In a letter to Massachusetts lawmakers Tuesday, DirecTV President Michael White said his company was available 24/7 to negotiate with Sunbeam management over their current retrans impasse in Miami and Boston.
That came in responses to two letters sent last week from Sen. Scott Brown to White and another from 10 House members to DirecTV executive VP Derek Chang, asking that the two parties strike a deal, preferably before NBC's Feb. 5 Super Bowl broadcast -- the Boston station is an NBC affiliate and the Patriots are in the Big Game.
"The fact is that DirecTV has concluded more than 70 deals in the past year compensating each of those station owners fairly at market rates and we have been more than willing to do the same for Sunbeam," said White. "[W]e will do everything possible to restore the NBC and CW stations for our Boston area customers."
An identical letter was sent to 10 House members in response to their letter and signed by Chang.
Sunbeam GM Robert Leider and company chief Edmund Ansin, who were also sent a letter by the legislators, could not be reached for comment at press time.
