The FCC should investigate Meredith Corp.’s blackout of...
The FCC should investigate Meredith Corp.’s blackout of a station on Cablevision in Connecticut, and deny the broadcaster’s application to take ownership of KMOV-TV St. Louis, the operator wrote Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake. KMOV is the station Belo agreed…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
to divest to receive regulatory approval from the Department of Justice and FCC for its purchase by Gannett (CD Dec 17 p6). “Violation of one of a broadcaster’s primary public interest obligations -- the requirement that it serve residents in its community of license -- demonstrates unfitness to hold additional broadcast licenses,” said Cablevision. “Cablevision’s assertions are untrue and reflect its lack of understanding of Connecticut television viewers,” said Meredith in a written statement. The retransmission consent dispute between the companies involves Meredith’s WFSB(CBS) Hartford-New Haven. Cablevision pays to carry WFSB as the local CBS affiliate in Litchfield and New Haven counties, but Meredith also wants the provider to pay to carry the station in Fairfield County, where Cablevision already pays for CBS affiliate WCBS New York, said Cablevision. That demand is “unprecedented,” Cablevision said. “The ABC, NBC, and Fox affiliates in the Hartford-New Haven DMA all have either allowed Cablevision to carry their stations on the Fairfield County system without payment or permitted Cablevision not to carry their station in Fairfield County.” Meredith has refused those options, and pulled WFSB from Cablevision customers in all three counties, Cablevision said. WFSB is “Connecticut’s leading news station” and covers the news of the entire state, Meredith said. “Other subscription television operators recognize the value of WFSB local programming and have entered into agreements to compensate us accordingly.” Cablevision has “refused to even negotiate, and is revealing its true colors by wasting time with baseless press releases meant to mislead Connecticut residents,” Meredith said. Meredith is “violating its public interest obligations” by blacking out programming “completely in one part of the state in order to reap fees in another part of the state,” said Cablevision. The blackout is a signal that Meredith will behave similarly with other broadcast properties, said Cablevision. “These actions portend Meredith’s unwillingness to serve the public interest in the St. Louis market, were it to receive approval for a transfer of a broadcast license to operate KMOV-TV,” said the cable operator in a news release. Cablevision’s references to KMOV are “a nuisance filing,” said Meredith, saying Cablevision doesn’t have viewers in the St. Louis area. “We remain ready to negotiate in good faith,” said Meredith. The bureau didn’t comment on whether a denial of Meredith’s application to buy KMOV would have any effect on Gannett/Belo.