An agreement has been reached between cable company Atlantic
Broadband and station WGRZ -TV Channel 2 of Buffalo, N.Y., which
will allow the channel to remain on the cable system for Bradford
area viewers.

Sue Dobmeier, marketing director of WGRZ, explained, “We have
reached an agreement with Atlantic Broadband and will continue to
broadcast WGRZ in the Salamanca (N.Y.) and Bradford areas. Details
of the agreement are not being disclosed, but there is an
agreement.”

In December, WGRZ had contacted The Era to ask that we inform
viewers that they had not been able to come to terms with Atlantic
Broadband. If a retransmission agreement wasn’t reached, explained
WGRZ President Jim Toellner, the channel would be removed from the
cable line-up in this area.

Toellner had said cable companies take television channel
signals, broadcast them and profit from them, but do not want to
compensate the station for use of the signal.

David Dane, vice president of operations for Atlantic Broadband,
said programming on television stations is supporting with
advertising revenue, and stations are essentially asking cable
providers to pay them again for the same service.

Toellner had originally said the station would be pulled from
the cable line-up by Jan. 1, but the station granted a 14-day
extension while negotiations continued. During that time, an
agreement was reached.