Negotiations between Cable One and LIN TV Corp. were expected to continue today as the parties try to reach an accord on retransmission consent and avert the Fox affiliate in Albuquerque, N.M. from going dark this Sunday.
The carriage deal for KASA-TV, the Fox affiliate in Santa Fe, expires after Dec. 15, with the parties disconnecting over the station owner’s intent to receive money for its signal.
A spokeswoman for the operator and LIN held talks on Thursday and “we expect to meet this [Friday] morning. We’re hopeful we can get a deal.”
LIN TV executive vice president digital media Gregory Schmidt said the parties have been negotiating for several months and “we’re still talking.”
LIN issued a press release Thursday in which it stated that it anticipates Cable One will discontinue carriage of KASA after Dec. 15, noting area viewers would lose access to a ton of pro and college football programming in the weeks ahead, not to mention other Fox fare and the area’s only 9 p.m. local news telecast.
Schmidt in an interview said LIN last year had reached an agreement with Cable One for its sister station KRQE, the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque.
He emphasized that cash compensation for retransmission consent is an “essential part of broadcasters’ future. Most cable operators understand that.” He declined to comment on how much compensation LIN was seeking for KASA-TV or what terms were reached with Cable One for KRQE.
