Well, we Time Warner Cable subscribers may not have to live without Fox, thanks to last-minute negotiations between News Corp. and Time Warner, but millions of Cablevision subscribers in the tri-state area have lost access to Food Network and HGTV.

While the battle over subscriber fees between News Corp. and Time Warner raged publicly in the days leading up to the New Year’s Eve contract deadline, Scripps Networks Interactive, which owns the two yanked channels, was quietly dealing with Cablevision. And the latter negotiations didn’t end as pleasantly as the others. Although Scripps says it “remains open to discussions,” Cablevision “has yet to engage in good faith negotiations for their subscribers.”

In the face of losing their culinary TV and home improvement channel, Cablevision subscribers are fighting back with over 120,000 calls and 35,000 e-cards sent to the cable provider, Scripps said in a press release today. The company has set up the Web sites ilovefoodnetwork.com and ilovehgtv.com for Cablevision subscribers to log on and send messages of “outrage and disappointment” to the company.

It comes as no surprise to us that Cablevision’s 3 million subscribers are missing their Food Network fix. And if you find yourself agreeing with us, you might want to check out some Food Network alternatives. Some of our favorite Web sites are crowd-sourced cookbook food52.com and local culinary faves like Edible Brooklyn, Edible Manhattan and Edible Queens. And epicurean magazines abound, from classics like Bon Appetit to the sleek Saveur to even Food Network Magazine, if you’re missing the channel. What are some of your favorite foodie media outlets?

All this week, mediabistro.com is featuring foodie-related content as part of its Profit From Your Passion Month. Today, learn about four gigs that can open the door to a career in food media. Just because you can’t watch Food Network right now doesn’t mean you can’t work towards starring on it one day!

Previously: January Is Profit From Your Passion Month

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

— DIANE CLEHANE

It’s a lo-cal edition of ‘Lunch’ today. After all, you can’t expect to indulge in a diet rich in celebs and boldface names every week. We’ve spoiled you, I know. (By the way, if you’re looking to chat with some big-time media mavens and news makers, don’t miss the first TVNewser Summit on March 10.) After settling in at the bar, I went searching for tasty tidbits and found some of the regulars ready to serve up some interesting morsels. Men’s Health honcho David Zinczenko, who was praised in Keith Kelly‘s column in today’s New York Post as “a winner” and “the face” of Rodale, returned to the dining room after a long absence. “I’ve been having a lot more lunches at my desk,” Dave told me. Fresh off a round of appearances for his latest Eat This, Not That blockbuster book, Dave was lunching with Michael Caruso, the former editor-in-chief of Men’s Journal now with OpenGate Capital, the equity fund that recently bought TV Guide. No one multitasks like Dave, who was thrilled to show me the April issues of Men’s Health and its increasingly successful sister, Women’s Health, which boasts its first-ever beauty ‘flip cover.’ Dave is thrilled with new-ish hire Michele Promaulayko as editor for Women’s Health and was singing her praises with what she’d done with her first issue. “She’s already a star,” says Dave.

As luck would have it, Michele was right across the room lunching with The Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis so I went over and introduced myself. Michele told me she was “thrilled” to be with the title, and we chatted about the always interesting experience of interviewing and shooting celebs and dished over what makes for a great fashion story. I told her I loved the piece on dressing for work. It looked terrific and oh-so-chic. We both agreed service has its place, but the pictures have to dazzle. And in her premiere issue, they do. “Fashion cred is important,” Michele told me. You’ve got it.

At the bar, there was plenty of conversation among Michael McCarty and his staff about the design for the new label for the upcoming release of his 2005 Pinot Noir from The Malibu Vineyard Rambla Pacifico. It’s his first since replanting in 2000 (in case you were wondering). We cast our vote to stay with the classic but modern look of the 2004 label. Sommelier Seth Liebman tells me the talk also turned to wine yesterday when Jack Kliger, an avid collector, wanted to enjoy a glass of 1970 Les Forts de Latour and didn’t want the rest of the bottle of the impressive vintage to go to waste, so he graciously offered some to director Stephen Daldry. Cheers!

Here’s the rundown on today’s crowd:

1. Steve Rubenstein presiding over a table of movers and shakers including Marty Bandier

2. Peter Brown with another distinguished gent (Update: That distinguished gent was New York Daily News editor-in-chief and deputy publisher Martin Dunn)

3. ‘Mayor’ Joe Armstrong and Lisa Caputo

4. David Zinczenko and Michael Caruso

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Here’s a rundown of today’s menu:

1. A table of distinguished looking gentlemen including ad man Jerry Della Femina and Good Morning America‘s Joel Siegel.

2. Peter Brown and guest.

3. Ben Silverman and Matt Blank.

4. Steve Rubenstein and guests.

5. Herb Siegal

6. Leslie Stevens of LaForce & Stevens and two unidentified fashionistas.

7. Marc Victor (Happy Birthday!), producer Amy Rosenblum and Giada De Laurentiis. The Food Network hottie has been sitting on Today‘s couch as a substitute chatter during the show’s third hour. “She’s doing great!” says the always affable Marc.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.