WHDH Channel 7 Suing Comcast Over Pulling Of NBC Affiliation
BOSTON (CBS) -- WHDH-TV Channel 7 is going to court to challenge Comcast's decision to pull their NBC affiliation.
Comcast announced in January that it would be severing ties with Channel 7 after 22 years at the end of 2016, moving its Boston home to New England Cable News and broadcasting NBC programming from WNEU-TV, a Telemondo station in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
Channel 7 says if Comcast goes ahead with its plans, it would represent an unprecedented accumulation of power in the television industry, forcing many--including a number of poor and minority communities in and around Boston--to subscribe to Comcast Cable if they want to receive NBC programming.
They also allege that Channel 7 would suffer a loss of revenue and damage to its reputation.
They call Comcast's move an anti-trust violation and unfair and deceptive business practices. Channel 7 wants an injunction to stop the switch, as well as unspecified damages.
When Comcast announced the switch, Sunbeam television, the owner of WHDH, said it would fight the move in court.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, along with the request that it be heard on an expedited basis.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports