Dish and Citadel Communications have agreed to another temporary carriage agreement that will keep ABC6, the Providence ABC affiliate (WLNE-TV), in the satcaster’s lineup for now.
The current agreement between the companies was first scheduled to expire in late August, but they agreed to a temporary extension that was set to expire tonight.
The deadline for a new agreement is now 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 14. If a new deal is not signed by then, Citadel could pull ABC6 from Dish’s lineup.
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Dish and Citadel are fighting over how much the satcaster should pay to carry the ABC affiliate.
To illustrate its frustration with negotiating carriage deals with local broadcasters, Dish has said it’s offering customers nationwide $10 off their monthly bill if they agree to drop their local channels from their programming package.
Dish says it will also install an antenna for free for any Providence customer with qualifying equipment and programming plans. The customer must live in an area in Providence where he or she can receive the local channels with an antenna.
— Phillip Swann