ABC may go dark on Cablevision Saturday

BETHPAGE, N.Y., March 5 (UPI) -- Cablevision said it continued to urge ABC Disney Friday to listen to U.S. government officials and consumers and not pull the plug on WABC at midnight Saturday.

Cablevision and ABC are negotiating a new contract.

Cablevision has announced it will leave the WABC Channel position open and available and said the switch is in Disney President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger's hands.

"There is one man who is going to decide whether New York gets to see the Oscars, and that's Disney President and CEO Bob Iger. Cablevision already pays Disney more than $200 million a year and now they are demanding $40 million more. We call on Bob Iger to stop holding his own viewers hostage, end his threats to pull the plug on ABC at midnight and instead work with us to reach a fair agreement. The switch is in Bob Iger's hands," Charles Schueler, Cablevision's executive vice president of communications, said in a statement.

Cablevision advised its customers to urge ABC Disney not to pull their programming by calling 1-877-NO-TV-TAX, visiting http://www.cablevision.com/abc or joining its Facebook group "Cablevision Viewers Say: No New Fees, ABC!"