Tune Out SINclair

What do you do when the local TV station decides it needs more money fro its cable connections but is already provided lousy service for its programming? Why, if you are Sinclair – one of the largest broadcasting conglomerates in the country, you ask for more money. You see, there is a battle raging with alliances and flanking strategies galore.

If you live in the Saint Louis TV market area you know that several years ago the fledgling FOX channel and the established ABC channel flipped when NFL broadcasting was switched from ABC Sports to FOX Sports. The fledgling station never recovered. It still carries the ABC prime time line-up but it has dropped local news coverage and until recently didn’t even have a web page to which you could connect.

Now, KDNL (the local ABC station owned by Sinclair) is in danger of being pulled from its cable connection. Unless Mediacom agrees to pay Sinclair an outrageous amount of money for the privilege of carrying its programming, it will be forced to withdraw from Mediacom’s family of cable programming. But don’t take my word for it; read theirs:

Mediacom’s position: http://www.befairsinclair.com/kdnl/index.html
Sinclair’s position: http://www.abcstlouis.com/kdnl/mediacom/mediacom.shtml

Now, if you’ve seen the programming that’s offered and the option is satellite, “air waves,” or loosing ABC, what do you do? You decide. As for me, it really doesn’t matter since KDNL only has one or two things a week that I even care to watch (and then the change programming at the last minute anyway). You have options. Read a book – or a blog.