Projo Biz Blog

Time Warner Cable Inc. reached an agreement to carry local television stations owned by Providence-based Lin TV Corp., ending a payment dispute that blacked out channels in 11 U.S. markets for most of this month.

Time Warner or its affiliate Bright House Networks LLC will restore Lin stations in cities including Austin, Texas, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The programming returns after an interruption that began the night of Oct. 2, Courtney Guertin, a Lin spokeswoman, said in an interview.

The dispute centered upon retransmission-consent fees -- payments cable operators make for the right to carry local broadcast signals. Other retransmission contracts expire on Dec. 31, and similar disagreements could force cable viewers around the U.S. to look elsewhere for the Super Bowl and early-season episodes of "American Idol."

Financial terms of the latest agreement weren't disclosed.

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