Cox Communications said Monday that it asked KETV's parent company, Hearst-Argyle, not to pull KETV's high definition signal from its lineup Friday.
"Unfortunately, it (Hearst-Argyle) is holding its HD signal hostage in order to get Cox to sign an agreement that would cost our customers millions of dollars," said Kristin Peck, vice president of public and government affairs at Cox in Omaha. "Essentially, it wants our customers to pay millions of dollars for a signal that anyone in our community already gets for free over the air. It just does not make sense."
Peck said Cox has invested more than $500 million in the Omaha metropolitan area to provide high-quality cable services, including high-definition TV.
KETV 'Greatly Disappointed'
In a press release distributed Sunday, KETV president and general manager Joel Vilmenay said he hopes Cox can return to negotiations quickly.
"We're greatly disappointed that Cox could not arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution," Vilmenay said. "Our station is a leader in our market and we've made substantial investments to bring our viewers high definition digital programming. Cox has been actively promoting to current and prospective subscribers the addition of our digital channel to its lineup, for an additional monthly fee, and we're certainly supportive of that. But they won't come to terms with us on providing fair consideration for that right. To allow any re-distributor of our station's digital signal to benefit economically from our efforts without providing us a reasonable contract for that right would be unacceptable for us."
KETV Situation Not Unique
Phillip Swann, in commentary on TVPredictions.com, said the real loser in the situation is not KETV or Cox.
"It's the high-def viewers of Omaha, Nebraska," Swann writes. "KETV should be ashamed. By saying Cox can continue to carry its analog feed so a 'large number of its viewers' will not be 'inconvenienced,' KETV is essentially saying that HD viewers don't matter. So what if Cox subscribers can't watch our HD feed? It's just that small group of high-def geeks, right? That won't hurt our ratings."
TVPredictions.com points out that KETV's dispute with Cox over its high-definition signal is not unique. Retransmission-consent agreements between cable operators and TV stations across the country are continually expiring and, under federal regulations, broadcasters can either opt for "must-carry," or guaranteed carriage without compensation, or demand retransmission consent for their signals.
Under retransmission consent, cable operators must negotiate with stations to get permission to distribute their signals. In 2005, TV stations were more aggressive about seeking cash for such carriage, arguing that their high-rated programming warrants license fees just like cable networks are paid, according to a story on Multichannel.com.
11 comments:
If KETV wants Cox and other cable and satelite companies to pay for a free signal they should charge the people who recive it free over the air also.
Regardless of that Sidebar, if Cox has to pay for the signal, that will be passed on to the consumer.
Sidebar - first off Cox does not charge customers for the HD service. They do charge for the box rental but not the service itself. So if you have your own HD box or have a QAM capable HDTV this service costs nothing.
Also, the cable monopoly arguement is incorrect, tired and worn out. No one is forced into going with Cox services; Qwest (in West Omaha) and satellite are other options. If Cox was a true monopoly these wouldn't be options either.
All Ketv want is for the 7.2 weather subchannel to be carried, which cox doesn't want to carry because it competes with their weather channel where cox makes $ of local advertisers.
Well Mr. Know it All Siebler. I have Cox HD and do not pay for it??? I do not claim to be a VIP old Cable Employee or work for anyone related to this matter. Just a nmormal citizen that is getting burned by two greedy companies.....
By the way, it is M. J. "mTm in Bugaha" so you do not think I am an scared anonymous poster.
Cox was ready to carry the Weather Now channel, but Hearst Argyle tghe parent company of KETV wants Cox to pay for a free signal.
Here is the nuts and bolts of it: I have a HD TV -- one albeit that is a few years old and not HD Ready. Therefore, to get HD programming such as KETV, WOWT and KMTV, I need the box from Cox. I don't pay Cox for HD, I pay them for the box to be able to watch HD. Basically, KETV is trying to cover their costs by passing the buck onto Cox and playing the whole PR game. And like I said in an e-mail to KETV while this was first brought out, many hoping to watch Saturday night's Nebraska game in HD will be left in the dark. It's a shame that KETV can be so greedy.
Everyone should flood KETV with calls and emails until KETVHD is back on Cox.
That'll do a lot of good. The people at KETV have nothing to do with it. It's their parent company. And I can guarantee you Hearst Argyle isn't taking the time to look at the emails you're sending to KETV. You'd be much better off contacting people who actually have control over the situation.
If you flood them with emails and every other Hearst Argyle Cox location in the same boat. Hearst Argyle should see that they should not charge Cox a fee for transmitting a free signal.
It's totally ridiculous that a broadcast company is whining and complaining that they are not being paid for a signal that could be retrieved with a antenna. i have a HD/DVR box, that is what I pay for. I could use a antenna and a pc and record the same way, so it is ridiculous that KETV is trying to have the HD cable subscribers pay for their upgrades when the channel is a over the air broadcast network. they have definately lost me as a viewer and i hope other are following suit.
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