CITADEL MAKES 12TH-HOUR DEAL WITH DIRECTV

The latest feud over retransmission consent fees went down to the wire — and past — on Thursday, but, like most similar ones, the dispute between Citadel Communications and DirecTV ended without a shutdown. Citadel had said that it was prepared to yank feeds from its stations in Des Moines and Davenport, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska, unless it received a substantial increase in fees from the satellite provider. The original deadline was 1:00 a.m., April 1. However, the hour came and passed without an interruption in service, and by noon, the companies announced an agreement. Each side expressed satisfaction but declined to discuss terms of the deal.