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During the spat, which showcased the kind of mudslinging and finger-pointing more commonly associated with the election season, Cablevision claimed that Fox wanted over $150 million to carry WNYW, WWOR and WTFX, or more than double its previous fees.

As a Cablevision subscriber, the disagreement between the two companies was annoying on several levels. For instance, once Fox pulled its programming, Cablevision began airing infomercials blaming Fox for its greed and inflexible stance that appeared each time a user turned on the service. It's bad enough when customers lose a portion of the service they're paying for. Customers don't want to be barraged with slanted rhetoric.

Even more irritating was how Cablevision encouraged subscribers to petition lawmakers to intervene in the dispute. Don't drag your customers into the middle of a contract battle. It's not their responsibility. That's for News Corp. and Cablevision honchos to work out.

As Don Peppers and Martha Rogers would point out, the type of clash that occurred between Cablevision and Fox is also a bonafide way to erode customer trust. According to a report published in TVWeek, Cablevision was estimated to have lost roughly 1 percent of its 3 million subscribers affected by the disagreement to rivals such as Verizon FiOS and DirecTV. Depending on the value of the subscribers that defected, that could cost Cablevision dearly.

The long-term trust (and value) Cablevision has lost with its remaining embittered subscribers is yet to be determined.