FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 10, 2000
For more information, contact
Jeff McIntyre, LTVS
919/788-2005, jmcintyre@localtv-satellite.com
Local TV On Satellite Signs Growing List Of Broadcaster Retransmission Consent Agreements
Las Vegas, NV— Local TV on Satellite announced today that it has been successful at negotiating long-term retransmission consent agreements with station group owners Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc., Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc., E.W. Scripps Company, Landmark Communications, Inc. and Lin Television Corporation, which represent almost 50 stations covering 25% of US TV households. These stations will join the 178 PBS member stations who have already agreed to participate in the LTVS plan covering approximately 75% of the nation. Paul Karpowicz, Vice President of Television for Lin Television Corporation stated that, “The Lin Television group looks forward to working with LTVS in the delivery of our local broadcast signals to DBS subscribers and applauds them for their extraordinary vision as it relates to forward HDTV compatibility. LTVS has taken great care to build a system that combines the best-of-the-best as it relates to the dissemination of the broadcaster signals back into the local market place via satellite.”
Further accolades were received from Terry H. Schroeder, Vice President Television Station Group for E.W. Scripps Company. He stated that, “LTVS’ business strategy was extremely persuasive. Combining their interest in carrying the entire 19.4 Mbs broadcast signal with reciprocal payment for use of that signal was very attractive to our group. We look forward to a long lasting relationship, one that we believe will help foster a cooperative relationship between broadcasters and DBS providers.”
Local TV on Satellite has positioned itself in the DBS marketplace to become the “common platform” local-into-local program provider thereby allowing existing DBS providers to comply with recent must-carry legislation, penetrate more markets and enhance digital signal quality to the full high definition standard.
LTVS will launch two Ka-band spot beam satellites with service to approximately 75% of U.S. TV households. These signals will be broadcast in the full 19.4 Mbs digital standard format to be adopted by all commercial TV stations by mid-2002.
Since its inception, many broadcasters have been outwardly supportive of the LTVS business plan and indicate they may soon be joining the list of participants. Ed Quinn, President for McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company stated that, “LTVS’ plan to deliver the full 19.4 Mbs digital broadcast signal back into the local marketplace via satellite is exactly what the broadcast industry needs.” John Hutchinson, Executive Vice President and COO of LTVS stated that “the LTVS business plan is a win-win situation for the consumer, Broadcaster and DBS provider. The Broadcasters’ entire signal will be available in their local market via satellite thereby preserving localism. The DBS providers will be able to conserve scarce capacity for expanded national services because the LTVS spot beam satellites will bear the burden of relaying up to 800 local signals. And subscribers to DBS will be assured a forward digital compatibility to receive all their local news, weather, sports and entertainment favorites as well as an emerging array of new services including multicasting and datacasting.”
Local TV on Satellite offers a simple one-dish, one-box seamless solution for expanding existing DBS services into the high-demand local broadcast signal arena.
Local TV on Satellite was founded in 1997 by Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc., and its subsidiary, Microspace Communications Corporation to develop and implement a plan to deliver via satellite all local television stations’ signals in each market served. Using “spot beam” satellite technology, LTVS will enable DBS providers to be fully competitive with cable through the addition of local signals.
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAL-Digital, WRAL-FM, Microspace, the North Carolina News Network, DTV Plus, Wolfpack Sports Marketing, and Capitol Sports Management in Raleigh, NC; WJZY-TV and WFVT-TV in Charlotte, NC; WILM-TV in Wilmington, NC; WRAZ-TV and the Durham Bulls Baseball Club in Durham, NC; and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Baseball Club in Myrtle Beach, SC; Capitol Broadcasting Company also founded Local TV on Satellite in Raleigh, NC.
