KMBC and KCWE return to Sunflower
- Why are KMBC-ABC and KCWE-CW back on Sunflower?
- Did Sunflower pay what KMBC and KCWE were asking?
- Am I going to pay more for my Sunflower service now that they have a deal with KMBC?
- Are you going to credit me for going over my bandwidth usage in January since I had to watch my favorite shows online?
- What Kansas City and Topeka stations will Sunflower carry?
- What is Retransmission Consent?
Q: Why are KMBC-ABC and KCWE-CW back on Sunflower?
A: Sunflower Broadband and Hearst-Argyle reached a new retransmission agreement on January 30, 2009 that allows Sunflower to once again carry KMBC-ABC and KCWE-CW.
Q: Did Sunflower pay what KMBC and KCWE were asking?
A: Sunflower has reached new agreements with all of the Kansas City broadcasters, including Hearst-Argyle, to carry their stations in 2009. In all cases we have attempted to balance the impact to our customers both in terms of rates and the programming provided to achieve the best deal possible for our customers.
A: Any increase in the rates we pay for programming, including broadcast programming, does impact the rates we charge our customers. In recent years, fees charged to cable companies by networks have become as important as advertising to subsidize the production of the sports events and shows that they provide. In our negotiations we fight to make sure our customers are paying a fair rate for the programming we provide that takes into account availability, popularity, and customer demand.
A: Yes, we will issue a reasonable credit for any bandwidth charges that are out of the ordinary due to this situation.
Q: What Kansas City and Topeka stations will Sunflower carry?
A: Sunflower Broadband has now reached multi-year agreements with the following local stations that allow continued carriage of their signals:
Kansas City Stations: KMBC-ABC, KCWE-CW, KCTV-CBS, WDAF-FOX, KSMO-My Network, KPXE-Ion, KMCI-38Spot, KSHB-NBC and KCPT-PBS
Topeka Stations: KSNT-NBC, KTWU-PBS and KTKA-ABC
We have shorter-term agreements for the following stations WIBW-CBS Topeka and KUKC-Univision Kansas City. We hope to reach long-term agreements with these stations shortly.
Q: What is Retransmission Consent?
A: Sunflower Broadband pulls down the free over the air broadcast signal and then does a retransmission of the signal out to your home. The broadcasters' viewers benefit because you see their channel with a strong clear signal that is available in up to three formats: High Definition Digital, Standard Definition Digital, and Analog converted at Sunflower's expense and saving our customers from buying broadcast digital converters. In addition we provide you with guide information that allows you to plan your viewing. Sunflower is required to have an agreement with every local broadcaster for whom we retransmit a signal and that chooses to apply FCC Retransmission Consent rules. Federal regulations give local broadcast stations the right to request payment for their signals as part of that agreement but up until this year most broadcasters felt there was an equal exchange in value based on cable operators providing a clear signal to viewers.