ABC to offer affils new deals at confab

Web may ask stations to pay for extra ad inventory

By JOSEF ADALIAN

LAS VEGAS-- With ABC and its affils one day away from what promises to be a particularly contentious annual confab, word surfaced late Thursday of new proposals from the Alphabet web aimed to move the sides closer on key issues.

Affil insiders said ABC may ask stations to pay for extra ad inventory. It may also offer equity stakes in various ABC ventures in exchange for guaranteed guidelines for allowing the net to repurpose its programming.

ABC recently broke off talks with its affil board, saying it would negotiate with individual stations. The net may have decided to change strategy after failing to reach any major deals with station groups.