Let's Make a Deal

Dish Net subs may breathe a little easier as it appears EchoStar [DISH] and Turner have hashed out a deal to keep CNN, Cartoon and a host of other nets on the lineup. "We have an agreement in principle, and we’re still working out the details," EchoStar spokesman Steve Caulk said, although neither side would comment further on terms, conditions, etc. EchoStar honcho Charlie Ergen warned viewers on his "Charlie Chat" that Turner programming could be bumped earlier this month. The original carriage agreement expired back on Dec 31, 2003, but an informal extension kept Turner shows on the Dish net while both sides hashed things out. That temporary extension was set to expire today. EchoStar’s primary beef was that Turner asked for exorbitant rate increases; a similar contretemps caused it to yank Viacom [VIA] fare for 48 hours on March 9. A formal announcement could be made as early as this morning.