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Austin Dish Network subscribers lose KXAN, KNVA
The carriage agreement between Dish Network and LIN Media, owner of Austin NBC affiliate KXAN and The CW outlet KNVA expired at 1 a.m. today with no new agreement reached. As a result, Dish Network cannot currently provide subscribers with those channels.
Dish subscribers looking for KXAN are, instead, finding the following message: “LIN has blocked the signal for your local station. Dish Network offered multiple times to continue negotiating. LIN refused to even answer our phone calls.”
At issue is the fee LIN wishes to charge the satellite provider to carry its product. LIN maintains the increase amounts to “fair market value” while Dish contends the “outrageous” requested rate would result in increased fees to its subscribers.
Both entities have issued statements on the negotiating failure.
From KXAN:
DISH’s contract to carry KXAN and KNVA on its satellite system has expired, and by law, DISH no longer has the right to carry our programming.
Please know that we have tried hard to reach an agreement with DISH, so that our viewers would not have to miss any of KXAN and KNVA’s around-the-clock reporting of news, politics, traffic, weather emergencies, public service announcements, and favorite local and national programming.
We are disappointed in the outcome of our negotiations, especially since we have successfully reached deals with every major cable, satellite and telecommunications company that recognizes our fair market value. Without fair and equitable treatment, local TV stations will not be able to continue to provide top quality news, sports, entertainment, and other local programming that is most important to you.
We will continue to negotiate with DISH. Unfortunately, we do not know if, or when, we will reach an agreement.
We thank you for your tremendous support throughout this dispute. We have received thousands of emails and phone calls from viewers and advertisers who understand our position and are willing to stand by our side.
We hope you will continue supporting local television and watch us through alternative means. If you have any questions, please call (888) 472-6850. We also encourage you to continue calling DISH and tell them you want KXAN and KNVA and all of your favorite programming back. You can reach DISH by calling 1-800-333-DISH.
Thank you for supporting LOCAL television.
From Dish Network:
“It’s unfortunate that LIN Media, a corporate media conglomerate, pulled its channels down at midnight, holding viewers in 17 markets across the nation hostage while attempting to coerce DISH Network to submit to outrageous demands. Even more disappointing is the fact that LIN Media didn’t even make an effort to keep negotiating during the final hours and failed to respond despite our numerous attempts to reach them. LIN Media also refused to grant the contract extension DISH Network proposed. DISH Network offered LIN Media a fee increase comparable to market rates already agreed to with more than 1,000 other TV stations. However, in the last few days, LIN Media increased its fees even more, demanding more than a 175 percent rate increase in the first year alone.
“LIN Media is simply being greedy, insisting on a rate increase so immense that DISH Network and its customers couldn’t possibly absorb it. Their onerous demands and burdensome contract terms would result in payments of millions of dollars more each month, exceeding current market rates and demanding more money than we pay most of our popular national networks.
“We are pleased the FCC met this week to propose changes to this outdated retransmission consent process between broadcasters and pay-TV operators. We believe the system is broken and are happy to see the FCC recognize it is time to make changes that put consumers’ needs at the forefront.
“DISH Network remains open to further talks with LIN Media in hopes of reaching a fair deal to restore the channels.”
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment Categories: News coverage, TV Technology
Comments
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By Don Overton
March 14, 2011 9:59 PM | Link to this
I am about to sign up for Dish as a new subscriber, and was astounded to see this. I just looked at the NBC (KXAN) schedule for the entire upcoming week. Surprise, there was exactly one show during the week that I cared at all about, and that one not all that much.
I can live without KXAN just fine. I hope Dish holds the line and I'm going ahead with my new subscription.
By Rick
March 13, 2011 4:24 PM | Link to this
Wondering if the contractual obligation I have with Dish can be cancelled due to non-performance of broadcating KXAN ?
By Dale Roe
March 10, 2011 10:06 AM | Link to this
Sandy: Current law prevents television providers including satellite and cable companies from broadcasting an out-of-market signal to replace a local affiliate during a carriage dispute. This is one of the rules that the FCC just unanimously voted to re-examine in the wake of more frequent and contentious contract negotiations and resulting channel blackouts. Stand by.
