A consumer advocacy group is blasting Fox Syracuse's owner over its "blackout" of TV stations on Verizon FiOS.
The American Television Alliance (ATVA), which describes itself as a "voice for the pay TV customer," condemned Bristlecone Broadcasting and its parent company Northwest Broadcasting. Verizon FiOS says Bristlecone demanded a 93 percent increase in fees to continue carrying WSYT Fox 68 (channels 8 SD and 508 HD on FiOS); WNYS My43 (MyNet channels 7 SD and 507 HD); WSYT ZUUS Country channel 465 SD, a nationwide network that broadcasts country music videos; or WNYS GetTV channel 480 SD.
The stations were pulled Jan. 1 after an agreement between the two companies expired on Dec. 31.
Brian Brady, president and CEO of Bristlecone, told syracuse.com that Verizon FiOS is lying to its customers, claiming the cable provider "walked away from the table" without making a counter offer. Brady added that no signals were pulled; Verizon stopped transmitting Fox and MyNet when the contract expired because it would've been a copyright violation, he said.
A representative for Verizon FiOS told syracuse.com that Bristlecone's statement is a "fabrication." "They emailed us at 9pm on 12/31 saying they were done negotiating and that we had to pull the signal," the rep said, calling the fee increase "obviously completely unreasonable."
The companies have not said if negotiations have yet resumed.
The ATVA blamed Bristlecone for the contract dispute
"The American Television Alliance demands that Bristlecone Broadcasting immediately end its TV blackout of Fios and Cable One customers. Rather than watching local news, sports and weather, consumers are seeing a black screen. According to news reports, Bristlecone is asking Fios for 93 percent more than they are currently paying for programming that is free over the air," national spokesman Trent Duffy said in a press release.
"Even though the New Year is only five days old, Bristlecone's station takedown is already the 49th TV blackout to hit consumers in 2017. It is yet another example of why Congress and the FCC must take action to protect consumers and the TV-viewing public."
Bristlecone denied demanding a 93 percent increase in fees in an email sent to syracuse.com, but did not elaborate.
The ATVA, whose partners include Verizon and other cable providers, said Bristlecone similarly "blacked out" Fox Syracuse on Verizon FiOS for nearly a week in early 2015. Its parent company Northwest Company, also owned by Brady, is blacking out ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations in two Mississippi communities, and its Fox and NBC affiliates in Idaho Falls and Lewiston, Idaho.
Fox Syracuse, which operates My Network locally, was sold to Bristlecone in 2013 after its previous owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, finalized a $370 million acquisition of 18 TV stations, including NBC 3 (WSTM-TV) and CW 6 (WSTQ).
Fox programming includes popular shows such as "Empire," "Gotham," "The Simpsons," "Scream Queens" and "Bones," which returns for its final season Tuesday. FiOS subscribers in Central New York were also unable to watch NFL games Sunday without an over-the-air antenna or other broadcast options.
"I don't want people to not be able to see football games on Verizon - that's a decision Verizon made," Brady said. "Anybody that wants to watch my stations in Syracuse can go to the store and buy an antenna."
Verizon FiOS released a new statement on Tuesday:
"We remain committed to negotiating in good faith, and on behalf of our customers, their viewers, we call on Bristlecone to return the programming while we negotiate. Bristlecone is demanding significantly more in fees, with no regard to how these arbitrary increases may impact our shared customers. Our overall content costs have risen substantially over the years and we do our best to give customers the best TV service while keeping prices as low as possible. They need to step up and do what's in their viewers' best interest without any further customer interruption."
Brady told syracuse.com on Friday that "if they really mean that, then they would actually be negotiating."
In an email to subscribers, Verizon FiOS encouraged customers to contact Bristlecone at 315-472-6800 and
[email protected] to request the return of their channels. Bristlecone says Fox fans should contact Verizon customer service.
