AT&T continues to sign deals with members of the small station groups that went dark to their customers about six months ago -- and whom the Federal Communications Commission found were not negotiating with the media giant in good faith -- reaching its latest retransmission consent agreement with MPS Media on Sunday.
AT&T didn't have a comment on the deal, but confirmed that the stations returned to its subscribers on Sunday.
MPS Media’s four stations in Tallahassee (CW affiliate WTLF) and Gainesville (NBC affiliate WNBW) Fla.; Wilkes Barre, Pa. (CW affiliate WSWB); and Chattanooga, Tenn. (CW affiliate WFLI) returned to DirecTV customers early Sunday (Nov. 17). The MPS stations were among 17 broadcast properties in 14 markets that went dark to DirecTV customers on May 31 after they could not reach a retransmission consent agreement with the satellite giant. Earlier this month, The FCC determined that those stations had not negotiated with AT&T in good faith.
In the past several weeks AT&T has signed deals with Deerfield Media, Howard Stirk Holdings, Mercury Broadcast Group, GoCom Media and Second Generation of Iowa. Only Waitt Broadcasting, which owns the CBS affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa, and Nashville License Holdings, which owns a CW affiliate in Nashville, have not signed retrans deals with the company.
