They’re at it again. Three days after word surfaced that Verizon Fios was nearing an impasse over a fresh retransmission consent agreement with Cox Media Group, threating a “blackout” of the company’s Pittsburgh and Boston stations, respectively, a new potential tussle over carriage rights fees has surfaced for the regional MVPD.
The new development involves Mission Broadcasting, the variable interest company led by Dennis Thatcher that many argue is actually a segment of Nexstar Media Group and is run by that company outright.
Thatcher, who serves as President of TV station owner Mission, declined to comment in response to an e-mail request from RBR+TVBR.
Mission owns properties in 26 markets, including Albuquerque, Little Rock, Albany-Schenectady-Troy, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Providence, and the City of New York, having acquired WPIX-11 from Tribune.
Some of those properties are in markets where Verizon Fios offers local cable TV services, and pro-MVPD advocacy group the American Television Alliance (ATVA) did its part to — once again — point fingers at a broadcast licensee that desires fair compensation for the right of a MVPD to profit from carriage of over-the-air TV stations.
As ATVA sees it, it is “Mission Broadcasting’s decision to hold stations for ransom across two markets while demanding exorbitant retransmission consent fee increases for programming that is free over the air” that could block Verizon Fios subscribers in Rhode Island from receiving WNAC-TV in Providence and in New York’s Capital Region, home to WXXA-TV in Albany, N.Y..
“Mission Broadcasting is the latest broadcaster to threaten TV blackouts for FOX and CW affiliates in key markets while demanding unjustified retransmission fee hikes that raise costs for American consumers,” ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson said. “These tactics underscore the urgent need for retransmission consent reform and exemplify how broadcasters exploit disruptions to extract excessive profits, sidelining viewers who rely on affordable access to local stations.”
The statement from the ATVA contains other rhetoric designed to paint a one-sided story when it comes to the delicate negotiation process behind carriage fee agreements. And, the ATVA did not include a statement from Verizon Fios in its communication, repeating a tactic seen with its lambasting of the CMG-Verizon Fios negotiations.
Alas, ATVA “stands ready to work with Congress to modernize dated regulations that turn sizable profits for Big Broadcasters at the expense of consumers” — ignoring the dollars fueling the C-Suite salaries of an industry intent on passing the cost of providing cable TV’s most-watched channels on to customers to protect the income of MVPD leaders.
Charter Communications CEO Christopher Winfrey in 2024 saw his total compensation fall dramatically. But, don’t feel bad for the Spectrum parent’s leader — he earned a total of $5.75 million versus a whopping $89.1 million in 2023.
Comcast board chairman and CEO Brian Roberts in 2024 earned $33.86 million, while President Michael Cavanagh took home a total of $28.26 million in compensation.
