Sunday night, Tribune Media Co.’s 42 TV stations and WGN America were blacked out for Dish subscribers. The satellite operator says this involves 33 markets across 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Dish is offering free over-the-air antennas to customers in affected markets while it works on an agreement.
“Tribune is demanding an unreasonable rate increase for channels that are available for free over the air,” Warren Schlichting, Dish EVP of programming, charges in a statement. “Actions like Tribune’s are what drive price increases and feed customer frustration for our industry.”
Beyond price increases for local channels, also at issue is what Dish says is attempted forced bundling by Tribune of an “unrelated and low-performing cable channel, WGN America, with the media conglomerate’s local broadcast stations.”
Tribune released a statement before the blackout warning Dish subscribers of the potential programming interruptions.
“We’ve offered the same fair market rates that Dish already pays other local station groups with ABC, CBS, NBC and CW affiliates with top-rated local news, and other similarly valued cable networks,” Gary Weitman, Tribune Media’s SVP for corporate relations, says. “At the same time, we’re willing to accept the same rates for our local stations and WGN America that others are currently paying us. Dish has refused our offer.”
