[Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, A] Ticklefish:
Maybe we're unable to turn that @id/system_icon_area Layout into a RelativeLayout...

So let's try a different route.

I've got an idea. Let me know what happens with this code..

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/status_bar" android:background="@drawable/system_bar_background" android:focusable="true" android:fitsSystemWindows="true" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:systemui="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.android.systemui">
<ImageView android:id="@id/notification_lights_out" android:paddingBottom="2.0dip" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/ic_sysbar_lights_out_dot_small" android:scaleType="center" android:paddingStart="6.0dip" />
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/status_bar_contents" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:paddingStart="6.0dip" android:paddingEnd="6.0dip">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/notification_icon_area" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<TextView android:textSize="15.0dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/carrierLabel" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:singleLine="true" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/operatorLogoIcon" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/tw_stat_notify_operator_logo" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/operatorLogoIcon_org" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/tw_stat_notify_operator_logo_org" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.StatusBarIconView android:id="@id/moreIcon" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/stat_notify_more" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.IconMerger android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/notificationIcons" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_alignParentStart="true" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/system_icon_area" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<LinearLayout android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/statusIcons" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" />
<LinearLayout android:gravity="center" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/signal_battery_cluster" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:paddingStart="2.0dip">
<include android:id="@id/signal_cluster" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" layout="@layout/signal_cluster_view" />
<TextView android:textSize="@dimen/status_bar_battery_text_size" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:layout_gravity="center" android:id="@id/battery_text" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="@string/status_bar_network_name_separator" android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/status_bar_battery_text_marginStart" />
<com.android.systemui.BatteryMeterView android:id="@id/battery" android:layout_width="12.0dip" android:layout_height="18.0dip" android:layout_marginBottom="0.33000004dip" android:layout_marginStart="5.0dip" />
</LinearLayout>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.policy.Clock android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.Clock" android:ellipsize="none" android:gravity="start|center" android:id="@id/clock" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:singleLine="true" android:includeFontPadding="false" android:paddingStart="6.0dip" systemui:ampmSmall="false" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/ticker" android:animationCache="false" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:paddingStart="6.0dip">
<ImageSwitcher android:id="@id/tickerIcon" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_marginEnd="4.0dip">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:scaleType="centerInside" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:scaleType="centerInside" />
</ImageSwitcher>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView android:id="@id/tickerText" android:paddingTop="2.0dip" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1.0" android:paddingEnd="10.0dip">
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:singleLine="true" />
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:singleLine="true" />
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView>
</LinearLayout>
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView>

This is for TableLayout's.

Stretching a Column makes it take all available free width. Shrinking a Column makes its content shrink to fit, which may involve word-wrapping.

The Columns and Rows in TableLayout's are zero-index based. So 'android:stretchColumns="1"' will make the second column from the left stretchable.