Keeping You Connected
to Your Local Stations

Media General and Time Warner Cable In December 2012, Media General threatened to deny Time Warner Cable customers access to several of its 22 local stations, including many throughout the Carolinas, eastern seaboard and deep south. Media General withdrew their threat and settled shortly before their agreement expired.

Hoak Media/Parker Broadcasting and DIRECTV In December 2012, Hoak Media and Parker Broadcasting threatened to deny DIRECTV customers across North Dakota and western Minnesota access to their local stations. Hoak and Parker withdrew their threat and settled with DIRECTV just before the expiration of their station agreement. Only six months before, Hoak Media blacked out DISH Network customers in the same region for a week before returning to DISH homes.

Morgan Murphy Media and DIRECTV In December 2012, Morgan Murphy Media took the highly unusual step of threatening DIRECTV customers in Madison WI and Yakima-Pasco-Richland WA that they might lose access to their local stations, even though those station’s agreements with DIRECTV would not expire for an entire another year at the end of 2013. Morgan Murphy similarly threatened to deny DIRECTV customers in both Spokane, WA and Eau Claire – LaCrosse, WI access to their local stations but withdrew its threat and settled with DIRECTV just before the expiration of their station agreement.

Cedar Rapids Television and DISH Network In December 2012, Cedar Rapids Television denied DISH Network customers in Cedar Rapids, IA access to ABC affiliate KCRG unless DISH customers agree to pay six times as much money as ever before and that DISH also agree to provide MyNetwork programs that are already broadcast throughout the community. Cedar Rapids Television has yet to return KCRG and the ABC programs into DISH Network customers’ homes.

Schurz Communications and DISH Network In December 2012, Schurz Communications threatened to deny DISH Network customers in Anchorage, Alaska; Springfield, Mo.; Roanoke, Va,; South Bend, Ind.; Augusta, Ga.; and Wichita, Kan. access to its local television stations. Schurz withdrew the threat and allowed its stations to remain in DISH homes without any blackout.

AMC Networks and Verizon FiOS In November 2012, AMC Networks threatened to deny Verizon FiOS customers access to AMC, the Independent Film Channel, Sundance Channel and WE tv. The deadline for AMC’s discussions with Verizon is not until December 31 and marks the third time in 2012 that AMC has either threatened or actually removed its channels from cable or satellite customers’ line-ups. AMC dropped the threat in mid-December and entered into a new partnership with Verizon FiOS well before disconnecting any FiOS customers.

LIN TV Threatens to Deny Charter Communications Customers In November 2012, LIN TV threatened to deny Charter Communications customers in Alabama, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oregon and New England access to its local stations serving several major communities across those states. LIN TV said it would stop transmitting to customers in Birmingham, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Providence and New Haven, among other cities, but entered into an eleventh-hour agreement with Charter to end the threat.

Capitol Broadcasting and DIRECTV In December and November 2012, Capitol Broadcasting Co took the unusual step of alerting all viewers that they could lose programming even though their station agreement with DIRECTV would not expire for another six weeks. Capitol threatened to deny DIRECTV customers in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, NC access to their stations but withdrew their threat and settled with DIRECTV an hour before their agreement expired.

Northwest Broadcasting and DISH Network In November 2012, Northwest Broadcasting denied DISH Network customers access to its four FOX stations serving Spokane and Yakima, WA, Medford, OR and Binghamton, NY. Northwest did the exact same thing to DIRECTV customers three times before, leading to two extended blackouts that finally ended in October 2012. Northwest finally returned its stations to DISH Network customers in January 2013 after a seven-week blackout that Northwest lifted just before the January 13 FOX telecast of the NFC Divisional Playoffs between the locally popular Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons.