Hearst And Cox Reach Retrans Agreement

Hearst Television and Cox Communications on Wednesday jointly announced a restoration of the Hearst Television stations to the Cox cable systems in five television markets.

The stations and markets are NBC affiliates WESH, Orlando, Fla., and WDSU New Orleans; and ABC affiliates KOCO Oklahoma City; KETV Omaha, Neb.; and KHBS-KHOG Fort Smith-Fayetteville, Ark.

The Hearst signals were briefly discontinued on the Cox systems in these markets beginning late Tuesday night, Sept. 5, after an impasse was reached in retransmission-consent negotiations following the expiration of an existing contract.

“We are thankful for the patience of our viewers,” said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television president. “We appreciate that both parties recognized the heightened sense of urgency to resolve these negotiations both fairly and quickly so that our respective viewers and customers could be once again served by our stations.”

“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement and appreciate our customers being patient as we worked through the process,” said Andy Albert, Cox Communications SVP of content acquisition and programming.