Green Bay Viewers Won't Get Packers In HD
Cable and satellite subs are getting shut out due to local station demands.
By Swanni
However, cable and satellite viewers in Green Bay will be unable to see the game in high-def unless they install off-air antennas.
That's according to an article by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
The publication reports that WLUK, the Fox affiliate owned by LIN TV, has refused to let cable and satellite operators carry its HD signal. Cable operators in the area include Time Warner, Charter and Comcast.
The local station is demanding that the TV providers pay compensation for the signal, but negotiations to date have been unsuccessful. (The TV providers do offer WLUK's analog signal; by law, a TV provider can not carry a local station's signals without its permission.)
Similar disputes over local HD signals have occurred in several other cities, sometimes preventing cable and satellite subscribers from seeing high-def broadcasts for years. LIN TV has often been at the center of those battles.
"LIN Television continues to negotiate," Pat Krohlow, a WLUK spokesman, told the newspaper. "I asked corporate two weeks ago, and they anticipated having deals struck for all 29 of their stations by mid-year."
WLUK officials say viewers can still see the game in high-def -- if they install those antennas.
"They may need to purchase an inexpensive set-top antenna. I have spoken to hundreds of viewers in recent months who are watching the Packers games in HD over the air," the spokesperson added.
Despite that comments, a set-top antenna may not pull in the high-def signals if the viewer lives more than several miles from the station's broadcasting tower. In those cases, the viewer might have to install an antenna on the roof.
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