By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I am happy to see the news of a deal between DIRECTV and Nexstar but we have been without our Fox station in Providence for months! Will this new deal bring our station back? — Ernie, Providence.
Ernie, DIRECTV and Nexstar early this morning issued a statement saying they have signed a temporary carriage deal to return the Nexstar-owned 159 local stations, and NewsNation, to the lineup of DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream and U-verse. The companies still need to iron out the details for a multi-year agreement, but it looks like that will happen sooner than later. But what about the 30 local stations managed by Nexstar and owned by Mission Broadcasting and White Knight. DIRECTV subscribers have been without those stations since last October. (The Mission stations are in 26 markets including New York. Providence, Rhode Island, Little Rock, Albuquerque, Abilene, Texas, Albany, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania, among others. You can see a complete list here.)

The TV Answer Man has asked DIRECTV whether the temporary pact will include the Nexstar-managed stations as well. The satcaster has alleged that Nexstar has been behind those carriage disputes in addition to the fee fight over the Nexstar-owned stations. But as of 10:30 a.m. ET today, we have not received a DIRECTV response on the status of the Mission/White Knight stations.

Several readers have told us that the Nexstar-managed stations remain blacked out while viewers of the Nexstar-owned stations say they are back on in many markets. That could suggest that, for now, the Mission and White Knight disputes are being negotiated separately and that the new temporary deal does not include them. The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if anything significant changes. Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman