Cox, Keyt reach High Definition agreement

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

After months of blank programming on Cox Communications channel 703, local Cox customers will now be able to watch Keyt Channel 3 in High Definition.
A statement from Cox says the higher-quality picture available with HD programming will now be available to thousands of its customers.


“We have made it a priority to provide our viewers with high definition programming,” said Cathy Jacquemin, vice president and general manager of Keyt in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to reach this agreement with Cox Communications in our mutual quest to provide our viewers with the best programming available, now in the highest standard possible.”
Cox and Keyt, the local ABC affiliate, have struggled to reach an agreement on a retransmission contract of the HD station since April 20. On that day, Keyt demanded Cox stop broadcasting a Los Angeles based ABC station that was airing on channel 703 in place of Keyt.
Keyt is one of the last local network affiliates to reach an agreement on its HD station with Cox, which already broadcasts San Luis Obispo based NBC affiliate Ksby, and Santa Maria based CBS affiliate Kcoy and Kkfx in High Definition.
In a Daily Sound story published on April 25, 2007, David Edelman, director of public affairs for Cox, said the Los Angeles based station had been airing in place of Keyt since 2005.
In that same story, Edelman said Keyt asked Cox to remove the Los Angeles station because their own HD programming was up and running.
When the two couldn’t immediately agree on a contract, a message was placed on station 703 that said: “Keyt has forced Cox to stop broadcasting ABC HD until an agreement is finalized. Tune to channel three for ABC programming.”
Edelman wouldn’t discuss the contract that was reached, but in April said the two parties came to a deadlock after Keyt requested too much money.
In the April story, Jacquemin said Keytonly wanted to be treated the same as Ksby, Kcoy and Kkfx.
But at that time Edelman maintained that if that’s all Keyt wanted, the station would have been on the air already.
“We’re willing to give her the same things we’re giving the other broadcasters,” Edelman said in April. “We can’t pay her what she wants.”
Jacquemin couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday and Jeff Martin, Keyt’s director of creative services didn’t immediately respond to a phone message left by the Daily Sound.
When asked about the difficulty the two parties had reaching an agreement, Edelman said, “It bothered all of us that it wasn’t up. We’re excited to have it up now.”