Q. I read on the Twitter that DIRECTV dropped the OANN channel, the One America News Network. And I couldn’t find it my lineup. What the hell is this? Is it because AT&T hates the president? I know that’s it!!! — Bonnie, East Lansing, Michigan. 

Bonnie, you are not alone in your frustration. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are overflowing today with angry comments from DIRECTV subscribers who say they can no longer watch One America News Network (OANN).

However, DIRECTV has not dropped the conservative news network. Let me repeat that. DIRECTV has NOT dropped the conservative news network.

Now let me explain.

TheWrap.com reports that since the Coronavirus outbreak, the satcaster has offered a free preview of OANN, and some other channels. But the preview ended today, leaving some OANN fans thinking DIRECTV had dropped the channel, perhaps due to its political views.

https://twitter.com/CynthiaCoopers2/status/1262753009999601669

Some upset customers said an on-screen message appeared today on OANN’s channel (347) saying DIRECTV subscribers needed to upgrade their programming packages to continue watching it. However, OANN is in most DIRECTV programming plans including its base plan, Select, so it’s unclear which subscribers suddenly lost the channel. (Some DIRECTV subscribers posted messages this afternoon saying the channel is still available to them.)

Charles Herring, president of OANN, tells The Wrap that it’s a simple misunderstanding, and that DIRECTV has not dropped his channel.

“Due to COVID-19, with many Americans sheltering and home, the cable companies, including DIRECTV, have provided FREE extended PREVIEWS of a number of channels, including OAN,” Herring told the site. “DIRECTV was offering a number of channels for free to customers that generally don’t receive the programming. Kudos to DIRECTV for providing free programming to its customers.”

Herring added he expects DIRECTV to soon resume a free preview of OANN, although he did not say when it would begin. The Wrap writes that DIRECTV has not responded to its inquiries.

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