Atlanta TV stations have been dropped from Dish TV. Here’s why.
A fee dispute between Atlanta-based Gray Media and Dish TV owner EchoStar Corp. has led to customers across the U.S. losing access to 226 channels, including local stations WANF (channel 46) and Peachtree TV (channel 17).
The dispute boils down to “retransmission fees” Gray wants its stations to receive and what Dish is willing to pay to broadcast those stations to its customers.
In a news release, Dish said Gray was “utilizing its market dominance to demand ‘retransmission consent’ fee hikes” that are disconnected from two major market forces impacting the television industry. In short, these are declining television viewership and the growing availability of free and low-cost streaming alternatives. Gray also introduced last-minute requests for stations it does not yet own, according to Dish.
In its own news release, Gray said the two parties have spent months negotiating a new distribution agreement. The action follows weeks of Dish operating under extensions of the previous agreement that Gray said it provided to prevent Dish from removing Gray’s signals during the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, NBA All-Star Game and other breaking news in Gray’s local markets, the broadcaster said.
The dispute encapsulates the growing friction among stakeholders in the traditional television industry trying to navigate a rapidly evolving media landscape. Streaming has disrupted traditional television consumption and skewered ratings. For broadcasters, this means fewer viewers and fewer advertising dollars. For cable and satellite companies, this means fewer paying customers.
Retransmission fees are the payments cable and satellite systems make to carry local channels. The fees have increased over the last decade. Cable and satellite providers pass these hikes onto consumers, resulting in higher monthly TV bills.
Between 2019 and 2023, revenue from retransmission consent fees increased by 31% to $15.1 billion, according to data the Internet and Television Association trade association cited in a 2025 filing with the Federal Communications Commission. Compared to 2015 levels, revenue is up by 135%.
It is a major part of broadcasters’ operating revenues, alongside advertising and other sources such as television and event programming or tower rentals. In 2024, Gray brought in about $1.5 billion in retransmission consent fees, down from $1.53 billion in 2023, according to its 2024 annual report.
Blackouts are used as leverage in negotiations between broadcasters and cable and satellite providers. In its release, Gray said it has never had its signals dropped by a satellite operator, and its last multimarket cable system dispute was more than a decade ago.
Gray is one of the top owners of television stations across the U.S., including NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates. Its portfolio of stations serves 113 markets and reaches about 37% of U.S. television households. It is in the process of acquiring stations across six additional markets. EchoStar ended the fourth quarter of 2025 with 7 million pay-TV customers, which includes 5 million Dish TV subscribers. In 2015, Dish had about 13.8 million pay-TV customers.
In their respective releases, both parties said they were willing to negotiate.
Viewers can still access the channels in other ways, including through subscriptions via other cable or satellite systems such as DirecTV, through streaming services such as YouTube TV or Hulu Live or for free using a digital antenna
About the Author
Savannah Sicurella is an entertainment business reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
