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The Programming Disputes Thread

I got pissed off when the cable co's add the broadcast fees on the bills.I thought the cable co's are doing the stations a favor in extending their coverage area.Why bite the cable co's and your viewers in the rear for more revenue instead of hiking advert rates at the stations.Meantime the stations loads up their schedule with hours of infomercials in daypart and pre prime 7pm timeslot.I dont want to pay extra for that crap......

As a radio board .This reminds me of the music industry raping radio industry for royalties fees as the station are doing them a favor in promoting their content on the air.Thats a complete other topic .
 
WPPCProductions said:
I got pissed off when the cable co's add the broadcast fees on the bills.I thought the cable co's are doing the stations a favor in extending their coverage area.Why bite the cable co's and your viewers in the rear for more revenue instead of hiking advert rates at the stations.Meantime the stations loads up their schedule with hours of infomercials in daypart and pre prime 7pm timeslot.I dont want to pay extra for that crap......
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There was a point in the development of cable channels where those services started thinking that they were providing a service that the local cable systems were profiting from. So they started adding fees based on the system size and subscribers.

Consumers got more channels, as the carriage fees made many cable networks viable whereas they could not survive on ad revenue along.

Eventually the local channels took the same approach, since ad revenue was not growing in local markets and more and more OTA TV stations were competing.

The reason you see infomercials on local TV is that those stations need to pick up the revenue they have lost due to local market fragmentation and the use of new media entertainment sources.

As a radio board .This reminds me of the music industry raping radio industry for royalties fees as the station are doing them a favor in promoting their content on the air.Thats a complete other topic .
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It is, but for the moment OTA broadcasters only pay artists and labels on digital streams, not on the broadcast revenue. The only rights fees stations pay are for composers and authors, but not artists and labels... and that has been the case for over 8 decades.
 
https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/aca-to-fcc-gray-retrans-stance-makes-mockery-of-good-faith

Update on the Gray retrans issue

In 2018, CBS lined up Raycom's (now Gray's) WLOX Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss., to air the CBS network programming on its digital subchannel since Biloxi lacked a CBS affiliate.

According to C Spire Fiber, WLOX is significantly viewed in Diamondhead, Miss., was deemed such by the FCC in response to a market modification petition, but that Gray, at CBS' insistence, won't negotiate for carriage of that CBS subchannel unless C Spire also carries WWL the designated in-market New Orleans CBS affiliate, which is owned by Tegna.


C Spire said that while Gray did discuss the situation, CBS essentially required it to condition the subchannel on WWL carriage pursuant to terms of its network affiliation agreement, which C Spire suggests is trumped by the good faith bargaining requirement.

A CBS source confirmed that there was language in the contract that allowed Gray to negotiate carriage of WLOX and the subchannel, but only if C Spire also carried WWL, which the source said was standard language in its affiliation contracts to protect the in-market station in retrans disputes.

"Gray, in other words, has essentially contracted away the station’s ability to negotiate (or have another negotiate on its behalf) in good faith as required by the Commission’s rules," said ACA Connnects. "This makes a mockery of the market-modification process that Congress promulgated to promote the availability of local, in-state news. And it violates the good-faith negotiation rules, which do not permit networks to preclude the negotiation of retransmission consent in their affiliates’ own markets—regardless of what other role networks may legitimately play in retransmission consent negotiations
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...impasse/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b5fb4ec5a91d

MASN is in a contract dispute with RCN

RCN on Monday stopped carrying the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which broadcasts Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles games, after the cable company and the regional sports network could not reach a carriage agreement. Effective Monday, RCN customers looking for MASN programming were greeted instead by a message that put the blame for the impasse on the network.

“We are unable to agree to the terms demanded by MASN,” a voice intoned over a graphic of a spinning, green dollar sign.

