Portland’s ABC affiliate is back in the Frontier lineup after a monthlong blackout.
Frontier Communications had been in a dispute with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns KATU (Channel 2), over what the cable provider would pay to carry Sinclair’s programming since their old contract expired in December.
Frontier dropped KATU on New Year’s Eve, taking with it such popular ABC shows as “Modern Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “The Bachelor” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
Frontier announced the deal late Tuesday; it also covers KOMO-TV, Seattle’s ABC affiliate, and another Sinclair network, the Tennis Channel.
“We want to thank our customers for their patience and support as we worked to negotiate a fair extension,” Frontier spokesman Javier Mendoza said in a written statement. “Frontier is pleased to again deliver these important local stations for our customer’s viewing enjoyment.”
Last week, Frontier gave its subscribers in the Portland area three months of HBO, Showtime and Starz to compensate for the loss of KATU. Mendoza said subscribers will still get those channels for the next few months.
Cable and satellite TV companies have frequent disputes with local broadcasters all over the country over what the cable companies will pay for programming. Those disputes occasionally lead to blackouts, but it’s extremely uncommon for a local network affiliate to be off a major cable system for this long.
Frontier offers cable TV service in Washington and east Multnomah counties. Local cable regulators say it has about 20,000 TV subscribers in Oregon.
— Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699
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