An email from a lobbyist landed in Eric Rouse‘s inbox one afternoon last December, catapulting Mr. Rouse, a commissioner of rural Lenoir County in North Carolina, into the middle of one of the fiercest battles being waged across the media business. 

The lobbyist represented Viacom, the media conglomerate that is the parent of two dozen networks including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.  The local cable television provider, Suddenlink Communications, had dropped Viacom’s channels from its lineup in October after the two companies had failed to reach an agreement.  Viacom wanted Suddenlink to pay significant increases; Suddenlink refused, citing deteriorating ratings at the networks. 

“We’re eager to talk with you at your earliest convenience about how we might be able to help you reverse Suddenlink’s unpopular and unnecessary move,” read the email, which came from the government relations team at the Smith Anderson law firm in Raleigh.  The message denounced the replacement channels that Suddenlink had added, calling them “inferior” and saying that it was “unfair” that the cable operator had not provided discounts to its customers. 

Mr. Rouse certainly had noticed that Viacom’s channels no longer were available on Suddenlink, with his two school-age children missing their favorite shows on Nickelodeon.