Time Warner customers could be missing Lakers (and much more) soon

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Time Warner cable, which already doesn’t carry the NFL Network (so customers, for example, didn’t see the undefeated Indianapolis Colts hanging on to beat Jacksonville Thursday night and won’t see the undefeated New Orleans Saints play Dallas on Saturday) is threatening to drop Fox and its stable of networks, including the sports channels that carry the Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, UCLA and USC, next month.

So for Time Warner’s local customers there would be no new season of ‘American Idol’ or ‘24,’ no ‘Simpsons,’ very little local sports coverage and four NFC pro playoff games that would be unavailable.

On its Web page Time Warner is conducting a poll. Viewers can either click on ‘Roll Over’ or ‘Get Tough.’ Is that poll loaded much? But the current Time Warner/Fox contract runs out at midnight Dec. 31.

At that bewitching hour, Time Warner cable fans might lose Channel 11, Prime Ticket, Fox Sports West, FX, Speed, Fuel, Fox Movies, Fox Reality, Fox Soccer and Fox Espanol.

-- Diane Pucin