I am going to chime in on this with a simple comment.
I have been with TW in my current location for 7 years. I have the everything package - the phone, but all of the extra channels blah blah... Until 1 month ago my bill was 145.00 not including the phone. They agreed to lower it after I called customer service. I have accepted very unhappily that TW and the NFL network are not going to come to terms anytime soon. This fact however upsets me every draft season and increasingly more each year as the NFL network acquires the rights to more games. Again it was acceptable, not preferable.
IN my wildest dreams I could not imagine a circumstance where the Bills game was not blacked out and I could not turn on my TV and watch it.
The aforementioned post mentioned a college professor stating that customers blame the companies for not having their products on walmart's shelves NO offense to you but that is one of the most foolish things I have ever read. You are joking? Customers blame the STORE not the other way around. How many times have you heard they have everything else why don't THEY have XXXX? Or Why don't they carry this?
Anyway, This is a simple case of blaming the store as well. TW is the store and I pay for a crap load of broadcasting that I hate (BET, MTV, soap channel to name a few). Should I blame NFL network for not being on TW? IN part perhaps but they are on almost ALL of the other cable networks. Should I blame LIN for not accepting whatever terms TW is offering? Perhaps. They are however on every other cable provider.
For whatever reason the fact is there is a very real possibility that the Bills game will not be on this Sunday. If on Sunday I turn on my TV and not see the Bills I will be calling Direct TV. I do not care who's fault it is. I do not care. I work hard all week and will not face the possibility that the billion dollar company continues to argue with the other billion dollar company. I want to watch football and if TW can't get it to me then someone else will gladly take my money.
Living in Jamestown does not allow me to wait for FIOS as they may be years before it gets here. Also in Jamestown we get the Erie CBS feed. That may save TW but it is usually blacked out.