Sinclair, Fox Extend Affiliation Agreements

Affiliation agreements between Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Fox network have been extended until the end of 2012.

They had been due to expire Mar. 31, 2012.

Sinclair owns or provides services to 58 television stations in 35 markets, including 20 Fox affiliates. The deal includes KFXA Cedar Rapids, which Sinclair operates as part of an outsourcing agreement.

Sinclair has also inked what it calls an "overall programming licensing agreement" with the Fox network which allows Sinclair "to enter into retransmission consent agreements with distributors for the remainder of the term of the affiliation agreement," said Sinclair in a statement.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.