Feel like something's missing today? If you're a DISH Network subscriber, you may have found one or more local channels missing from your lineup this morning.
The satellite service provider is in the middle of a contract dispute with LIN Media, who owns and operates CBS, FOX, NBC, CW and MyNetwork affiliates in Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The current contract expired as of March 4, 2011, and LIN wants DISH to pay the "fair market value."
According to DISH Network, LIN is using "bullying tactics" to raise retransmission fees 175 percent. "LIN Media is simply being greedy, insisting on a rate increase so immense that DISH Network and its customers couldn't possibly absorb it," the company said in a release. "Their onerous demands and burdensome contract terms would result in payments of millions of dollars more each month, exceeding current market rates and demanding more money than we pay most of our popular national networks."
Of course, DISH isn't the only one making statements about the disagreement. "We only want what is fair for our local stations, so that we can continue providing the premium news, sports, entertainment, and other local programming that is most important to viewers," said Vincent L. Sadusky, LIN Media's president and CEO, in a statement. "We will continue negotiating with DISH so we may reach an agreement."
As of right now, 27 stations are dark in 17 different markets. Those include KRQE (CBS) and KASA (FOX) in Albuquerque, N.M., WWLP (NBC) in Springfield, Mass., WDTN (NBC) and WBDT (CW) in Dayton, Ohio, and WTNH (ABC) and WCTX (MyNetwork TV) in New Haven, Conn. Check LIN Media's website for a complete list of the channels and markets affected.
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