Buckeye CableSystem in Toledo, Ohio, has found a permanent replacement for
Univision, striking a five-year deal to begin carrying Telemundo
immediately.
Effective 6 a.m. Friday -- roughly two weeks after Univision pulled its
signal off the 130,000-subsciber system -- Buckeye added Telemundo to its
channel lineup as a replacement. The operator had temporarily been carrying Fox
Sports World Español in Univision's former channel slot.
'We are pleased with the quality and variety of the programming on Telemundo,
and we are happy that we could arrive at a fair and equitable arrangement that
will not cause us to increase our customers' bills, while at the same time
delivering high-quality Spanish-language programming,' Buckeye general manager
David Huey said in a prepared statement.
In a dispute over license fees, Univision deactivated its signal Feb. 1 after
being carried by Buckeye for 10 years.
'Telemundo is pleased that Buckeye has recognized the broad appeal of its
programming and the value we bring to its subscribers,' Telemundo Communications
Group CEO Alan Sokol said in a prepared statement. 'We believe that we offer the
best and most varied Spanish-language programming in the United States, and we
look forward to continuing our successful initiative to create partnerships with
cable operators that present 'win-wins' for all parties.'
In Toledo, Telemundo will develop a $30,000 college-scholarship fund for
Hispanic students. The programmer will also give Buckeye the ability to insert
local programming, created in concert with the Hispanic community, onto the
network several times per week.
And in another goodwill gesture, Telemundo will provide an
as-yet-undetermined number of tickets to the Feb. 28 soccer match between the
United States and Mexico, which will be played in Columbus, Ohio. Buckeye will
hold a contest to give away those tickets.
