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Morning Fix: Politicians try to jump-start Dodgers TV talks. ‘Seinfeld’ to Netflix?

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After the coffee. Before seeing which politicians weigh in on the Dodgers TV mess today.

The Skinny: The dog days of summer are almost upon us. Of course, I have a cat so that doesn’t really apply to me. Today’s roundup includes more politicians trying to force a Dodgers TV deal. Also, Jerry Seinfeld says Netflix is interested in reruns of his hit show. If that happens, I’ll never get any work done.

Daily Dose: Dodgers President Stan Kasten said Monday that he thinks Time Warner Cable’s willingness to enter arbitration should bring an end to the standoff over SportsNet LA (see below). Although Kasten is eager to see an arbitrator weigh in on the stalemate, he doesn’t seem to have any interest in perhaps renegotiating the team’s lucrative deal with Time Warner Cable to distribute the team’s games. Asked if the team would be willing to redo the deal if it meant getting games on the air, the usually talkative Kasten declined to comment.

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Throwing a curve. Time Warner Cable said it was willing to let an arbitrator decide what’s a fair price for SportsNet LA, the Dodgers-owned channel that it is distributing and is not available in most Los Angeles homes. Area distributors including DirecTV and Cox are balking at the price Time Warner Cable wants for SportsNet LA. Neither seems interested in arbitration, an idea pitched by a group of congressmen and quickly endorsed by the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable. The latest developments in the Dodgers TV brouhaha from the Los Angeles Times.

In need of a tuneup. Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting is one of its most valuable units. It houses CNN, TBS, TNT, TruTV. But Turner isn’t firing on all cylinders. CNN is still trying to find a way to better compete against Fox News and MSNBC while TBS and TNT are struggling to come up with the buzz-worthy dramas that have boosted rivals FX and AMC. There has also been and will continue to be executive overhauls at Turner under new chief executive John Martin. The Wall Street Journal on Turner. Also, a previous look at Turner from the Los Angeles Times.

Yada, yada, yada. Could reruns of “Seinfeld” end up on Netflix? Jerry Seinfeld has indicated that such talks are going on. “Seinfeld” remains very popular in reruns. TBS airs it several times a day and local broadcast stations also still run the show about nothing. Netflix would have to offer a lot of cash to make it worthwhile to Sony, which distributes the show. Even if Netflix was willing to share “Seinfeld” with others, it would likely mean less money from current rights holders. More from Bloomberg.

Don’t show this to David Gregory. As if “Meet the Press” host David Gregory didn’t have enough on his plate fighting off rumors NBC wants to replace him, “Fox News Sunday” just beat his show in viewers and all key demographics in the Washington, D.C. market. That’s losing at home for “Meet the Press.” Hosted by Chris Wallace, “Fox News Sunday” had Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on (as did “Meet the Press.”). More from Variety.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Product placement on YouTube and other digital platforms is starting to grow. DreamWorks Animation brought in a new chief operating officer.

Follow me on Twitter. No one covers the Dodger TV mess better. @JBFlint.

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