Local customers of Atlantic Broadband have been granted a 14-day
extension on viewing WGRZ-TV Channel 2 out of Buffalo, N.Y., while
negotiations continue between the station and cable company.

Earlier this week, WGRZ President Jim Toellner announced that
the station would be pulled from Atlantic Broadband as of Jan. 1 if
the two sides could not reach an accord on a retransmission
agreement.

On Friday, however, WGRZ Marketing Director Sue Dobmeier
contacted The Era to say there will be at least a short reprieve
while negotiations continue.

“We have extended the deadline until Jan. 15,” she said.
“Nothing will be taken off on Jan. 1 like we had been talking
about.

“Hopefully we can get a resolution going and nothing will
happen,” Dobmeier added.

The Bradford and Salamanca, N.Y., markets would be impacted if
the station were removed from the cable line-up.

Toellner had explained the disagreement was because Atlantic
Broadband takes their signal and profits from it, but doesn’t want
to compensate the station for the use of the signal.

David Dane, vice president of operations with Atlantic
Broadband, said WGRZ wanted more money for the same services. The
station is supported with advertising revenue and is essentially
asking to be paid twice for the same service.

And that cost, he said, is passed on to subscribers.

Dane said WGRZ had made a “take-it-or-lose-it” offer. Atlantic
Broadband had countered with an offer that was approved by Gannett,
the company which owns the station, but WGRZ did not respond.
Instead, they issued a press release saying they were going to pull
the station from the cable line-up.

Dane said there is another NBC station offered on the Atlantic
Broadband line up, so there would be no interruption in services
should WGRZ make good on their threat.

Toellner said anyone who may still want to receive the station
if it is pulled from the cable carrier could do so by an
over-the-air antenna or through a local satellite provider.