Of course, this was the same reason that DIRECTV gave when it removed Versus from the air. The satcaster said Versus was demanding "outrageous" fees to carry it.  Dish, which was able to reach a deal with Versus, has mocked DIRECTV for its failure to carry Versus.

Now Dish has to explain to its St. Louis area subscribers why it won't be showing the Blues in high-def and standard-def.

"Fox Sports Midwest is the home of St. Louis Blues hockey, but we need our local cable and satellite providers to offer all the games to their customers,''' FSM said in a statement. "We're working hard to get this resolved as soon as possible.''

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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