WASHINGTON, D.C. — Happy New Year! One of your local TV stations could be blocked from cable TV subscribers if you’re in markets where Suddenlink and members of the National Cable Television Cooperative operate.
With the clock ticking down on 2019, tensions are high at the MVPDs as retransmission consent agreements could block Suddenlink viewers from accessing any TEGNA-owned station. For the NCTC TV service providers, it is FOX Corporation networks and O&Os that could get the axe.
Among the NCTC members, which reportedly number 700, is Antietam Broaband of Hagerstown, Md. Antietam President Bryan Lynch sits on the NCTC board and tells the Herald-Mail of Hagerstown that Dec. 31 is the final day of a valid retrans agreement between FOX Corporation on the co-op.
Fox said it wants to “reach a fair agreement with our valued partners.”
Lynch told the newspaper that Fox is seeking “substantial” increases, and that its rates for Fox News in particular have increased 800% since 2004. Fox News is one of the most-watched cable TV networks.
For Lynch, WTTG-5 in Washington, D.C., the Fox Television Station-owned Fox station, is what is offered to Antietam customers, as Hagerstown is officially within the National Capital Area DMA.
WTTG-5 would not go dark, as it no longer a sibling of the Fox cable networks covered by the retrans deal. However, Fox News’ absence would be coupled by that of FS1, Fox Business Network and other cable offerings.
In his defense, Lynch told the Herald-Mail, “We’re really fighting a battle for the customers.”
Antietam is owned by Schurz Communications, former owner of the Herald-Mail. It sold the newspaper at the start of 2019, to GateHouse Media (now Gannett).
Meanwhile, the situation is largely unchanged between Tysons, Va.-based TEGNA and Suddenlink.
Owned by Altice, Suddenlink serves the western, midwestern and southern states with the majority of customers in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.
TEGNA owns stations in both Phoenix and Tucson; Fort Smith and Little Rock, Ark.; Sacramento and San Diego; New Orleans; Charlotte and Greensboro-Winston Salem; and in 12 Texas markets.
In a statement released Saturday (12/28), TEGNA commented on the status of negotiations with Suddenlink on a new agreement.
“TEGNA is working hard to reach a fair, market-based agreement with Suddenlink,” it said. “While we hope a deal can be reached by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 31 and avoid any interruption of service, we have a responsibility to inform our viewers of the current situation. We have begun notifying viewers of their options to continue watching our valuable local programming if the deadline passes without an agreement.”
As of 3:30pm ET Monday, no updates were given in either retrans situation.
