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Two ABC Affiliates May Go Dark on DirecTV

Apr 6, 2017  •  Post A Comment

A deadline looms this Friday in a retransmission fee skirmish between DirecTV and the ABC affiliates KRGV-TV in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, market and WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge, La.

DirecTV and the Manship family, which owns the stations, have been negotiating a new satellite carriage agreement, but have yet to agree on terms. The two stations have posted notices on their websites that they may go dark on DirecTV systems as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday.

The statement on the KRGV site translates the deadline into local time, stating: “We are hopeful a new agreement will be timely reached, but the negotiations have reached an impasse and our contract with DirecTV expires at 10:59 p.m. CT, Friday, April 7, 2017.”

The statement adds:

“If you are a DirecTV satellite subscriber and if we are unable to reach a new agreement with DirecTV, you will no longer be able to receive KRGV and its top-rated programs including network shows, your local news, weather, sports, and other programming from DirecTV.

“KRGV will continue to be available free, over the air, or from a local cable company or by satellite from the DISH satellite or AT&T U-verse service. We will keep you fully informed of the progress of the negotiations with DirecTV.”

The statement encourages customers to call DirecTV to let the company know they’re interested in keeping KRGV.

4 Comments

  1. That’s the company line on every provider that’s out there. The broadcast networks need supply better programming other than news or info commercials that we the consumer pay for. We have tv stations that have 4 hours of news in the morning and at least 3 hours after the prime shows end.

  2. These local stations have lost their leverage with cable and satellite carriers. They have to provide their programming on internet to stay competitive and that allows the carriers to push the carry rates down since the local customers have an alternative for the few shows that are popular locally

  3. In the old days, it was the networks that compensated their affiliates for carrying their programming feed. That has all reversed since the now outdated Retransmission Law went into effect in the 1990s. Over the air stations should now be GIVING their feeds to satellite and cable companies if they expect to stay viable and keep viewers in these days of online streaming overtaking broadcasting. Greedy pigs, all of them.

  4. I like Direct TV, but am very very unhappy at the loss of channel 10. Most of the programs I watch are one that channel.

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