Dish Network Could Lose 180 Local Stations Tomorrow Due to Fee Fight

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

Dish Network subscribers could lose more than 180 local channels tomorrow night due to a carriage dispute with their owner, Gray Media.

Update: Dish lost the stations on Tuesday night when a new agreement was not reached. Click to see our article for more details.

The stations have posted viewer alerts saying Dish could lose their signals on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. ET.

“Unless a renewal agreement is reached, Dish will pull (the local stations) from its lineup Tuesday evening,” the stations say at their web sites. “This means Dish customers will no longer have access to network programs and (local news). If you’re a Dish customer, you can help make sure the shows and news you love remain in their lineup by contacting them at 800-333-3474. DISH has often disrupted access to local television stations in recent years, but viewers have options through other services.”

While the stations say Dish will ‘pull’ the channels, the satcaster could not legally carry them without a carriage agreement.

The TV Answer Man has asked Dish for a comment and will update this article if we get a response.

Gray Media has local channels in 113 markets including Louisville, St. Louis, Memphis and Nashville. The vast majority of its stations are based in small or mid-sized markets.

To see a list of Gray Media’s local channels which could be removed from Dish, click here.

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