DIRECTV and AT&T’s U-verse may lose two local TV stations this Friday due to a carriage dispute with their owner, Dispatch Broadcast Group.
Update: The two companies have agreed to a temporary pact which will expire Wednesday, September 6.
The stations — WTHR-TV (NBC affiliate in Indianapolis) and WBNS-TV (CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio) — have posted viewer alerts at their web sites.
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“If you are a DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse subscriber, you may not be able to view WTHR-TV after our current contract with DirecTV and AT&T U-verse expires on Friday, September 1, 2017,” states the WTHR notice. “We will continue to work toward an agreement with DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse and hope to resolve this situation as soon as possible. But we wanted to make you aware that DirecTV and AT&T U-verse subscribers may not have access to our programming on Friday, September 1, 2017. Our programming will continue to be available on a free over-the-air basis through a television antenna as well other cable, satellite, and online streaming in and around the Indianapolis metro area.”
The companies are battling over how much DIRECTV and AT&T (which now owns DIRECTV) should pay to carry the local stations.
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The TV Answer Man has asked AT&T for a comment and will report it here if one is received.
DIRECTV is involved in another carriage dispute with Raycom. If the satcaster does not reach a new agreement with Raycom by Thursday, it could lose more than 40 local channels owned by the broadcaster.
— Phillip Swann
This dispute is disgusting! At a time when communication is critical, why are your leaders making threats that create more anxiety for our citizens, specifically seniors like me who do not have easy access to alternate means to receive the local channels. I signed a contract with DirectTV based on deep trust that you would not cut basic access, especially from local channels. You were willing to include free access to numerous movie channels and NFL, which have no attraction for me…but are willing to restrict basic local channels. Makes no practical sense! You tempt me to terminate my contract !Please negotiate and move on! Thank you.
I think they should air cbs in columbus ohio. Direct makes plenty of money already example i have to pay a sports fee of almost 7 dollars even though i dont watch sports but if take 7 dollars from ever costumer i believe that would add up very quickly..or pay for overly paid executives vactions so if direct tv has to pay a little so what ..10 yrs ago my bill was 90.00 a month for more channels than now.now pay 167.00 a month and cant even watch a local channel..way to go Direct TV ..hope u dont lose any costumer
I pay for my local channels which is CBS I want it back now !!!!
What the hell? CBS is about to launch new season premieres and I have no CBS channel. Fix what ever the beef is between you two. I have always been satisfied with direct tv but I’m beginning to rethink that decision.
Ever since AT&T took over Direct TV we all have had problems, charging for sports channels without asking us for permission, to want or not want it. The customer care is no longer with them!!! I am a Senior citizen who lives in a rural location and have to use satellite to have TV programming. If AT&T doesn’t resolve this dispute for this local station I will quit them even though I have been a good paying customer for years. According to them, all they will say about this that its all WBNS TV out of Columbus,CBS, it is all their fault and expects all of us subscribers to believe that nonsense !!!
Do we all need to terminate our contract ma with you! This is really uncalled for
I watch NBC daily and your dispute is really messing things up. I left dish over this same thing only it was a different change. If there isn’t a reconciliation soon I’m going to terminate my contract with Direct Tv as well since I’m paying for something I’m not receiving.
Please don’t drop NBC . this will just mess things up. Why can’t you all agree on this. May have to go to another carrier. Please leave this along.
Hope you all can agree on this before we lose NBC.
I have been waiting for cbs to return before fall season premiers. Already pay for a hundred channels I don’t watch, but don’t receive any discount for losing a channel I do watch. Will be searching for new provider soon if cbs is not returned to union county!!!!!!
Reach a deal with cbs! I pay for Sunday ticket and cannot get my team’s games because they are on cbs and i live too close to my team so its blacked out on the other channel. So infuriating! Just pay them already!!!!
I’m in Columbus, OH. All the new TV shows start tonight and the majority of the ones I watch are on CBS. Dispatch Broadcast Group, do something before 8 pm this evening!
DirectTv tells us they can’t give us another CBS channel. You aren’t cooperating, so why are you letting all the customers suffer? I officially cancelled my paper delivery! You suck!
This is just corporate greed for both parties! In the end, the customer always ends up paying, one way or another. It is disgusting and I am getting tired of it. I watched the local station all the time and watched CBS for the programming. With a new season of shows starting tonight, I’ll miss them! Even if I got an antenna, I won’t be able to record them. This has gone on too long!! I can always cancel my direct tv and go to another service.
Paying for a station I’m not receiving…. This is ridiculous guys! PLEASE get the matter resolved so I can continue with my programs on CBS
Seriously..our bill is over $200 a mth with NO extra channels CBS and DirecTV both are giving us a royal screw..right in pilot and premier week,now were week 3 & in some ofnour fave CBS shows. You would think CBS would want the viewers and dtv would want our $$$$..this is total crap!
Did anyone receive notice from Direct TV this was going to happen??? And no mention on my bill about a discount due to loss of CBS channel! Very disappointed with your customer service….
Seems like as long as DirecTV carries the local station in its entirety without commercial preemptions that would be agreeable until the contracts can be resolved.
We are very unhappy with losing our local CBS coverage. I am a Denver Broncos fan and CBS is the only channel to offer AFC coverage. My wife and I are also fans of Blue Bloods which only appears on CBS. We are very unhappy with this dispute and will cancel our DirectTV if no settlement is reached!
Tired of being screwed by DirectTV for the sake of the almighty dollar. I happen to like the shows of Cbs. Where does stop??? Settle this dispute or I am canceling altogether!!!
If this dispute is not settled VERY soon I will be leaving Direct TV ! Ever since AT&T took over this company, it’s been a mess. You care absolutely nothing about the people who pay your salaries ! Fix it or I and many, many more folks will leave.
First the All Star game, now the Red Sox game on channel 44 July 13. Direct TV since it was bought up by AT and T is a disaster. I will be looking into alternatives who care about their service, not holding customers and other vendors up with blackmail.
I am in complete agreement with the folks who are ready to terminate Direct TV. I have had it for many years and had no issues but lately its becoming ridiculous. If this isn’t resolved quickly, I will take Spectrum up on their offer to bundle>
I cant watch AGT. ugh……………..
No problems before the AT&T take over! Time to go to cable.
I live in Ohio and they are taking off our local CBS channel 7 from Wheeling, Wv. Thats where we get our local news and weather updates. We are senior citizens. We need our channel. Please keep it on for us.
do you think taking CBS OFF THE AIR in Florida right before football season will help or hurt your services, or do you think fans will just roll over and take it with a grain of salt? billionaires fighting with each other at the expense of the consumers is LOW HOW LOW WILL YOU GO. MAYBE ALL THE OTHERS ARE RIGHT WE SHOULD GO……to another carrier.
My cable bill is $200.00 + and now you’re losing CW and CBS? You already lost local CET channel 64–there must be something you can do for your customers besides letting channels drop, drop,drop with no mention of any credit to those of us who are paying a ridiculous amount of money for a lot of channels we don’t watch.
How about some of the multibillion dollar owners do something for the customers, for a change?
I’ve been with Direct for a long while now, but if this crap continues, I won’t be with Direct much longer, I have cable on the pole in front of my house, all I have to do is call them.