Dear Time Warner and CBS...please do NOT reach an agreement

Dear Time Warner and CBS,

It's happened again, and this time neither of you blinked. According to USA Today, CBS owned-and-operated stations and CBS networks (such as Showtime) are no longer being carried by Time Warner Cable.

This has happened before, and before, of course. A content provider wants money, and a cable/satellite provider doesn't want to pay, so they make all sorts of threats. The content providers airs commercials saying, "Call your cable/satellite provider and tell them that you want to see our programming on your system!" Meanwhile, the cable/satellite providers air commercials saying, "Call your content provider and demand that they allow their shows to be shown on your system!"

And it's happened here. A few days ago, I heard a commercial urging me to call Time Warner. And I'm sure if I listened long enough, I would have heard a commercial urging me to call CBS.

And, Time Warner and CBS, you know what happens next. After you air all of these warring messages, you eventually reach an agreement, and all is forgotten - until Time Warner and Disney get into a fight, or until CBS and Dish Network get into a fight.

The USA Today writer seems to think that you guys will settle your little spat once the summer's over. By the time AFC football and the fall season starts, you guys will buckle down and work out an agreement.

Well, Time Warner and CBS, I hope you don't.

Time Warner, I hope that you keep on fighting and claim that CBS is trying to extort money from you.

And CBS, I hope that you keep on fighting and tell Time Warner to pay what your shows are worth.

Frankly, I hope that CBS programming never appears on Time Warner ever again.

And I hope that these fights spread, so that all of these content providers disappear from all of the cable/satellite providers.

If that happens, then obviously people won't pay for these cable/satellite services any more. And at the same time, the content providers won't get all of that guaranteed revenue that has made them greedy.

Then both the cable/satellite providers and the content providers will really have to fight for my business. Instead of holding these fake crisis wars every few years, they'll have to come up with a new business model - oen that will make it worthwhile for me to watch your shows.

Time Warner, CBS, and everyone else, I want you to pay ME to watch your stuff.

But you'll claim that's unreasonable.

Well, why should I have to pay YOU so that you get the privilege to air commercials in my home? Shouldn't you be paying me so that I will become part of your audience?

I'm waiting.