Television affiliates agree to delay retransmission disputes

The ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC affiliate organizations have agreed to support a month-long “quiet period” in the weeks before and after the DTV transmission.

The affiliate boards want to ensure television services aren’t disrupted. They agreed to keep their programming on cable, satellite and telco TV from Feb. 4 until March 4, 2009.

The board for the NAB recently approved its own support of a “quiet period” to “help local broadcasters and government to achieve our joint objective of a seamless transition to the next generation of television.”