That will take MASN and its sister station, MASN2, off the channel lineup for the 14,991 homes served by RCN in the D.C. area, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That is the fewest homes of the pay TV providers in the Washington designated market area. MASN does not offer a streaming option for viewers.
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MarcB said:
Nexstar and DirecTV are in a dispute. WTNH Channel 8 ABC New Haven and WCTX Channel 59 My Network TV New Haven have been removed from DirecTV. I think the FCC shouldn't approve the proposed merger of Nexstar and Tribune until this dispute is resolved.
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http://www.cablefax.com/distribution/att-directv-subs-lose-nexstar-stations-in-retrans-spat

Many DirecTV and AT&T U-verse subs awoke Thursday to find that Nexstar stations were no longer available. The broadcaster claims the stations were “abruptly removed” by the distributor, which it says also rejected an extension at the last minute. AT&T said it had hoped to prevent a blackout and “even offered Nexstar more money to keep their stations available.”

There had been signs of trouble brewing between these two, with Nexstar suing DirecTV in May and alleging breach of contract. At issue is an “unlaunched station fee” that it says DirecTV agreed to pay for not being required to immediately launch Nexstar station WHAG (aka WDVM). The Hagerstown, MD, station lost its affiliation with NBC on July 1, 2016, with DirecTV arguing that the change in status means it no longer has to pay the fee.

As for the current dispute, it sounds like money is at the heart of it. “The Big Four broadcast network content aired by many of these stations has collectively lost about half its primetime audience over the past five years. Despite this viewership decline, Nexstar is now demanding the largest increase AT&T has ever seen proposed by any content provider,” AT&T said. “In addition, Nexstar wants much higher payments for stations and a low-rated cable network they don’t own, as well as carriage commitments and still more fees for channels that don’t even exist.”
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More details in the Dispute.
 
Good lord, how many is DirecTV in now? With Nexstar, dozens of stations have been pulled off, many in smaller markets too.
And Northwest vs. DirecTV keeps pushing onward with no end in sight - 5 months of nonsense, having to switch from satellite to antenna to watch the World Cup and such. Unacceptable.
 
MarcB said:
Nexstar and DirecTV are in a dispute. WTNH Channel 8 ABC New Haven and WCTX Channel 59 My Network TV New Haven have been removed from DirecTV. I think the FCC shouldn't approve the proposed merger of Nexstar and Tribune until this dispute is resolved.
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Not just in CT, but DirecTV susbscribers in a good chunk of New England and all TV markets in New York State outside of NYC have lost at least 1 local station:

-Providence, RI (WPRI, CBS)
-Hartford/New Haven, CT (WTNH, ABC and WCTX, MyTV)
-Springfield, MA (WWLP, NBC)
-Burlington, VT/Plattsburgh, NY (WFFF, FOX)
-Albany, NY (WTEN, ABC)
-Utica, NY (WFXV, FOX)
-Syracuse, NY (WSYR, ABC)
-Watertown, NY (WWTI, ABC)
-Binghamton, NY (WBGH, NBC and WIVT, ABC)
-Elmira, NY (WETM, NBC)
-Rochester, NY (WROC, CBS)
-Buffalo, NY (WIVB, CBS and WNLO, CW)

Syracuse DirecTV subscribers are still without FOX because of the Northwest dispute. The Fox affiliate there has been yanked from DirecTV, Spectrum, and Verizon Fios since 2017.
 
kramie13 said:
Not just in CT, but DirecTV susbscribers in a good chunk of New England and all TV markets in New York State outside of NYC have lost at least 1 local station:

-Providence, RI (WPRI, CBS)
-Hartford/New Haven, CT (WTNH, ABC and WCTX, MyTV)
-Springfield, MA (WWLP, NBC)
-Burlington, VT/Plattsburgh, NY (WFFF, FOX)
-Albany, NY (WTEN, ABC)
-Utica, NY (WFXV, FOX)
-Syracuse, NY (WSYR, ABC)
-Watertown, NY (WWTI, ABC)
-Binghamton, NY (WBGH, NBC and WIVT, ABC)
-Elmira, NY (WETM, NBC)
-Rochester, NY (WROC, CBS)
-Buffalo, NY (WIVB, CBS and WNLO, CW)

