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GREENSBORO -- The contract dispute between Time Warner Cable and Fox over a price hike for Fox television channels means that sports fans could stand to lose the most.

The two corporations have been haggling over Fox's request to increase the rates it charges the cable provider for some of its channels, which include SportSouth, Speed Channel, Fox Soccer Channel and others. Time Warner Cable has pushed back with an advertising campaign and Web site dedicated to opposing the rate increase.

Meanwhile, fans just want to catch a game.

"The little guys are getting squeezed out because the corporations want more money," said Tyler Nabors, 30, of Greensboro, who sat in Grey's Tavern with some friends to watch the Tuesday night Long Beach State-Duke basketball game.

Fox officials say that if no agreement is reached by midnight tonight, Time Warner must pull the channels from its cable systems.

"I would be highly surprised if a deal is reached," said Nick Bakatsias, 29, of Greensboro, who sat with Nabors while sipping a beer.

It appears that a deal is unlikely.

"For months, Fox has been negotiating in good faith with Time Warner Cable," the company said in a release. "Our position in these negotiations is entirely reasonable -- we are simply asking for fair compensation for the value our Fox programming offers."

Both companies have said they are willing to negotiate, but neither seems willing to bend. Time Warner said that the rate increase, which would be passed along to consumers, could be substantial.

"It's important for us, in these economic times, to control costs," said Melissa Buscher, a spokeswoman for Time Warner. "Fox is asking for a 300 percent increase."

In a Dec. 22 letter, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., asked the two companies to come to an agreement in time to show New Year's Day bowl games.

Such conflicts are occurring more frequently between cable and satellite providers and sports networks. In September, DIRECTV and the Versus network reached an impasse, and Comcast pulled the channel from the satellite provider.

It all means more woe for the sports fan. Or at least a nuisance for local fans who subscribe to Time Warner Cable.

SportSouth airs college games, as well as some games played by the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. Speed Channel covers NASCAR and many other racing series. Fuel, FX, Fox Reality, Fox Sports World Espanol and Fox Soccer Channel are on the block, too.

Unless a deal is reached today, fans who get those channels through Time Warner Cable may soon need to be more enterprising to catch some events.

"I'd be upset," Nabors said. "I'd be relegated to streaming games online."

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com