Dish, ACA, NCTA Push Back on Gray/Raycom
Gray Television and Raycom were “heavy on rhetoric but light on the facts” and offered “no serious rebuttal” in their joint response (see 1809130051) to comments about their proposed deal’s implications for retransmission consent, said Dish Network and the American…
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Cable Association in replies posted Monday in docket 18-230. The deal would lead to an increase in retransmission consent fees, Dish and ACA said. Most of “the supposed benefits” Gray and Raycom said would come from the combination are “euphemisms for reducing or eliminating local content,” Dish said. “Even if it does not violate the national audience reach rules, the transaction will cause retransmission consent prices to rise,” said ACA. “Whether or not bigger broadcasters are ‘bad,’ the evidence shows that they charge MVPDs higher retransmission fees,” said Dish. Along with criticizing the deal’s retrans permutations, ACA praised Gray and Raycom for making it clear that Gray wouldn’t acquire the stations it's divesting, and so wouldn’t activate after-acquired clauses in their retransmission contracts. NCTA said the FCC should require companies seeking approval to own two top-four stations in the same market -- as Gray and Raycom are -- should have to demonstrate “the harms the Commission has recognized that are associated with common ownership are outweighed by unusual benefits.” Gray/Raycom “has not made such a showing regarding their Honolulu stations,” NCTA said. Gray didn't comment.