Dish and Cox Media tonight agreed to their fourth temporary carriage pact this month, allowing 18 local stations to continue in the satcaster’s lineup. (The 18 stations are owned by Apollo Global Management, an equity firm, but they are managed by Cox Media.)
The new deal calls for the deadline for a long-term carriage agreement to be extended until October 29 at 7 p.m. ET.
Update: As of 6 a.m. ET on October 30, the 18 stations are still posting alerts that Dish subscribers could lose their signals, suggesting talks are continuing. The TV Answer Man will update this story when more information becomes available.
On October 1, the date of the original deadline, the two companies signed a seven-day temporary agreement. Then on October 8, they moved the deadline seven days again to October 15. And on the 15th, it was moved to October 20.
Tonight, some of the 18 Cox/Apollo stations posted yet another new notice at their web sites saying the new deadline is October 29.
“ATTENTION DISH CUSTOMERS: After 7PM EST October 29th, you may not be able to watch your favorite shows live. NBC 3 and Redwood CBS are committed to continue our negotiations with DISH to keep your shows on, but DON’T WAIT: Call DISH at 800-333-3474 and tell them you want NBC 3 and Redwood CBS to remain on the air,” stated a notice posted tonight by KIEM-TV, a NBC affiliate in Eureka, California, one of 18 stations involved.
The dispute should not be confused with a different carriage battle between Dish and Cox Media, and Apollo Global Management. Nearly three months ago, Dish lost 14 local network affiliates owned by Apollo, and managed by Cox, over fees. This new dispute covers the 18 stations previously owned by Northwest Broadcasting, which were sold to Apollo last year.
Their contracts are expiring now because Dish has been operating on the agreement it previously held with Northwest. The 14 stations it lost two months ago were operating on a contract Dish had negotiated with Cox Media before it was so sold to Apollo.
The 18 stations that Dish could now lose on October 29 are:
Alexandria, La.
ABC
KLAX
31
Binghamton, N.Y.
MNT
WBPN
8
FOX
WICZ
40
Eureka, Calif.
NBC
KIEM
3
CBS
KVIQ
17
Greenwood-Greenville, Miss.
ABC
WABG
6
FOX
WABGD
10
NBC
WNBD
33
CBS
WXVT
15
Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho
NBC
KPVI
6
Medford-Klamath Falls, Oreg.
FOX
KMVU
26
MNT
KFBI
48
Spokane, Wash.
FOX
KAYU
28
Syracuse, N.Y.
FOX
WSYT
68
MNT
WNYS
43
Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick, Wash.
FOX
KCYU
41
Yuma, Ariz. – El Centro, Calif.
CBS
KSWT
13
NBC
KYMA
11
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— Phillip Swann