Two of the Island's TV companies will go head to head today in a bid to resolve a long-running dispute involving claims of programme piracy and damages.

Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb will act as broker as Bermuda Broadcasting Company and CableVision meet to try to thrash out a deal on programme rights, payments and possibly compensation for `damages' incurred over the years.

The meeting comes after BBC chief executive Rick Richardson claimed the station had been losing money for years, partly due to loss of advertising dollars when their shows were duplicated on CableVision.

However, CableVision denied the existence of a `long running' dispute with the BBC over exclusive broadcasting rights agreements.

Cablevision general manager Jeremy Elmas said: "Throughout its history, Cablevision has always been prepared to respect any exclusive programming rights asserted and established by BBC.

"Where Cablevision has been satisfied as to the existence of such rights, appropriate action has been taken... Indeed, at Mr. Richardson's recent request, as previously announced, we have begun blacking out Sesame Street and Sixty Minutes from our programming line up out of respect for the exclusive rights that they have now established to air these shows in the Bermuda market.

"Last year, we removed ABC affiliate WXYZ from our programming line-up and earlier this year we blacked out coverage of the Winter Olympics. These actions clearly demonstrate that we respect such rights such as BBC are able to secure and prove from time to time."

Mr. Elmas said Mr. Richardson had not informed the company of any further issues and his company had not been contacted by the Telecommunications Department in respect of such issues.

Yesterday evening Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb confirmed that both CableVision and BBC were expected to be represented at today's meeting.

"There are a couple of issues in terms of ZBM being upset that CableVision has been carrying programmes that they have exclusive rights to," the Minister said.

"Progress is being made - we are in discussions and we are trying to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of both parties. CableVision has been amenable to resolving the issues. Usually when they are asked, CableVision cooperates." She said the issues have been in existence ever since CableVision started operations. Ms Webb added that also to be resolved is the question of whether CableVision should pay the Island's two broadcasters for carrying the three local channels.

Mr. Richardson this week said that programming piracy had been draining his company of revenue over a number of years and that, plus adverse economic conditions, was the reason why wages at the company had been frozen for the last three years.

Staff members held a sit out Monday afternoon to draw attention to their grievances.

Mr. Richardson held a one hour meeting with his staff during, which he detailed a 13 year dispute with CableVision, that is now being brokered by the Government's Telecommunication's department.

He said the company had been losing money for years on the television side because advertiser confidence suffered when programming for which they had exclusive local broadcast rights were duplicated on CableVision.

"I am blaming the overall state of the bottom line which is affected a great deal by the copyright dispute," he told The Royal Gazette when asked specifically why his staff had not been given raises for the last three years.

But he added that he was hopeful for a resolution to the issues quite soon as CableVision had recently "for the first time" stated that they will honour exclusive rights agreements negotiated by his company.

He also warned that damages would have to be paid. "There are issues of compensation

- damages," Mr. Richardson said Monday.

"And that's what's on the table and will be on the table because there have been damages."

Mr. Richardson's suggestion that "CableVision is in some way responsible for BBC `losing money' is completely without foundation," said Mr. Elmas in a statement.