WHDH will still be the NBC affiliate in Boston until their contract ends in December 2016, unless both parties agree to exit the contract or NBC finds a way out of it.
Advertisement
NBC has announced it will pull its affiliation with WHDH channel 7. Station owner Ed Ansin told the Boston Globe he will challenge NBC’s decision and not accept the network’s offer of 200 million for his license and broadcast facility.
NBC has long wanted to own a station in the Boston market, and executives there are not ruling out a potential purchase of another station should one become available.
TVSpy reported that if the programming actually moves between stations, it would be one of the biggest affiliate changes in the region in more than two decades.
Over the last 10 years, though, there has been a paradigm shift in the relationship.
Advertisement
A fight is brewing in Boston over the NBC network affiliation. In addition, local stations share carriage fees they receive from pay-TV distributors with their respective networks. Ansin said that under an agreeement made with the Federal Communications Commission, Comcast and NBC committed to maintaining a certain level of free over-the-air broadcasting. Ansin said he believes the station’s assets are worth around $450 million, particularly given the interest in broadcast-station air rights being used for wireless spectrum. Cable giant Comcast Corp. took control of NBC about five years ago. The station at the center of the story featured a report from Dan Hausle, who said in his report NBC told him the new station’s signal would be broadcast from WNEU in New Hampshire. Ansin said he believes NBC will try to use that transmitter for its new station, even though it reaches 121 percent fewer viewers.
