ABC & Cablevision's feud

Yes, I think fear of negative PR influenced ABC’s decision to continue having its programming on Cablevision until they work out their contract. According to an article from The Wall Street Journal, “Walt Disney Co. and Cablevision Systems Corp. struck a last-minute accord late Sunday to restore Disney's blacked-out ABC stations to millions of New York-area homes just minutes into ABC's Academy Awards broadcast.” The blackout had lasted about 21 hours and was the result of financial disagreements over monthly subscription fees. Both Disney and Cablevision drew consumers into their feud. Consumers were well aware of what was going on between them, and I’m sure the blackout caused a major stir. ABC made a good decision to put its programming back on, especially in time for the Academy Awards, a program that reaches millions of viewers. The backlash that they would have gotten had they left ABC blacked-out would have followed them for years, and nobody wants that kind of negative PR. People are very devoted to TV, and would definitely cause a stir had the programming they’re used to seeing gone black forever.