"The dispute between DirecTV and Fox over programming fees has taken on the heavy-handed rhetoric of a labor strike with South Florida sports fans and millions of satellite TV viewers nationwide caught in the crossfire.

DirecTV has threatened to drop several prominent Fox cable networks and 19 regional sports channels if an agreement isn't reached by Nov. 1, affecting most of its 19.5 million viewers. In South Florida, that includes Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports, which broadcast Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!, Heat, Panthers and Rays games as well as coverage of the state's major college teams."