By Free Market Guy
March 10, 2011 10:02 AM | Link to this
It seems like the fair market value of something you are giving away for free would be nothing. The KXAN broadcast is distributed free to anyone who wants it in the area. Dish is actually providing KXAN and especially their advertisers (who are the one actually footing the bill for the broadcast) by relaying the signal to the Dish subscribers. Also giving viewers convenience and more options for see more of KXAN's programming by providing guide info and DVR options so they can actually see more KXAN broadcasts (and advertisements) than they would it they were using an antenna alone.
At this point I will just listen to Mark Murray for weather instead of Jim Spencer, and watch The Office online till KXAN wises up. Or maybe it just takes some of the advertisers choosing to take there business to an other station that is not to stupid to realize when they have a good thing going and have to desire to shoot themselves in the foot.
By Sandy Clabo
March 10, 2011 9:47 AM | Link to this
Remember the days when we were told that cable/dish would be so wonderful because with our paying for the service it would be ad-free? How long did that last?
Yes, they are gouging us, but so is LIN and if they are selling advertising why do they need more money from DISH? I want my NBC news programming back (and I don't mean local) so why can't DISH just connect us to an NBC station in Boston or some other decent market?
I would much prefer to get Boston news than Austin and have wished in the past for a "generic" network affiliate station. Why can't we get that?
By Steve
March 10, 2011 1:24 AM | Link to this
I receive KXAN through Dish Network and also over the air using the same receiver. The OTA broadcast still works fine, but without the Dish Network deal I no longer receive guide information, and all my recordings stopped.
For this I blame KXAN 100%. They are GIVING me their content, for free, over the air. Asking for ANY payment from Dish Network is a ripoff. I was watching The Event, but they burnt through two episodes without me seeing them on my schedule. I see NBC will keep them available online until March 26, so I guess KXAN has until then to get their act together, get the channel guide back on Dish Network, and give me a reason to catch up. After that I'm done.
And while I watched L&O:SVU and L&O:LA, the former is getting really, really tired and the latter is too new to care for. Chuck and The Cape? The former I might keep watching with a fixed timer on the OTA broadcast, but the latter I can let go as well. Great job throwing away four+ hours of attention prime-time viewer over what you call "pennies".
By Kenneth George
March 9, 2011 6:36 PM | Link to this
What little I do watch KXAN can be done with my TV antenna.
By Judi Sweat
March 8, 2011 1:04 PM | Link to this
Please settle with LIN, we can only get Jeopardy on KXAN and it is our favorite show. We are willing to pay more for this service. I called KXAN and they were very polite and cordial. They indicated only pennies per subscriber was involved. Pay them what they want. We want the channels we signed up to receive.
Vince and Judi
By slimshades26
March 7, 2011 2:27 PM | Link to this
FIX IT! (ala Keenan Thompson as Oscar Rogers on SNL on NBC!!)
By Louis
March 6, 2011 3:20 PM | Link to this
I called KNVA to complain about their price-gouging, was asked for my opinion, gave it, then shut down a debat about "fair-market pricing" with the staffer on the phone with me, and then was hung-up on!
By what a bunch of greedy gits
March 5, 2011 1:33 PM | Link to this
My Dish bill went up by 5 MORE dollars a month just last week.
I. HATE.ALL.THESE.GREEDY.GUTS. Everyone one of them, LIN and Dish and all the ones in between. $100 a month for a stinking TV. I wish the American people had the guts to collectively pull the plug on all of them. But we're zombified, so we can't. By golly, I swear to you by the start of summer that I am going to release myself from this addiction. I can no longer take it.
By trip
March 5, 2011 11:30 AM | Link to this
Give me a break Dish, I just received a bill with another increase from you. Pay your bill just like you expect us to pay, even though we have 2 fewer channels now.
By jack morelock
March 5, 2011 11:10 AM | Link to this
for me NBC is mostly junk tv and I will miss only three primetime shows - they have already canceled their best - chase.
the rate increase by LIN is outrageous
By Tracy
March 5, 2011 11:07 AM | Link to this
All these broadcast disputes are silly. You would think that they'd want as many people as possible watching their commercials!