Block Communications and Time Warner Cable are in a carriage...
Block Communications and Time Warner Cable are in a carriage blackout in Louisville, Ky., over the broadcaster’s WDRB (Fox) and WMYO (MyNetworkTV) in the market. When the companies couldn’t reach a new retransmission consent deal before a contract expired early…
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Friday morning, the station was blacked out, a Time Warner Cable spokeswoman said. “We share your disappointment at this broadcaster blackout, and will continue to negotiate,” the cable company said on its website (http://xrl.us/bm93wo). “Despite the fact that we have offered to pay the same price that Block charges Insight Communications (which Time Warner Cable purchased earlier this year), Block has refused to allow us to continue carrying their stations. We think that’s unfair.” WDRB and WMYO “tried hard to reach an agreement,” the first station said (http://xrl.us/bm93wu). “After much negotiating, Time Warner has decided to reject our repeated offers.” The American Television Alliance of pay-TV companies including Time Warner Cable, which is seeking retrans rule changes, said the FCC or Congress needs to act. Until then, “no community is immune from losing their local stations to broadcaster greed,” the coalition said. Broadcasters say retrans works.