The commission also granted Sinclair’s request that KCFW Kalispell, Mont., continue to operate as a satellite of KECI Missoula, Mont., under the satellite exception to the duopoly prohibition in smaller markets, those with fewer than eight independent voices.
A new retransmission consent agreement that took effect Feb. 11 ended a blackout that began Jan. 17 and involved 8 stations. The stations were: WCYB (NBC) Tri-Cities, Tenn.-Va.; WCTI (ABC) Greenville, N.C.; KTXS (ABC) Abilene, Texas; KECI (NBC) Missoula, Mont.; KTVM (NBC) Butte, Mont.; KRCR (ABC) Chico-Reading, Calif.; KTXE (ABC) San Angelo, Texas; and KAEF (ABC) Eureka, Calif. Not included in the blackout were stations owned by Esteem Broadcasting that are operated by Bonten under JSA and SSA arrangements.
Dish Network last night lost 12 network affiliates in eight markets due to a fee fight with their owner, Bonten Media. The stations have posted a notice on their websites that the signals have been removed from Dish’s lineup because the companies could not reach a new carriage pact.
Reingold To Run Bonten’s Montana NBC Affils
Dick Reingold, the former GM at WUSA Washington, will manage two stations in the Missoula market and one in the Butte-Bozeman market for Randy Bongarten’s Bonten Media. He will continue his involvement in the Black Heritage Network as non-executive chairman.
Stations Amp Up Viewing With OTT Apps
Over the past year or so, dozens of TV stations have begun quietly experimenting with technology that can deliver content to Internet-connected TV sets and conventional TVs linked to the Net through Blu-ray players, game consoles, DVRs and specially designed set-top boxes from Roku, Western Digital and others. These over-the-top (OTT) apps promise to extend their brands and drive revenue.
