Hearst, Time Warner Reach Deal; KITV Back on Cable

KITV, Honolulu’s ABC affiliate, is back on Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

KITV owner Hearst Television Inc. has reached an agreement on a deal with Time Warner Cable to end a 10-day stalemate over payment for programming on KITV and some of Hearst’s other stations across the country.

KITV’s programming resumed on Oceanic Time Warner Cable on Thursday afternoon.

The deal affects Honolulu and three more of Hearst’s 13 ABC affiliates, as well as an NBC affiliate in Orlando, Fla. and a CBS station in Louisville, KY, Hearst said on a statement carried on KITV’s website. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, nor was there an explanation on why the rest of Heart’s 29 television stations across the country were not included.

Only the cable carriage of KITC and its sister station MeTV, which shows vintage television programming, was affected. The two stations were still available on satellite TV providers and on over-the-air broadcasting.

The disagreement was marked by accusations from both sides. Time Warner claimed Heart was seeking a 300% fee increase. Hearst responded by calling that claim “exaggerated and distorted.”

Hearst Television President and CEO David Barrett said his company regretted the inconvenience experienced by viewers and advertisers.

“This process has been an important step to insure the ongoing vitality of our local TV service in communities across the country,” he said in a statement.