ABC goes MIA from Western’s TVs

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., has called off their negotiations with Mediacom, the local provider of cable television for WCU, which would have allowed the cable giant to continue rebroadcasting Sinclair stations over their network. This comes after a month-long extension of their previous arrangement the companies had agreed to in their attempts to reconcile their differences. In a press release dated December 18, Sinclair expressed its sorrow that the situation could not be resolved differently. “It is unfortunate that no agreement has been reached, but this merely reflects a failure of a buyer and a seller to agree on terms.” Because the local ABC station is affiliated with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Mediacom will no longer be able to provide access to WLOS in the Sylva area. Those who wish to continue receiving this and other Sinclair-affiliated stations are advised “to watch our stations through alternative means” such as direct broadcast satellite and over-the-air transmission. Since neither of these options is available to students living in Western’s dorms, a significant portion of the student body will effectively be removed from the viewing audience of WLOS and its programming. Mediacom is slated to end rebroadcast of WLOS-ABC on January 6 at 12:01 a.m.