In the wake of a recent American Cable Association filing which asks the FCC to stop Sinclair Broadcasting from “colluding” in the negotiation of retransmission consent; and a Mediacom filing questioning the legality of broadcaster shared service agreements, take a look at an ad the NAB ran in The National Journal 12/12. As it points out, broadcasters have reinvested retransmission consent fees into expanding their local news and programming as well as producing marquee programming that is the most-watched on television. Here’s the copy and the ad:
“Informing our communities. Helping neighbors in need. Providing a lifeline during times of crisis. This is what broadcasters do best.
We’re part of the towns and cities we serve, and pride ourselves on providing our viewers with the best local news, emergency warnings and most popular entertainment.
Local TV stations are compensated when cable and satellite companies retransmit our signals and sell them to subscribers.
This retransmission consent revenue enables stations to do what we do best – staff top quality newsrooms, cover pending storms and produce content that consistently dominates primetime program ratings.
The best part? You can still get it for free, over the air with an antenna. No monthly service required.
When the free market works, viewers win.”
