No more ‘American Idol?’

“If you hear a scream from a hotel room in Las Vegas, that’s where Barry Manilow is watching this show.”

Most of what “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell says — such as this jab at Bobby after he sang Manilow’s “Copacabana” on the Feb. 22 show — is water cooler talk the next day. But if negotiations between Time Warner Cable and WUTV and WNYO don’t work out by Dec. 31, Western New Yorkers will have to settle for secondhand accounts of the insults.

Local Time Warner customers face losing Fox and MyTV Buffalo on Jan. 1, missing out on the two-night season six premiere of “American Idol” Jan. 16 and 17 — in addition to other favorites such as “The Simpsons,” “24” and “The OC” — if the two sides don’t complete contract negotiations.

Phyllis Eaton, the receptionist for WNYO and WUTV, which are operated out of the same building in Buffalo, said all she can say is that the two sides are in negotiations in Baltimore and that there’s no word about the channels’ fate. WNYO and WUTV are owned by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group based in Hunt Valley, Md.

“I wish they’d tell us more, but they haven’t,” she said.

Eaton said it’s the same situation that NFLNetwork and Time Warner faced before the network was pulled from the lineup. WUTV’s and WNYO’s agreement with Time Warner is set to expire Dec. 31, but Eaton said no information is being released on whether money is an issue.

She added that the stations cannot give viewers any guarantees they’ll be around beyond Dec. 31 until an agreement is announced.

Gordon Harp, Time Warner Cable division president in Buffalo, wrote a letter Nov. 27 to Lancaster Town Supervisor Robert Giza informing him that service was in danger.

“We are usually able to obtain renewals or extensions of such agreements, and carriage of programming services is discontinued only in rare circumstances,” Harp said.

Giza said the town government has nothing to do with the decision. The state Cable Commission deals with cable companies and their decisions on which services and stations to provide, he said.

“We have no jurisdiction,” Giza said.

Sharon L. Hanson, Time Warner’s public affairs manager for the Buffalo Division, said Friday that negotiations have been routine and that the stations most likely will not be pulled.

She said Time Warner has to pay the affiliates to carry their programming, and the negotiations are a normal part of the renewal process. “We want to get the best rate for the customer,” she said. It’s not uncommon for talks to last until the deadline.

“These things tend to run right down to the wire,” Hanson said.

When asked if customers would see a rate decrease if the channels are discontinued, Hanson said she could not comment.

If the stations are pulled, viewers will have to turn elsewhere to find some of their favorite shows.

“Then you’d have to go to Dish,” Eaton said.

e-mail: Ljohnson@beenews.com