Retrans Talks Loggerheads Could Mean Cox Station Blackout on AT&T

would be WSB-TV Atlanta; WFXT Boston; WSOC-TV Charlotte; WAXN-TV Kannapolis, North Carolina; WHIO-TV Dayton; WFOX-TV Jacksonville; WHBQ-TV Memphis; WFTV-TV and WRDQ, both of Orlando; WPXI Pittsburgh; KIRO-TV Seattle; KOKI-TV and KMYT-TV, both of Tulsa. “We are disappointed that CMG and AT&T appear to be reaching an impasse that could lead to a disruption in service for AT&T U-Verse and DIRECTV subscribers," Cox Vice President-Television Jane Williams said. "We have negotiated many of these agreements with cable and satellite operators throughout the United States and have rarely had disputes of this kind. In just the past few weeks, we have reached agreement with some of the largest video distributors in the country. We certainly hope for the same result in our negotiations with AT&T/DIRECTV.” AT&T in a statement said it "want[s] to get our DIRECTV and U-verse customers’ usual local broadcast stations back into their lineups and share[s] their frustration. Cox Broadcasting is preventing its local signals from reaching our customers’ homes in ten cities unless Cox receives a significant increase in fees just to allow those same families to watch shows available for free over-the-air and that the broadcast networks typically make available for free online and through new digital apps. Cox has suspended its stations from other TV providers’ customers before, so we appreciate our DIRECTV and U-verse customers’ patience as we work to resolve this matter quickly and reasonably.”