Hoak Says Dish Actually Dropped 14 Stations

Dish Network said last week that Hoak Media pulled 14 network affiliates in six markets from Dish's airwaves partially due to Auto Hop, the satcaster's new feature which automatically eliminates network commercials.

However, Hoak Media is now saying that's a boldface lie. In fact, Hoak COO Rich Adams tells the web site, The Town Talk, that Dish actually pulled the stations without giving it any notice. He suggests that Dish initiated the dispute to generate publicity for the Auto Hop.

"We have our suspicions that they really want to use us as a whipping boy," Adams said. "They're a big company, a multibillion-dollar company and we're a pretty small company."

Dish, which added Auto Hop to its Hopper HD DVR last month, is locked in a legal battle with the networks over the legality of the ad-zapper. A court hearing is expected next month.

Adams acknowledges that it needs to negotiate a new carriage agreement with Dish. But he said the satcaster's decision to drop the stations was a total surprise. Adams added that after Dish dropped the stations, it immediately issued a press release saying Hoak dropped them because of Auto Hop.

"I guess they want to make an example out of us and get publicity for their device (Auto Hop)," Adams said.

Hoak has stations in Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Florida. There has been no comment yet from Dish on Hoak's charges.

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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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