Independent cable operators in Topeka sent a letter to Kansas governor Sam Brownback today, asking for his help in persuading the FCC to block or condition the pending sale of the market’s ABC affiliate, KTKA.
Cable operators are fearful that the sale of KTKA to PBC Broadcasting will lead to a partnership with New Vision Television — which currently owns two stations in Topeka — to form a virtual triopoly. New Vision Television and PBC Broadcasting have shared service agreements in two other markets — Youngstown, OH and Savannah, GA — which has led cable operators to believe that the two companies will strike a similar deal in Topeka.
The letter, signed by representatives of five cable companies in Topeka, asks Brownback — who sat on the Commerce Committee during his time as a US senator — to urge the FCC to block the sale of KTKA:
We know the FCC’s failure to act will lead to significant harm to our customers. On behalf of pay-TV viewers in Topeka, the FCC must be a cop against collusion and a bulwark against balckouts. We encourage you to take action immediately to either disapprove the Topeka Triopoly or approve it with meaningful consumer safeguards.
Read the full letter after the jump.