The municipally owned cable system in Wyandotte, Mich., is engaged in a
heated carriage dispute with Fox affiliate WJBK in Detroit.
Wyandotte's Public Service Commission adopted a strongly worded resolution
Nov. 26 stating that WJBK is withholding its signal until the cable company
agrees to carry additional cable networks owned by Fox parent News Corp.
The city, with a system that serves 10,000 cable subscribers, claimed that
Fox's conditions would raise rates for analog and digital subscribers.
A Fox spokesman reached for comment was not familiar with the Detroit-area
dispute. Across the country, cable operators and broadcasters are hammering out
carriage deals. Every three years, TV stations may demand local cable carriage
or negotiate carriage terms, which can include cash or carriage of affiliated
cable networks, or a combination of both.
The Detroit-area dispute came to light in a press release by the American
Cable Association, which represents small operators in their fight with media
giants over programming terms and conditions.
