Cox, Raycom Reach Retrans Agreement

After a blackout that lasted about two days, Cox Communications said it has reached a retransmission consent agreement with Raycom Media for its eight broadcast stations in six markets.

Raycom pulled the signals of eight of its stations -- KOLD (CBS) in Tucson, Ariz., WOIO (CBS) and WUAB (MyNetwork TV) in Cleveland, WAFB (CBS) and WBXH (MyNetwork TV) in Baton Rouge; KPLC (NBC) in Lake Charles, La.; WWBT (NBC) in Richmond; and WPGX (Fox) in Panama City, Fla. -- on Jan. 2 after the parties could not reach a deal. 

On Jan. 4, Cox said in a statement that it had reached an agreement and all of the Raycom stations had been returned to its channel lineup.

"We regret the recent disruption in service and appreciate our customers' patience and support as we sought to reach an agreement that is both fair and reasonable to our business and our customers," Cox said in a statement.

"We are thrilled to be back in the Cox lineup," said Sandy Breland, vp and general manager, Raycom's WAFB (CBS) in Baton Rouge, La., in a statement. "We have served this community for 60 years and our commitment is as strong as ever. We know this has inconvenienced many of our loyal viewers and advertisers and we truly appreciate your understanding and support."