Charter Communications mistakenly included Auburn in their news release about removing the local channel WSFA news 12 from Chambers County and Lanett.
"WSFA - NBC will remain on our line-up in the City of Auburn and in Lee County, but not in Chambers County and Lanett," said John Miller, director of communications for Charter Communications.
A press release was sent to newspapers and put up on the screen for Charter subscribers to view, Mark Wilder, WSFA director of operations, said.
"When Charter put out the information to its subscribers, they made a mistake in the wording and included the word Auburn within Chambers County as to the area it was going to be taken off," Wilder said. "We are indeed going to be taken off Charter cable in Chambers County, which is north of Lee County."
Marian Carcache, an English professor, said she believes Chambers County will be greatly affected by the loss of WSFA.
She said she has heard many complaints from local people about not having any choices for different cable companies in the area.
"That is why we should fight to preserve our right to choices on all levels instead of bowing to corporations," Carcache said.
Wilder said whoever was responsible for the news release sent out from Charter was not aware that Auburn is not included in Chambers County. Their national headquarters probably did not know what county Auburn is in.
After numerous phone calls from concerned viewers of Lee County, WSFA quickly talked to Charter and confirmed that their channel will not be taken off Charter in Lee County because it is significantly viewed, Wilder said.
"Since I would guess that the local stations most people in Lee County watch would be WSFA and the two out of Columbus, it seems only logical to keep the local station that is in the same state Lee County is in, and the same goes for Chambers," Carcache said.
She said when she watches local news in Alabama, she tunes to WFSA.
"When I was growing up in lower Russell County, we watched 3 and 9 out of Columbus, but when I moved to Auburn, I changed to the Montgomery station," Carcache said.
Miller said the federal government monitors their cable stations to determine which channels will be broadcast.
"There are numerous federal rules regarding the carriage of broadcast TV stations that make it impractical for Charter to continue to carry WSFA - NBC into the Chambers County and Lanett area," Miller said. "WSFA is not considered significantly viewed in those two areas, therefore by federal guideline, priority carriage is provided to WLTZ - NBC and most of WSFA's programming would have been blacked out."
Miller said customers in those two areas will find their NBC programming on WLTZ - NBC.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
