At Deadline

Univision Communications pulled its signal off Buckeye CableSystem in Toledo, Ohio, on Thursday. According to local reports, Univision asked the MSO last year to start paying license fees after 10 years of free carriage. Buckeye Cablevision, the owner of the 130,000-subscriber system, refuses to pay Univision’s rate of 7 cents a subscriber, down from its initial demand of 14 cents, claiming discriminatory pricing.

Charter Communications and Fox Sports Net Midwest, at presstime, were still finalizing a new carriage deal covering 250,000 subscribers in suburban St. Louis. The sides announced an agreement in principle after a long license fee increase battle that threatened a disruption of service Jan. 27.

Gary Levine, previously president of Internet entertainment company Icebox, was named EVP-original programming at Showtime Networks. He succeeds Mark Zakarin.

Motorola Broadband Communications Sector reorganized into two business groups, the IP Systems Group and the Entertainment Systems Group. The new structure follows the appointment of Dave Robinson to president of Motorola Broadband Communications Sector and Ed Breen’s promotion to president of Motorola’s newly formed Networks Sector.

SET, Viacom’s pay-per-view arm, scored 45,000 buys for the two showings of Doritos Presents Drew Carey’s Improv All Stars Jan. 27. Mark Greenberg, SET EVP/GM, says that’s the highest total for the PPV industry with the comedy genre. SET expects to speak with Carey about another event.