ACA Slams Gray for Potentially Blaming DOJ for Shutting Casper, Wyoming, News
It’s “outrageous” that Gray Television blames DOJ for the broadcaster cutting local news operations in Casper, Wyoming, said American Cable Association President Matt Polka Thursday: It has touted its success since a recent successful buy of Raycom. Local news is…
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“the bare minimum responsibility that a local broadcaster has,” Polka said. The company didn’t comment. Gray says its planned reduction of the local news operation at KCWY was caused by DOJ blocking it from acquiring a CBS affiliation in the market. “Gray has been forced to take this unfortunate action because DOJ blocked our acquisition of the CBS affiliation contract for our Casper low power television station late last year,” its letter said. News operations for Casper will be run out of Gray’s Cheyenne station and rebranded as Wyoming News Now starting April 9, Gray said: “The small size of the market combined with fierce competition from MVPDs, Google, Facebook, and much larger unregulated companies have caused us to lose money every year.” Acquiring the CBS affiliation and a second retransmission consent revenue stream would have offset the losses and prevented the elimination of the local news operation, Gray said: “DOJ was not persuaded by the value of preserving a competitive local news operation in this market nor by any of the other public interest benefits that the transaction would have permitted.” When Congress and the FCC “are presented with broadcaster requests for continued special regulatory treatment, they should keep Gray’s behavior in mind,” Polka said.