Saturday, October 15, 2005

Next round set in retransmission battles

Nexstar Broadcasting has taken its programming from a handful of cable systems, including KSNF and KODE from Cable One in Joplin, after the companies refused to pay for retransmission rights.
The rest of the stations owned by Nexstar will now battle the cable companies, according to an article this week in Broadcasting & Cable. Broadcasters are supposed to let the cable companies know what they want for their signals by next week, the article said.
Cox Communications, which also lost Nexstar programming, says its has not negotiated with Nexstar since February.
The Broadcasting & Cable article indicated that Nexstar is paying a heavy price for its so-called "noble cause."
"But Nexstar's audience has plunged; Nielsen Media's May book shows its stations are down 30%-40% in key dayparts. But the markets are small enough that it's not causing a financial crunch to Nexstar as a whole. Expanding the war will magnify the pain."

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