A dispute between one of the nation’s largest cable-TV companies and a chain of television stations was finally resolved this week. Sinclair owns 22 stations, and two of them are carried on MediaCom cable television systems.
When the latest contract was up, Sinclair demanded more money for Mediacom to carry the signals of its Fox KDSM in Des Moines and CBS station KGAN in Cedar Rapids. Both sides dug in their heels and after the deadline passed with no agreement, the two stations were pulled from local cable and viewers had to find some rabbit ears or connect a rooftop antenna to get those signals.
Iowa’s congressional delegation was asked to intervene and recommended both sides agree to binding arbitration. Though they reached agreement Friday, the dispute is being played out among other cable systems and television stations across the country.