Notorious retrans problem child Sinclair is at it again. The broadcaster has threatened to notify Mediacom on or before Oct 15 of its intent to terminate retransmission of its stations effective Dec 1, according to fine print in the MSO’s Thurs SEC filing to sell $200mln in bonds to pay down debt. The threat is serious because approximately half of Mediacom’s subs carry local broadcast stations owned or programmed by Sinclair. But while "negotiations have narrowed the gap between Sinclair and us," Mediacom warns that it can’t predict whether a new agreement will come before systems have to cease carriage. "Sinclair is seeking compensation that we believe to be in excess of what is appropriate, although the amount is not material to our results of operations or financial condition," Mediacom said in its filing. About half of Mediacom’s subs carry local broadcast stations owned or programmed by Sinclair under a month-to-month arrangement that’s terminable at the end of any month with 45-days notice. All of the stations are affiliates of one of the Big 4 networks. Mediacom would not comment beyond the filing. Sinclair did not return calls for comment.

The Daily

Subscribe
Friday–March 20

What’s Next? Dissecting Nexstar-Tegna’s Closing, Legal Challenges

While Nexstar says its $6.2 billion deal with Tegna has closed, there is still the matter of eight state attorneys general and DirecTV suing to block the deal. On Friday, the coalition of states filed a motion for a temporary restraining order that would prevent any integration and consolidation of Nexstar and Tegna.

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Calendar

Mar 27
2026 Cynopsis Sports Awards Presented in partnership with Cablefax
May 5
T. Howard Foundation Annual Awards Dinner
Full Calendar

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact us at marketing@cynopsis.com, for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.