If you have cable and live in Charlotte, chances are your Time Warner experience has not been problem-free. (If it has, I'd love to hear it.) Here comes one more reason to dislike that hideous oligopoly:

"Spongebob Squarepants," "Dora the Explorer" and Jon Stewart soon might be pulled off Time Warner Cable systems in Los Angeles and around the country if the cable operator and Viacom Inc. cannot reach a new contract before midnight tomorrow. The move could knock Viacom's cable channels, which include Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central off nearly 2 million households in Los Angeles.

Time Warner claims it's looking out for its customers, which, I gotta say, is an interesting change of heart. Somehow I doubt that's the primary motive. I have friends who work there, and I've dealt with some great technicians and customer service folks, but on the whole ... well, it's no wonder the City of Los Angeles is suing them.

A la carte cable, people. It's coming.