Media General, Cox Reach Retrans Deal

Cox Communications avoided the potential blackout of three broadcast stations in Roanoke, Va.; Mobile Ala./Pensacola, Fla.; and Providence, R.I., Thursday, reaching a retransmission consent agreement with broadcast group Media General well before the 11:59 p.m. May 31 deadline.

Stations involved in the deal were WSLS (NBC) in Roanoke, WJAR (NBC) in Providence and WKRG (CBS) in Mobile/Pensacola.

"We are pleased to announce that we have come to an agreement with Cox Cable to continue carrying NBC 10 and Me-TV. This means our loyal local viewers can continue to watch WJAR for many years to come," said WJAR Vice President & General Manager Vic Vetters in a statement on the station's web site. "Strong viewer support helped to demonstrate to Cox the value of our No. 1 rated network affiliated station."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to announce that Cox has reached an agreement with Media General TV to continue to carry the stations on Cox's lineup," Cox said in a statement. "As a result of the agreement, there will be no interruption of services to our customers.