Charter bids for Time Warner Cable. Weather Channel off DirecTV.

After the coffee. Before scheduling my cat’s haircut.

The Skinny: Got home late and then had to write about the Weather Channel being officially off DirecTV (see below) which means I didn’t get a chance to watch Sunday’s episode of “The Good Wife.” Thanks to technology, reporters are now able to work all the time on stories that could easily wait until the morning. Tuesday’s roundup includes Charter’s $61.3 billion bid for Time Warner Cable and Fox’s plans to get out of the pilot business.

Daily Dose: RBC Capital Markets analyst David Banks said the firm recently talked with two D.C. lawyers about what the Supreme Court might be thinking with regards to Aereo. The lawyers, Bank said, thought the high court would favor the broadcaster’s efforts to have Aereo shutdown because it violates copyright law. Of course, it would probably be pretty easy to find two lawyers who think Aereo will win so I’d take all this with a grain of salt.

Let the battle begin. As expected, Charter Communications made an unsolicited offer for Time Warner Cable. And as expected, Time Warner Cable rejected the offer. Charter said it would pay more than $60 billion for Time Warner Cable, which is one of the nation’s biggest pay-TV and Internet providers with major properties in New York City and Los Angeles. Charter offered $132.50 per-share for Time Warner Cable in cash and Charter stock. Time Warner Cable said it values itself at more like $160 per share. Coverage from the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

Pilots? We don’t need no stinking pilots. For decades, the broadcast networks have used the same TV system to make TV shows. During a frantic two-month period they order tons of scripts, shoot dozens of pilots, pick the best and then rush them into production. Then they wonder why most fail. Well, Fox programming chief Kevin Reilly has had enough. He said Monday that Fox is out of the pilot business. Instead, the network will embrace yearlong development and focus on ordering scripts they believe in as series and take their time getting them right. “We couldn’t do any worse,” Reilly said. We’ll see. More on Fox’s potentially game-changing plan from the Los Angeles Times, Variety and Deadline Hollywood.

Heavy weather. DirecTV is no longer carrying the Weather Channel because it couldn’t come to terms on a new distribution contract with the network. The Weather Channel will lose access to 20 million homes which could effect its ratings and advertising revenue if the dispute drags on. The two are arguing over money although DirecTV says it is also concerned about the growing amount of non-weather forecast content on the channel. Also, AccuWeather said Monday it would launch its own 24/7 TV service later this year. Details on the spat from the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press.

Sundance TV Festival? The Sundance Film Festival gets underway later this week (someone forgot to get me a ticket and book a hotel room) but with all the changes going on in independent film, maybe it should merge with the NATPE convention, which is where many TV shows are sold. Thanks to the growth of video-on-demand and new distribution platforms there are new buyers. But that doesn’t mean the filmmakers are happy with the current landscape and diminishing chances for a theatrical window. A curtain raiser on Sundance from the New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Fox’s “American Idol” is once again getting a makeover in the hopes of keeping the franchise strong. Comedian actor Kevin Hart is looking to have a breakout year in 2014.

Follow me on Twitter. My forecast is always clear. @JBFlint.