Syracuse DirecTV subscribers are still without FOX because of the Northwest dispute. The Fox affiliate there has been yanked from DirecTV, Spectrum, and Verizon Fios since 2017.
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The only other example I can think of a market being affected by two different disputes at the same time has to be Traverse City-Cadillac. At one point in 2015, all of its Big Four were off DISH Network (ABC and NBC are Sinclair while CBS and FOX are locally owned), leaving that market with only PBS (and it's a market where large portions of the market have no OTA signals)
 
https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/at-t-declines-deal-to-keep-local-channels-directv-u-verse

The DIsputes continue between AT&T and Nexstar.

AT&T is embroiled in a massive carriage dispute and broadcast channel blackout with Nexstar Media, which said that AT&T declined its offer for a carriage extension.

Last week, AT&T’s pay TV services including DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-verse, lost more than 120 stations available to consumers and viewers in 97 markets across the United States. The blackouts came after AT&T and Nexstar failed to reach a new retransmission consent agreement for the channels.

Nexstar said it offered an unconditional extension of the existing distribution agreement until August 2 but AT&T declined.
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Are we going to reach a point where there are more cable networks on DirecTV than local channels nationwide? There must be over 100 locals off DIRECTV...including MY LOCAL KFFX...almost six months now of this nonsense! Discount our bill $10!
 
crainbebo said:
Are we going to reach a point where there are more cable networks on DirecTV than local channels nationwide? There must be over 100 locals off DIRECTV...including MY LOCAL KFFX...almost six months now of this nonsense! Discount our bill $10!
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I wonder how much of a hit this will be in the ratings period for the networks involved. Of course summer doesn't really count but they still look at the numbers.
 
kramie13 said:
Not just in CT, but DirecTV susbscribers in a good chunk of New England and all TV markets in New York State outside of NYC have lost at least 1 local station:

-Providence, RI (WPRI, CBS)
-Hartford/New Haven, CT (WTNH, ABC and WCTX, MyTV)
-Springfield, MA (WWLP, NBC)
-Burlington, VT/Plattsburgh, NY (WFFF, FOX)
-Albany, NY (WTEN, ABC)
-Utica, NY (WFXV, FOX)
-Syracuse, NY (WSYR, ABC)
-Watertown, NY (WWTI, ABC)
-Binghamton, NY (WBGH, NBC and WIVT, ABC)
-Elmira, NY (WETM, NBC)
-Rochester, NY (WROC, CBS)
-Buffalo, NY (WIVB, CBS and WNLO, CW)

Syracuse DirecTV subscribers are still without FOX because of the Northwest dispute. The Fox affiliate






there has been yanked from DirecTV, Spectrum, and Verizon Fios since 2017.
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——————
You can add the St. Petersburg/Tampa/Sarasota market to that list Nexstar’s WFLA Channel 8 NBC) as well as Nexstar’s WTTA have been off Direct TV since last Friday. WFLA on several of their programs display prominent crawlers asking viewers to call Direct TV and AT&T and let them know they want WFLA back on, one every local newscast they have about 3-5 minutes of this ongoing dispute, rehashing the dispute and not once does WFLA in these editorial/infomercials do they advise Direct TV customers that they can watch WFLA OTA with something as simple as an indoor antenna in much of their viewing area. I would think that Nexstar’s corporate attorneys should be plead their side of the dispute without asking the viewers to get involved. (Other than watching OTA).
 
The Merideth owned stations are going to be dropped from DISH Network on Monday July 15th if a deal isn't reached.

In Hartford, CT it's WFSB Channel 3 CBS.

In Springfield, Mass....well it's ABC, FOX, and CBS. ABC is WGGB Channel 40.1 (ABC 40) (FOX 6) FOX is WGGB Channel 40.2 and CBS is WSHM-LD (CBS 3). Low-power stations and sub-channels don't count towards ownership caps, so that's how Merideth can own ABC, FOX, and CBS in the same market.
 


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