WTAE and WPXI both off Dish Network
September 9, 2023We hear about these situations several times throughout the year. A local TV station being removed from a cable/satellite lineup due to negotiations surrounding the cost of transmission. This is usually a dispute between the cable provider and the parent company of TV stations.
Cable and satellite providers not only collect fees from customers, but companies who wish for their channels to be carried by the providers. That means if such a dispute arose with a company such as Paramount who owns local stations KDKA-TV and WPKD-TV under the CBS umbrella, but also MTV, Nickelodeon and others, all of those stations could be blocked if an agreement isn’t made before the contract expires.
We know that WPXI’s parent company, Cox Media Group, and Dish Network have been in a feud since late 2022 over the transmission costs for its stations in what is perhaps the longest situation of its kind.
On Friday, WTAE’s parent company, Hearst Television, had all of it’s stations dropped from Dish in a similar dispute. Now word on how long this will last, but PBRTV has received word that negotiations will continue. The most recent agreement expired July 31, but was extended twice until 2:00 p.m. September 8.
Local stations still broadcast over the air and can be received with a well-positioned antenna.
Local broadcasters rely on “cable” providers to deliver their local programming. “Cable” providers rely on local broadcasters for local programming. Yet they fight each other only do destroy what’s left in broadcasting. Anyone under 30 does not use any of this. They don’t even understand what call letters or channel numbers are for. It will be over soon.
A relative of mine has Dish Network. They offered to come out to his house and install an OTA antenna for free. Increasingly this appears to be how these providers will deal with local rights expiring, at least in areas with good OTA signal coverage. There will be long-term impacts on station revenues.
I have a brother that lives slightly north of Greensburg in what he calls ” A Plan “… He has been a loyal Dish Network customer for over 30 years. My brother tried to hide a old Radio Shack UV 190 antenna in his attic, because his neighbors would not understand him owning a outdoor antenna, even though he came from a impoverished home life, and that home life caused him to better himself with an education in electronics and electricity and he makes a damn good living.
At some point, this snobbish attitude about outdoor antennas has to end. There is no reason to PAY $30 a month to receive what you can get for free with a $100 antenna and a $50 antenna rotor and some sweat equity. I guess if it comes down to missing a Penn State football game or a Pittsburgh Squealers Football game, his wife might allow him to upgrade his antenna situation. But until then, people will continue to pay for what they could get for free, just because they don’t want some ugly antenna on the side of their house.
So you’re saying the neighbors are okay with a satellite dish but not the antenna? That makes absolutely no sense!
In the interest of fairness, nobody knew I had DirecTV when I had it some years back. The dish was installed on the backside of my chimney… but that was mainly because it was the best location for it… still though, I didn’t think much of the technology.