AT&T’s U-verse TV service has lost three local North Carolina stations due to a carriage dispute with their owner, Capital Broadcasting.
The stations are: WRAL, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina, WILM, an independent station in Wilmington, North Carolina, and WRAZ-TV, the Fox affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The stations posted notices last night at their web sites that their signals had been pulled from U-verse due to the disagreement. The companies are fighting over how much AT&T should pay to carry the local stations.
“While we work to get the channel back up, it’s always helpful for you, the customer, to call AT&T U-verse and tell them you expect to get the channels you’re paying them for. That number is 1-800-288-2020,” the notice reads. “In the meantime, you can always watch WILM for free with an over-the-air antenna, available at local big box stores or get one here.”
AT&T has not issued a comment as of this morning. The dispute does not affect DIRECTV, which AT&T owns.
AT&T and DIRECTV are also involved in another carriage dispute with Dispatch Broadcasting which has left two stations blacked out for a week.
— Phillip Swann
Excuse me, but WRAL-TV is no longer a CBS affiliate. It actually returned to NBC during the late-winter of 2016.
Correct. Thanks.
They better get this channel back on the air before the fall season starts on Sunday Sept 24 .. we are paying for it and all these crooks at AT&T keep doing is raise the price they charge the users. Let them get a good deal and perhaps, deny perks or raises to the executives. They do not need to buy a new luxury car or yacht this year. Customers come first and as a Stock Holder of AT&T you can be sure I will be voting against the Entire Board of Directors, as well as against their pay compensation.
is there any hope of this getting resolved? I asked for a rate decrease and AT&T wasn’t yet prepared to do it.
We should not have to ask for a credit. It should be done automatically. If not, then maybe it is time to start filing complaints with the FCC and the local Public Utilities Commission. And as of 09-30-17 WRAL and FOX are still not restored to AT&T Uverse here in Apex, NC
We have been loyal TWC/Spectrum customers for several years but with cell phone contracts for my wife and me with AT&T, we decided to look at AT&T as our entertainment provider as well. We signed up for this at the local AT&T store in early September with a planned installation date of 10/16/17 for TV/Internet/Home Phone service. I have delayed it once already to 10/27/17 due to the issue of NBC not being carried due to the contract dispute with Captiol Broadcasting and AT&T. If not resolved by 10/25/17, I will once again delay our installation. Enough already, get this dispute resolved! Your customers deserve better.
Updated 10/25/17: Still no news of dispute being settled, ridiculous! Sept. 13th until ?????, I have moved our AT&T installation out once again to 11/08/17. Maybe by then, some sensible heads will prevail on BOTH sides to get this done and allow viewers to see the channels they are expecting.
Just saw the News & Observer story line on this dispute. No progress as of a few days ago. I am reminded of my career in manufacturing and company/union disagreements. I recall that if there were issues not resolved and the sides could not agree, it resulted in either a work stoppage or strike. If not resolved within a few days, it lingered on for months. I guess AT&T and Capital Broadcasting are now in the “months” arena. It is very unfortunate that viewing/paying customers are subjected to this dispute. Maybe some day this will get resolved, do you think?
You can get a better deal on cell phone service with T-Mobile and also with carriers that Walmart has. A friend of mine in NY has the one with Walmart (not sure exactly which) but it uses Verizon Wireless and he is paying around $35 or so .. Good data & text plans as well.
AT&T can go to hell and stay there. Their service is way overpriced for what they deliver. We are missing 3 channels down here (WRAL and 2 others) due to a fee dispute since early September, yet these same stations are still on DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T .. Therefore there should be no reason the signals are not on U-Verse … I also heard AT&T is trying to move U-Verse customers to DirecTV .. I will not move to that, as signals are lost in heavy storms and I do not want Satellite Internet. That means I would need another company just for Internet and if that happens, Internet and TV would move to a new company. So AT&T will lose out in the end. Greedy bastards that they are.
You sure didn’t pull any punches here! I have to agree that for a service company they seem to have lost the perspective that “the customer always comes first”.
I am disabled and you took away my main stations. You try lying in the bed 24/7/365 and see what else you can do to get entertainment . It’s been and still is bad to only have two local stations that I care to watch. I called you when it happened and wanted to stop paying for what I’m not getting.. Well I am still paying for full service and not getting it. I’ll bet when you get them back that we will pay more for them. You need to cut corners some where else and not gouge us any more. I have been a loyal customer from the get go. I was one of the first to sign up in my area . Do something for us and let us know where the deal stands.
If NBC is not restored to my U-verse, I will cancel all my AT&T accounts. Channel 4 shows are too important and if the issue is not resolved before the fall line up begins I will cancel. The expense of U-verse is not worth receiving when local channels cannot be restored. Thank you for your consideration.
Karen Cross