Time Warner Cable Offers Free TV Antennas Amid CBS Blackout

NEW YORK: Time Warner Cable is giving away a limited number of TV antennas to customers in markets affected by its blackout of CBS stations.

The cable provider is giving away basic indoor antennas at its retail locations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and parts of Wisconsin. Alternately, it is providing a $20 discount on antennas at select Best Buy stores in those cities.

Customers would need the antenna as well as a TV set with a digital tuner or an over-the-air digital converter box in order to get the blacked-out channels. The converter boxes are different from the standard Time Warner Cable set-top boxes.

In other offerings, CBS and Time Warner Cable temporarily lifted the blackout so that New Yorkers could watch the debates for mayor and city comptroller. The provider also offered a free preview of the Tennis Channel for the U.S. Open tournament.