The standoff between CBS affiliate KRQE in Albuquerque, N.M., and Comcast for carriage of the local broadcaster's HD channel continued early this week, in the wake of the recent Super Bowl that had to be viewed in SD by a growing number of frustrated HD set owners in the market.
Details of the impasse are slim (neither side in the dispute is offering any), but negotiations are continuing between Comcast and KRQE at the corporate level, according to The New Mexican.
A Comcast rep said the cable firm already has agreements for HD carriage with every other station in the state. The newspaper, meanwhile, said there's little doubt the impasse is the result of Comcast not agreeing to compensate KRQE as much as it would like. CBS, in particular, among the major networks, has made a point of talking up the worth of their affiliates' HD channels in negotiations with their respective carriers around the U.S. (HD Notebook, Jan. 31, 2006).
Besides monetary payments, a Comcast spokesman said the MSO is also "open to creative options."
