Fox swaps broadcasting affiliates

News Corporation's Fox has signed some new affiliation agreements, while severing ties with other affiliates, according to Multichannel News.

Communications Corporation of America's WEVV Evansville, a CBS affiliate airing MyNetworkTV on its .2 channel, becomes a Fox-MyNet hybrid on channel 44.2.

WEVV replaces Nexstar's WTVW as the local Fox affiliate in DMA number 103. Fox also inked a deal with Journal Broadcast Group to launch Fox on Journal's KNIN Boise (DMA number 113), currently a CW affiliate.

That replaces Block Communications-owned KTRV, whose affiliation agreement, Fox says, expired in August.

WEVV, which had been a Fox affiliate years ago, begins its Fox partnership 1 July, while KNIN kicks off Fox programming on 1 September.

Fox is asking stations in the top 125 markets - including Evansville and Boise - to pay them a portion of money they get from cable and satellite operators which carry their programming, writes the Los Angeles Times.

Initially, the network wants 25c per subscriber, per month with the fees rising to 50c in a few years.

Stations in markets smaller than that would have fees starting at 15c per subscriber, per month with the fee increasing to 25c in the fourth year.

Television stations are still on the hook even if they are not getting paid by the pay-TV distributors in their markets or not getting enough to cover what Fox seeks.

“We are delighted to have ComCorp's WEVV-TV D2 join Fox's family of more than 200 affiliates,” says Jon Hookstratten, executive VP, Network Distribution for Fox, notes Inside Indiana Business.

“ComCorp stations have been strong Fox affiliates in Texas and Louisiana since the network launched 25 years ago, and the station group has a proven track record for providing local viewers with outstanding programming and community service.”