For More Information, Contact:
Nancy Christopher-Wilkes, 414/425-0091, or nwilkes@wi.rr.com
MILWAUKEE, (December 13, 2010) – WISN 12 announced that it may no longer be carried on DirecTV satellite systems effective Jan. 1, 2011, if the parties are unable to conclude retransmission consent negotiations currently under way.
Satellite distributors are prohibited by law from carrying broadcasters’ signals without their consent. The removal of WISN’s signal from the DirecTV system will only result if negotiations between representatives of Hearst Television Inc., WISN’s parent company, and DirecTV are unsuccessful in reaching a conclusion before Dec. 31, 2010.
“We believe that we and DirecTV can conclude our negotiations before Jan. 1 so as not to deprive any of our respective viewers and customers from our programming; however, we want to advise our viewers and customers that the possibility of non-renewal of our current agreement exists,” WISN 12 General Manager Jan Wade added. “We will continue to keep our valued viewers informed of developments on our air and on our website, http://www.wisn.com.”
WISN 12, the ABC station in Milwaukee, is owned by Hearst Television Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation. Hearst owns 29 television stations and two radio stations in geographically diverse U.S. markets. The Company’s television stations reach approximately 18 percent of U.S. TV households, making it one of America’s largest television station groups. It also owns more than three dozen websites and multicasts more than two dozen digital channels providing news, weather and entertainment programming. The Company’s Web address is http://www.hearsttelevision.com. WISN 12’s Web address is http://www.wisn.com.
