DIRECTV has lost six local channels in three markets due to a fee fight with their owner, Lilly Broadcasting.
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The channels have posted notices at their web sites saying they are attempting to seek a new agreement with DIRECTV. The two companies are fighting over how much DIRECTV should pay to carry the channels.
The channels affected in the dispute are: WSEE-TV (CBS affiliate in Erie, Pennsylvania); WICU-TV (NBC affiliate in Erie); WENY (CBS, ABC affiliates in Elmira, New York); and KMAU-TV (ABC and MeTV channels in Honolulu, Hawaii.).
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DIRECTV has posted a statement at its web site, DIRECTVPromise.com, saying all the channels have been removed from their lineup. By law, a TV provider can not carry a channel without its permission.
“We want to get (the Lilly Broadcasting channel) back into your lineup as soon as possible. Doing so requires permission from its owner…since FCC rules grant (the channel) exclusive control over whether that station remains available on DIRECTV. We share your frustration because (Lilly) is deliberately preventing (the station) from reaching your home,” DIRECTV states.
Oddly, the Lilly Broadcasting web notice has not been updated for more than a week and continues to say the channels could be removed from DIRECTV, not that they have been removed.
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“SJL Broadcasting PA and Lilly Broadcasting of PA, parent companies of (the stations) are continuing efforts to renew carriage agreements with DirecTV, if we cannot come to a resolution it could result in (the channels) potentially not being carried by DIRECTV,” the Lilly statement reads. “We have prepared this page to help you continue to watch your local stations…if DIRECTV stops providing them in the service package you subscribed to.”
However, viewers of WSEE and other Lilly-owned channels have posted notices that their signals have been removed from DIRECTV. Here’s one screen-capture from a viewer of WSEE in Erie:
— Phillip Swann
The only time I need locals is on Sunday during NFL season. NFL.com can fix that for us.
We lost our FOX TV Broadcast station here in Lewiston, ID. It is owned by Northwest Broadcasting. As far as I am concerned Direct TV, can tell these guys to go take a hike for good.
Time for Lily to start negotiate with Directtv. As you have such a lousy signal. I live near the lake near waldamere Park. I have an indoor antenna and it will not pick up Wsee channel 35 because you have such a weak and lousy signal! If this continues us Directv viewers will be at your door with protest signs! Thanks for letting me miss the NCAA Final. Your news is a joke!!
Lilly, why make us suffer? We don’t care for your greed. Enough is enough. Perhaps your ad companies on your stations should boycott you. Perhaps you would like that as much as us consumers like your stupid stunts! Sometimes TV is all us on fixed incomes have before we die. Have a heart and stop being greedy people. You will answer to God Almighty someday too!
I am a cancer survivor and I do not appreciate your actions!
wow you think a small company like lilly broadcasting should buckle to directtv I don’t know about you but I pay ALOT to them the least they could do is pay a fair price for my local channels check whos making all the $$$ if we keep putting the small companies out of business we wont have a say In anything!!!
Considering that most people with a high quality antenna can receive their channels for free I think Lilly (and other local network stations) should be paying DirecTV to carry their signal since that gives the local channels a broader audience which allows them to charge more for advertising when they quote the number of households that are able to view their programming.
I was mad when I missed the first two games of the final four. I was irate when I missed the finals. Now I am ready to say “screw you” to my local station and receive all my network tv through online means. One or two days, maybe. Five days, I have had enough. I’m done
This is getting really stupid why dont you guys care about the people that cant get cable and lousy air wave reception
Resolve issues please
The FCC should step in and remove all CBS affiliation blackouts. Lilly and DT are both at fault and in breach if contract.
How about all the advertisers that pay KITV and Lilly to advertise their products both local and mainland, which cannot be seen by all the DIRECTV users in Hawaii. Do your advertiser know they are wasting their money to advertise on your network?
The longer this goes on. the less times I will search or look up channel 4, KITV.
This is breach of contract….on DirectTV’s part. I called and was given a $25.00 credit on my bill, which does not resolve the issue. This is not the first time this has happened and got the same BS from them as last time. If it doesn’t get resolved within the next week, I’m out.
Please alter my bill for this month to reduce charges since I have been without full service for over a week. Both your company and my local station claims this is a fee concern. Just do what you greedy companies always do…. pass the increase on to your customers….time warner is looking pretty good. I could even get service in a rain storm. 😊 thank you!!
I’m not DirecTV customer but I am a dish customer our local channels have been black out also seem Lilly been greedy little sob customer both on DirecTV and dish have lost their local service cause Lilly greed which are over air free channels maybe Lilly sould sit back and think they are affecting tons of customers who pay them but they don’t care cause their greed
Well time to cancel all pay for tv. Go back and buy tv antenna and watch free tv. Will rent movies on the weekends. Thanks direct for no good channels
I’m from northern NY, and my local news and weather is Channel 7 out of Watertown NY. I pay approx. $ 200 per month for Directv and I’m losing the only local channel available. Not fair at all. Dan Berry
It is so sad that we have to pay for TV, @ we can not watch what we want to. You take channels away lower the price of cable.
AS OF 3//16/2019 I AM VERY DISAPOINTED WITH THIS OF LOSING CHANNEL 41 WDRB MY NEWS AT 10.00PM AND ALOT OF MY SHOWS I MITE AS WELL STAY WITH SPECTRUM FOR THIS MATTER IF IT DONT RETURN SOON I AM SWITCHING BECAUSE THIS IS A LOCAL CHANNEL AND IT DONT MAKE NO SENSE THIS IS NOT A CABLE CHANNEL…
Very disgusted. Missing favorites like The “Oroville” and “Last man Standing”, Also major sports playoffs and important local news/weather. I’m reviewing my TV options; quality programing by other means is an extremely strong consideration.
We have been able to go around the squabble via other streaming services but think that Lily is acting in a mean fashion. We will purposely avoid using any product or service that is a party to this scam.
We cannot get the local channels via a tv antenna in the Imperial Valley.
This is absolute BS!! Pay your freaking fees Direct TV! You charge us up the ying yang for specialty channels & it is pathetic that you cannot provide the local channels. I am so pissed. Bring back my CBS before 07/12 or I will transfer to the company that can provide the local channels.
I hope my bill gets adjusted for this un-service! Not happy….you’re gonna lose subscribers.
Soon enough only those who want to pay for infomercials will keep Directtv .
We have the 2nd level of Directtv and looking at Comcast or something else as it is mostly infomercials , not real channels .
I think it’s only fair if we are able to pick other surrounding local channels. they took them off of us because it isn’t right to us Because there is other channels we would love to have but you go buy or zip cold but if you open that range up with the ZIP Code we would be able to get other local channels Because when I had cable I was able to get Philadelphia stations Harrisburg stations Allentown stations So maybe you can look into doing that And I think that would make a lot of customers happy
Replying from the post I put before and yes my zip code is 17965. From Port Carbon PA.
We are in Florence, Oregon and have Direct TV. About 3 months ago we lost KMTR, which is our NBC channel 16, As a result, we have lost our favorite news channel and many other programs we watched or recorded. Now, again, as of this Friday, 9/27, 2019, we will be losing another local channel, KMTR, CBS channel 13. Why do we have pay TV when we can’t even get the local channels we used to get for FREE?? This is BS and I’m tired of paying for TV channels I don’t even like. It’s all about money, again. I will be moving to Spectrum if KMTR is dropped. If that doesn’t work out, then I will have to check my other options. AT&T and Direct TV suck!!!