Dish Network dropping local ABC station due to contract disagreement

[mb]

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DISH Network Allows WRIC TV-8 Contract To Expire

Updated: Dec 10, 2008 01:12 PM

Dear DISH Subscriber:

DISH's contract with WRIC-TV8 expires on December 10, 2008. WRIC-TV offered a short extension of the contract to allow more time to reach a new agreement with DISH. The extension was not accepted by DISH. For the past several months our company has attempted to reach a new agreement with DISH. Unfortunately DISH has elected not to accept our proposal.

We know that it is important to keep you informed, and therefore, we want you to know the FACTS:

* DISH charges you a fee for WRIC-TV8. We believe DISH should be willing to pay a small, but fair, portion of the fees you pay to DISH for the program content we provide to you.

* The fair compensation that we are asking for as part of our contract with DISH is about a penny per day per subscriber. We believe that a penny per day per subscriber is a reasonable demand for our award winning news, sports and entertainment programming. It is considerably less than the amount paid by DISH to less popular satellite/cable networks.

* DISH will likely contend that the increase we are asking in its fee is unreasonable. It is not. We have provided DISH with our signal at a very modest rate compared to what DISH pays other program services that are less popular.

* We are trying to prevent DISH from discriminating against our station.

* If you want DISH to continue to provide WRIC-TV8, please call DISH and let them know.

* We will continue to work diligently in the hope that DISH will complete an agreement for carriage of WRIC-TV8.

We regret the inconvenience that DISH may cause you.

Our programs include your favorite local news, weather, sports and entertainment programs including Good Morning Richmond, 8 NEWS, Good Morning America, Oprah, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Dancing with the Stars, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, . You may continue to watch the great programs on WRIC-TV8 by alternative means. Your choices include:

* Free over-the-air reception directly from the station
* DIRECTV
* The local cable system
* In some cases, the local telephone company.

We will keep you fully informed of the status.

Copyright 2008 by Young Broadcasting, Inc.

This is ridiculous. Although the only shows I watch on ABC are Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, I'm still pretty pissed about this, especially since I cannot receive the local ABC station OTA.

Dish is really being a bitch about it too. I called to complain and they said the charges were unreasonable and that they didn't want to have to pass them on to customers. Erm - why pass them on anyway? Just soak it up. I'm already paying $5.99/mo for FOUR local stations in HD. I seriously doubt there are enough people in my local area that actually have Dish *and* subscribe to local stations for this to have much of an effect on their profits.

 

[BornStar]

Aren't Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on NBC?

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: BornStar
Aren't Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on NBC?

And Oprah?

Used to always be on when I got home from school... I don't watch it I swear

edit: and actually the two you mentioned I think are on ABC

 

[acheron]

Wheel and Jeopardy are syndicated, so it varies which local station shows them from market to market.

 

[meltdown75]

tell dish to pound salt and you have no choice but to buy a free-to-air receiver and get their whole damn package for $0, including every damn local channel they carry.

 

[MotF Bane]

There's two sides to every story.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

this scenario has played out in several places around the country. ASFAIK in each one, one side has caved in before too long.

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
tell dish to pound salt and you have no choice but to buy a free-to-air receiver and get their whole damn package for $0, including every damn local channel they carry.

I bought a nice big OTA antenna a year ago. I get NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS and CW at 80-95% signal strength, but ABC comes in at around 10-20 and is unwatchable

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
There's two sides to every story.

As in 1,000,000 people in Richmond metro area (obviously not all are subscribers so these numbers are only for fun)

1,000,000 * .01 = 10,000.

10,000 * 365 = $3.6 Million a year.

But it's only a penny a day!

