ABC affiliate could be dropped from cable

Published 9:26 pm Wednesday, November 29, 2006

By Staff
from staff reports
Mediacom cable customers in Brewton could find themselves unable to watch TV favorites like &#8220Grey's Anatomy” and &#8220Desperate Housewives” unless a deal is reached this week between the cable company and Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns the ABC affiliate in Pensacola, Fla.
Mediacom and Sinclair have failed to negotiate a new deal to allow the cable company to carry the signal for WEAR in Pensacola as well as more than a dozen other stations across the country.
The current agreement is set to expire at midnight Friday.
Mediacom, which has been running advertisements about the dispute on its cable channels, says Sinclair's compensation request for rebroadcast rights are &#8220outrageous.”
Meanwhile, Sinclair says the fault lies with Mediacom, noting it has reached agreements with other cable companies.
Sinclair is encouraging television viewers to switch to DirecTV and is even offering $100 reimbursements for customers who switch.
To contact WEAR, call (850) 456-3333 or visit www.weartv.com.
To contact Mediacom officials, call 1-866-755-2225.
Mediacom officials can also be contacted through the company's Web site at www.mediacomcc.com.

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