Cox and Belo Corp., which owns WWL-TV, the local CBS station in New Orleans, have signed an agreement to allow the cable operator to offer both the station's standard and high-def channels, the companies announced Friday night.
Until now, Belo had refused to let Cox carry WWL's high-def channel, saying it should be compensation for the signal. The two companies did not reveal the financial terms of last night's agreement.
But the deal is likely to include similar carriage rights for Cox systems in other Belo markets across the nation.
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By federal law, a TV provider can not carry a local station's signals without its permission. Many local stations, including those owned by Belo, LIN TV and Sinclair Broadcasting, are using the law to pressure cable and satellite operators to pay large fees for their high-def signals.
“We’re committed to offering Cox customers the quality, High-Definition channels they want. Cox is delighted to add WWL-TV to our HD line-up," said Greg Bicket, Cox's vice president in New Orleans.
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