TV Times, 90053

I know sometimes sports events are blacked out on my cable system, but I’ve also noticed that other programs are occasionally missing. Why?

You are experiencing something called Syndicated Exclusivity or, as it is more commonly known, “syndex.” This means that a local station that has exclusive rights to a syndicated program can, in effect, veto its use in its own area by cable stations such as TBS, WWOR and WGN. KCOP, for instance, has the exclusive L.A. rights to “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Superstation WWOR normally airs “Arsenio” weeknights but it’s blacked out in the L.A. area, replaced by reruns of “Love Boat” and “Kojak.” The syndex rule is written into syndication contracts, which explains why some recent series, specials andmovies are affected but not older or, by any means, all programming.