the last minute, St. Louis cable television viewers had to suffer through a similar feud between Charter Communications and Belo's KMOV. The threat was simple: Unless Charter agreed to pay more, local cable subscribers were about to say goodbye to CBS. An agreement was struck at the 11th hour.

Expect more of this public bickering. Traditionally, agreements between cable companies and station owners have been secured by non-cash incentives. But now, stations see them as a potential revenue stream to offset lost advertising dollars. "Broadcasters have learned they have leverage over the cable companies," says Shannon Dunham, former Charter vice president.

Figuring out how much any station is getting in these new contracts is a challenge, since the agreements are laden with confidentiality clauses. Belo and KMOV officials still refuse to talk about the details of their agreement with Charter, for instance. But industry insiders say that station owners usually get much of what they are seeking.

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