Looming money struggle with cable companies could threaten Fox News's spot on dial.
NEW YORK (AP) - A financial struggle is looming between Fox News Channel and the cable and satellite providers who carry the network, with the risk of Bill O'Reilly, Shepard Smith and Sean Hannity being yanked from TV screens if talks go sour.
One of the first battlegrounds is in the suburban ring around New York, the nation's largest and most influential media market.
With Fox's 10th anniversary next week, a series of 10-year contracts with providers will begin expiring. Fox says the systems pay roughly 25 cents per subscriber each month to carry its programming. Given the network's success in the ratings, Fox is asking that these fees jump to $1.
Fox claims its rival CNN frequently gets around 50 cents per subscriber, and that Fox's fee is a bargain since Fox's ratings have eclipsed CNN's for five years.
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