Belo Disappointed With FCC Decision Denying Multicast Must Carry, Will Continue Pursuing Issue

Belo Disappointed With FCC Decision Denying Multicast Must Carry, Will Continue Pursuing Issue

DALLAS, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Belo Corp. (NYSE:BLC) issued the following statement from Robert W. Decherd, Belo's chairman, president and chief executive officer, expressing the Company's disappointment with today's decision by the FCC not to require cable operators to carry broadcasters' entire multicast digital signal -- the same spectrum for which every broadcaster is licensed currently: "Belo, along with other broadcasters, will continue to pursue this vital issue because of its importance to local broadcasters and the communities they serve. We look forward to working with the new FCC Chair and members of Congress to readdress multicast must carry, along with other aspects of the transition to digital television that still need to be considered. Significant concerns exist about today's decision because it restricts local broadcasters' ability to use today's digital technology to offer consumers additional news, information and other local programming. Instead, today's FCC decision allows cable operators to take advantage of a portion of local broadcasters' licensed spectrum for their own financial gain without any public interest obligation."

About Belo

Belo Corp. is one of the nation's largest media companies with a diversified group of market-leading television, newspaper, cable and interactive media assets. A Fortune 1000 company with approximately 7,600 employees and $1.5 billion in annual revenues, Belo operates media franchises in some of America's most dynamic markets and regions, including Texas, the Northwest, the Southwest, Rhode Island, and the Mid-Atlantic. Belo owns 19 television stations (six in the top 15 markets); owns or operates seven cable news channels; and manages one television station through a local marketing agreement. Belo's daily newspapers are The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) and the Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, TX). Belo operates more than 30 Web sites, several interactive alliances and a broad range of Internet-based products. Additional information, including earnings releases and corporate communications, is available online at http://www.belo.com/ . For more information contact Carey Hendrickson, vice president/Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, at 214-977-6626.


Source: Belo Corp.

CONTACT: Carey Hendrickson, vice president-Investor Relations &
Corporate Communications of Belo Corp., +1-214-977-6626

Web site: http://www.belo.com/


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