Four TV broadcasters sue to keep rates secret from public

When the media take the government to court over public records, they’re usually trying to pry the records in question loose on behalf of the public’s right to know. But this month, the corporate owners of four local television broadcasters separately have sued Click Cable TV – and by extension The News Tribune – to keep records containing their financial agreements with the city-owned cable network secret.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper is set to weigh arguments from all sides during a hearing to decide whether the court should grant a preliminary injunction to stop the records from being disclosed to the newspaper. If granted, the order would temporarily halt release of the records pending a full-blown trial over the issue. The broadcast companies are prepared to contend the records – so-called “retransmission agreements” that detail how much they charge Click to air broadcast signals for KING, KOMO, KIRO, KCPQ and KSTW – contain protected trade secrets that are exempt from public disclosure.