Washington, D.C. (December 12, 2008) -- Dish Network has dropped Young Broadcasting-owned local stations in 11 markets yesterday after retransmission negotiations between the companies broke down.
The decision means that Dish subscribers in the following cities will not be able to watch Young's standard-def and high-def signals:
The decision means that Dish subscribers in the following cities will not be able to watch Young's standard-def and high-def signals:
Lansing, Mich (CBS affiliate)
Lafayette, La. (CBS affiliate)
Albany, N.Y (ABC affiliate)
Nashville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Knoxville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Green Bay, Wis (ABC affiliate)
Richmond, Va. (ABC affiliate)
Davenport, Iowa (NBC affiliate)
San Francisco (My Network)
Sioux Falls SD (CBS affiliate)
Rapid City, S.D. (CBS affiliate)
Dish officials claim that Young is asking for "unreasonable" compensation to carry its local channels. By law, a TV provider can not carry a local station without its permission, which has led to numerous disputes between providers and the stations over the last few years.
By example, Dish now can not carry the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Albany or the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Green Bay.
“It is unfortunate that Young Broadcasting has forced us into this situation and caused this disruption to our customers,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming for DISH Network. “Our goal is to remain the best value for our customers and in order to do this, we need fair contracts with competitive pricing for the channels our customers want to watch. This is why we refuse to accept Young Broadcasting’s unreasonable terms.”
Dish's contract with Young Broadcasting expired on December 10. The broadcaster said in a statement that the satcaster charges subscribers to watch the local stations so it should compensate it.
There was no word from either company on whether negotiations will resume.
Comment on this article!
Lafayette, La. (CBS affiliate)
Albany, N.Y (ABC affiliate)
Nashville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Knoxville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Green Bay, Wis (ABC affiliate)
Richmond, Va. (ABC affiliate)
Davenport, Iowa (NBC affiliate)
San Francisco (My Network)
Sioux Falls SD (CBS affiliate)
Rapid City, S.D. (CBS affiliate)
Dish officials claim that Young is asking for "unreasonable" compensation to carry its local channels. By law, a TV provider can not carry a local station without its permission, which has led to numerous disputes between providers and the stations over the last few years.
By example, Dish now can not carry the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Albany or the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Green Bay.
“It is unfortunate that Young Broadcasting has forced us into this situation and caused this disruption to our customers,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming for DISH Network. “Our goal is to remain the best value for our customers and in order to do this, we need fair contracts with competitive pricing for the channels our customers want to watch. This is why we refuse to accept Young Broadcasting’s unreasonable terms.”
Dish's contract with Young Broadcasting expired on December 10. The broadcaster said in a statement that the satcaster charges subscribers to watch the local stations so it should compensate it.
There was no word from either company on whether negotiations will resume.
Comment on this article!
____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
______________________________________________________
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.
Click TVPredictions.com to read more news and features on TV
technology.