Putting HDTV on the map in Oklahoma

1. 

   soonertoad
   Member

   http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2620&u_sid=10126630 According to the Omaha World-Herald, Hearst-Argyle is going to pull the analog transmission of ABC from the Cox channel lineup on 9-30.

   Posted 2 years ago #
2. 

   mscott
   Member

   Backwards as it may sound, I'm happy to hear this. If Hearst Argyle forces Cox to drop KOCO completely, there ought to be enough of an uproar for them to come to some type of agreement, for both their digital and analog signals. Disregarding the matter of fault, having a major broadcast network such as ABC absent from the cable lineup simply isn't an option for Cox.

   Posted 2 years ago #
3. 

   ssimpson
   Member

   Check this link: http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2007/09/05/business/c-business01.txt Seems Cox has been carrying the Tulsa station to folks in a similar situation as OKC. Seems Hearst pulled their HD signal and Cox changed NW Arkansas over to Tulsa station they have agreements with. Give us Tulsa! if OKC doesn't want our business.

   Posted 2 years ago #
4. 

   dmoran
   Member

   If Cox pulls KOCO, I might look at Uverse a little more closely if it's available in my area.

   Posted 2 years ago #
5. 

   ssimpson
   Member

   You can only watch HD on one TV at a time with Uverse....Not even an option from my standpoint. It's my hope we would get ABC feed from Tulsa in HD. Tulsa staion is owned by another company that Cox already has an agreement with. Guess we would miss out on the local news. Whoopie!

   Posted 2 years ago #
6. 

   soonertoad
   Member

   I can live without ABC. Can Hearst-Argyle live without any viewers ?

   Posted 2 years ago #
7. 

   dmoran
   Member

   Isn't there a rule that you can't get local stations outside your market? I thought I remember reading this somewhere.

   Posted 2 years ago #
8. 

   Chrisrokc
   Member

   Oh well screw-em. They will get less viewers. Only reason why I watch ABC is for the football.

   Posted 2 years ago #
9. 

   ralfthedog
   Member

   dmoran said, "Isn't there a rule that you can't get local stations outside your market? I thought I remember reading this somewhere." Just a guess, the rule does not apply when the local network affiliate refuses access to the local cable company. I smell legal action no matter what.

   Posted 2 years ago #
10. 

    ggore
    Moderator

    Cable can bring in a "distant signal" if it can be received reliably if no agreement can be reached with a local provider. Hearst-Argyle is demanding $.50/customer/month each for analog and digntal feeds, costing more each year of the contract, which is much more money than regular cable channels cost for programming. H/A knows it has Cox over a barrel with KOCO-DT, since it can't be received off-air everywhere, even in the immediate area, due to its weird transmitter pattern. I'm sure they knew this as well when they refused their original UHF-HD assignment, which would not have caused problems with the Lawton station and made KOCO viewable in their entire market area.

    Posted 2 years ago #
11. 

    ssimpson
    Member

    Emailed Cox for a reply and here is what they have to say. Thank you for your inquiry..... I have spoken with several members of our management staff and I have been advised that even though it is a possibility that Hearst-Argyle will pull the feed on September 30th, 2007, we are not considering it a possibility. At this specific moment we do not have any timeline information available, but I assure you that we are working hard to keep ABC in our lineup and to bring back ABC HD. They go on to ask me where I read the information about H/A so I gave them the link about the Omaha article at which time they responded: Thak you very much for the news link. We are working very hard to settle this issue, we do not like having our customers stuck in the middle. I have passed this information to our negotiating team and we will be following up. At this time please continue to hope for the best as we are diligent in the negotiations for our customers.

    Posted 2 years ago #
12. 

    ralfthedog
    Member

    Who owns the ABC affiliate in NYC? I think that would be a cool replacement for KOCO.

    Posted 2 years ago #
13. 

    ralfthedog
    Member

    I had to go to a Cox retail office today. I asked about Cox dropping KOCO. The lady I talked to had just been in a meeting. She said that it was a rumor, probably started by ATT and that Cox and Hearst-Argyle are very close to an agreement. I suspect that: 1. It is a rumor. 2. There is a small chance someone at ATT started the rumor. 3. Cox and Hearst will settle this inside football season if pigs fly (Pigs, not pig skins.)

    Posted 2 years ago #
14. 

    soonertoad
    Member

    http://arkansastvnewswatch.blogspot.com/2007/09/khbskhog-may-soon-be-taken-off-cox.html If it's only a rumor why are Hearst-Argyle stations issuing press releases stating that the analog channels will be gone after 9/30 ?

    Posted 2 years ago #
15. 

    Kevin Sherrard
    Administrator

    Cox and Hearst-Argyle have come to an agreement.

    Posted 2 years ago #
16. 

    Sooner Al
    Member

    I was just flipping through the Cox onscreen guide and Cox Channel 705 is now showing KOCO. Nothing scheduled but its up so maybe the HA-Cox p***ing contest is finally over...

    Posted 2 years ago #

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