DIRECTV Tonight Could Lose 3 CBS, 2 ABC Stations In Carriage Dispute

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Buy Me a Coffee!

DIRECTV could lose five local stations tonight in a carriage dispute with their owner, Morgan Murphy Media. The blackout, if it occurs, would affect DIRECTV streaming and satellite as well as U-verse.

Update: DIRECTV has lost the five stations.

The stations affected are: KXLY-ABC (Spokane, WA); WISC-CBS/MNT (Madison, WI); APP-ABC (Yakima-Pasco-Richland, WA); WKBT-CBS (La Crosse-Eau Claire, WI); KOAM-CBS (Joplin-Pittsburg, KS).

The stations this afternoon issued a viewer alert saying that DIRECTV could lose their signals at midnight unless a new agreement is reached.

“The (station) carriage agreement with DIRECTV/U-Verse expires at 11 p.m. tonight (central time), Friday, March 6. While we wish to avoid a disruption in your DIRECTV/U-Verse service, without an agreement or extension, DIRECTV/U-Verse could choose to remove our programming from its lineup. We don’t want to leave you in the dark. Call DIRECTV/U-Verse now and tell them you want to keep WISC-TV at 1-866-852-1310. You can always reach us for free with an over-the-air antenna and we encourage you to do so. However, we cannot allow DIRECTV/U-Verse to resell our programming without a fair agreement. We have agreements with all other cable and satellite providers in our area and we have offered DIRECTV/U-Verse terms competitive with the current marketplace.”

A DIRECTV spokesman issued a statement to The TV Answer Man saying that Morgan Murphy is seeking “a major rate increase” but it is seeking a renewal before the deadline.

“We’re working with Morgan Murphy to renew its local stations, yet Morgan Murphy is once again seeking a major rate increase to allow our customers to access the same programs that those stations or their national broadcast networks already make available for free over the air and often online. We want our customers to receive the best value for their money and appreciate their patience while we work with Morgan Murphy to finalize this renewal.”

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