 

[torpid]

More details are needed before I am willing to blame Dish for this. It sounds like the station is asking for 30c more per subscriber in addition to what dish is already paying them for locals. I don't think that's reasonable at all. I doubt they were getting ABC for free before; but maybe I'm wrong. If every local increased their rates 30c per subscriber, it would mean at least $1.20 and probably $1.50+ in additional cost. Assuming that they are breaking even on locals at $5/month that's a 30% increase. More likely they are paying less than that and charging you $5/month, so this is likely an even bigger cut.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
There's two sides to every story.

As in 1,000,000 people in Richmond metro area (obviously not all are subscribers so these numbers are only for fun)

1,000,000 * .01 = 10,000.

10,000 * 365 = $3.6 Million a year.

But it's only a penny a day!

So really it is $0.30 per bill. IIRC ESPN costs something like $1.50 and is the most expensive channel, I think the other basic cable channels are around what ABC is asking for. Considering they are a broadcast network I think that may be over the top.

 

[nakedfrog]

So WRIC wants money from Dish for something they're broadcasting for free to everyone in their metro area?

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: meltdown75
tell dish to pound salt and you have no choice but to buy a free-to-air receiver and get their whole damn package for $0, including every damn local channel they carry.

I bought a nice big OTA antenna a year ago. I get NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS and CW at 80-95% signal strength, but ABC comes in at around 10-20 and is unwatchable

see, they leave you NO CHOICE but to go YAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[Crusty]

Time Warner did this all over the place a few months ago, eventually they will come back on the air. It's all about who budges first in the contract negotiations.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
this scenario has played out in several places around the country. ASFAIK in each one, one side has caved in before too long.

Been much too long here
I'm tired of repositioning my antenna to get it juuuuust right to barely drop out at all during a show.

Er, I'm talking about locals in HD, of course, I already get locals.

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
There's two sides to every story.

As in 1,000,000 people in Richmond metro area (obviously not all are subscribers so these numbers are only for fun)

1,000,000 * .01 = 10,000.

10,000 * 365 = $3.6 Million a year.

But it's only a penny a day!

The area covered by the Grade B contour of WRIC-TV consists of 1,285,329 people and 521,080 households

-fcc.gov

521,080 households can receive the station.

Appx 30% of US households subscribe to satellite. -google

156,324 households in central VA

Directv has a larger market share, but I'm unsure of the percentages. Lets say 60/40

62,530 households in central VA with Dish

Lets say 75% subscribe to local stations.

46,897 households * .01 * 365 = $171,174/yr.

Shit, gotta get back to work - lunch break is over!

 

[mxyzptlk]

You should all be using 365.24 in your calculations! Think of the leap years!

 

[meltdown75]

i <3 my viewsat ultra

 

[mxyzptlk]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
i <3 my viewsat ultra

I ? the internet for all my TV shows.

 

[Fritzo]

This happened with a local cable company and FOX. They went without the station for 2 months, and people fled the service to DISH and DirectTV. It happens.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: meltdown75
tell dish to pound salt and you have no choice but to buy a free-to-air receiver and get their whole damn package for $0, including every damn local channel they carry.

I bought a nice big OTA antenna a year ago. I get NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS and CW at 80-95% signal strength, but ABC comes in at around 10-20 and is unwatchable

He meant an FTA satellite. A friend of mine gets all the NYC/LA locals on his crazy set up, I don't get it.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: mxyzptlk

Originally posted by: meltdown75
i <3 my viewsat ultra

I ? the internet for all my TV shows.

i can't hear you, you've sailed off too far on the horizon on the failboat

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
i <3 my viewsat ultra

sonicview 360 ftw.... no matter how you slice it, we're still losing one channel from richmond.

 

[Leros]

We lost NBC on Time Warner Cable for a few months over a similar dispute. It came back though. A $15 antenna got me OTA HD NBC in the meantime.

 

[mb]

Well I guess that really didn't take long.

STATUS UPDATE - Sunday, December 14th 2008 AT 4:30 PM

WRIC TV8 and DISH have reached an agreement! DISH will be reinstating WRIC TV8's programming this evening. Thank you for your patience and understanding.