As if 2020 hasn’t been tough enough, some Portland-area TV customers began December by finding their access to local channels was again affected by disputes between large media companies. For DirecTV customers, including those who watch KGW-TV, the news turned brighter last weekend, as AT&T DirecTV and AT&T U-verse came to terms.
The picture is more gloomy for Dish customers, including viewers of KOIN-TV in Portland, as a business disagreement between KOIN’s parent company Nexstar Media Group and Dish drags on.
For more than two weeks, Dish Network and Nexstar have been at odds, with each company claiming the other is asking too much as they attempt to negotiate the terms of an agreement to provide Nexstar-owned stations to Dish Network customers.
Addressing the blackout, which affects Nexstar-owned stations in 115 markets, a Nexstar company statement said, in part, that “Millions of Americans across the country have lost local news, traffic, weather, sports, and entertainment programming as well as critical, up-to-date news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic,” adding that “viewers across the United States have expressed their outrage at Dish Network for its documented long-term practice of putting its paying subscribers in the middle, rather than reaching agreements with broadcasters and content providers at fair market rates.”
As Broadcasting & Cable reported, Brian Neylon, group president, Dish TV, rejected that characterization. Neylon said, “We made a fair offer to keep Nexstar stations available to our customers, but Nexstar rejected it.” Neylon also said, in part, “We don’t understand why Nexstar insists on prioritizing greed above American viewers, many of whom rely on local programming for their news and entertainment, especially during this global pandemic.”
A statement on the KOIN website encourages Dish customers to contact that company, and says, in part, “We regret that you’ve lost our programming just as news of a vaccine is making headlines, the holidays are here, winter weather is coming on strong, and the NFL playoffs are coming. Our top priority is to reach an agreement with Dish and return our station to you as quickly as possible.”
Dish also has a question-and-answer page on its website, where viewers can enter their zipcode and see the company’s statement regarding disputes that impact their local stations, including Nexstar-owned channels.
In a section answering the question: “Why shouldn’t I switch TV providers?,” the answer is, “Unfortunately, disputes between pay-TV providers and channel owners are not uncommon within the pay-TV industry. All pay-TV providers face disputes with channel owners. In fact, just last year, there were over 200 channel blackouts across the pay-TV industry.”
As an over-the-air broadcast channel, KOIN can also be viewed by using an antenna, without subscribing to a cable or satellite service.
-- Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
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December 24, 2020 at 04:38AM
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KGW back for DirecTV customers, but KOIN still absent from Dish as companies’ dispute continues - OregonLive
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