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The Programming Disputes Thread

landtuna said:


I don't know anything about the Nazi symbols on Yom Kippur but years ago, when I had cable TV, I always thought WGN was very inappropriate for a nationwide TV service. They showed almost nothing but old reruns and their news programs (I'm stifling a major smirk here) consisted almost solely of local-to-Chicago news. Compared with their superstation competition in ATL WGN was a waste of a channel to those of us living outside Chicagoland.
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WGN when it was a superstation had appeal to Chicago expats, who still complain on the WGN America Facebook wall about removing the Cubs and 9PM news, but used car dealers in Calumet City won't pay more to reach old snowbirds in Tampa
 
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WGN lost me when they dropped Out of Sight Retro Nights (and also Corner Gas), but then it may have played a factor in the start of Me TV and Antenna TV as subchannels, since both are based out of Chicago and Tribune owns Antenna.
 
WGN when it was a superstation had appeal to Chicago expats, who still complain on the WGN America Facebook wall about removing the Cubs and 9PM news, but used car dealers in Calumet City won't pay more to reach old snowbirds in Tampa
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WGN American aired other Chicago teams besides the Cubs. There are White Sox and Bulls fans across the country who can no longer watch their favorite teams as well after WGN America discontinued all sports.

Commercials for local Chicago businesses air on the local version of WGN-TV, but not so much on the national WGN America.
 
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DirecTV, Media General Reach Agreement After Marathon Negotiations

DirecTV and Media General have reached a deal after marathon negotiations to avert a blackout of 62 TV stations in more than 40 markets.

Details of the agreement were not disclosed but Media General confirmed the pact with a message posted on its station’s websites this morning. The sides were in negotiations Wednesday until well past midnight ET.

“This fair resolution ensures that we can continue to provide top quality news, sports, entertainment, and other local programming that is most important to you,” the Media General post said.

The wrangling between DirecTV and the Richmond, Va.-based station giant was one of three closely watched contract deadlines that were originally set for Wednesday. Tribune Media and AT&T’s U-verse this morning set a 24-hour extension of a contract that was to have expired at midnight ET Wednesday covering 24 stations and WGN America.

Earlier on Wednesday, Tegna stations and Dish Network gave themselves a 24-hour breather while wrestling over a new deal covering 46 stations. That extension is up at 7 p.m. ET tonight.
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http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/directv-media-general-contract-negotiations-tv-stations-1201607224/
 
I haven't seen the results yet but there was still a crawl during "Jeopardy" saying Dish could drop the station later that night. I don't even know whether this is one of the disputes already mentioned here.
 
Viacom Inks New Deal With AT&T, DirecTV :)

Viacom has signed a new long-term deal with the AT&T U-Verse and DirecTV distribution platforms.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but in an unusual statement, AT&T noted that given its status as the largest pay TV provider in the world, “this agreement entitles AT&T’s satellite and IPTV platforms to the best deal in the industry for Viacom’s leading portfolio of television brands.”

The statement confirms concerns that consolidation on the distribution side of the business will make it tougher for programmers and does little to dispel thinking that without sports, Viacom has less leverage than other programmers in being able to get sub fee increases as distribution deals expire.
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http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/viacom-inks-new-deal-att-u-verse-directv/394287
 
WCAX in Burlington, VT just renewed their affiliation with CBS, but I heard the negotiation was very tense. Apparently the network wanted (and got) an absurd amount of money. My understanding is CBS has in fact dropped some small market affiliates that didn't cough up the cash.
 
davect said:
WCAX in Burlington, VT just renewed their affiliation with CBS, but I heard the negotiation was very tense. Apparently the network wanted (and got) an absurd amount of money. My understanding is CBS has in fact dropped some small market affiliates that didn't cough up the cash.
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Where would CBS had gone had WCAX not reupped?
 
davect said:
WCAX in Burlington, VT just renewed their affiliation with CBS, but I heard the negotiation was very tense. Apparently the network wanted (and got) an absurd amount of money. My understanding is CBS has in fact dropped some small market affiliates that didn't cough up the cash.
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I don't know about small market affiliates, but they did axe one big-market station over money about a year ago (effective 1/1/15): LIN's (now Media General) WISH-TV Indianapolis, who had been with them since 1956. CBS moved to Tribune's dual-rimshot WTTV/WTTK, licensed to Bloomington and Kokomo, respectively. WISH is now the CW affiliate. LIN ponied up the dough for their other Indiana CBS affiliates soon thereafter.
 
KeithE4 said:
I don't know about small market affiliates, but they did axe one big-market station over money about a year ago (effective 1/1/15): LIN's (now Media General) WISH-TV Indianapolis, who had been with them since 1956. CBS moved to Tribune's dual-rimshot WTTV/WTTK, licensed to Bloomington and Kokomo, respectively. WISH is now the CW affiliate. LIN ponied up the dough for their other Indiana CBS affiliates soon thereafter.
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Also, let's not forget WJXT Jacksonville, who dumped CBS in 2002 and is now a successful independent. BTW, WTTK's transmitter is in northern Indianapolis on sister station WXIN's tower, so I wouldn't call it a rimshot.
 
davect said:
Possibly WVNY (ABC) or WFFF (Fox), but I'm guessing they'd have an even more difficult time paying CBS. NBC affiliate WPTZ is owned by Hearst which is partly owned by NBC so I wouldn't imagine any change there.
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NBC/Comcast doesn't own any part of Hearst. BTW, Hearst has a dual-network setup in Monterey CA, with NBC on KSBW 8.1 and ABC on 8.2. They would put CBS on WPTZ 5.2 and move The CW to 5.3.
 
AT&T U-verse, Tribune Get Retrans Deal Done ;)

AT&T's U-verse TV and Tribune Broadcasting have resolved their retransmission-consent impasse with a new deal that includes carriage of cable network WGN America both on U-verse and the recently acquired DirecTV.

“AT&T and Tribune Media have reached a multiyear agreement covering Tribune Media’s television stations and broad distribution of its cable network, WGN America, to AT&T U-verse and DirecTV subscribers,” the two sides planned to say in a statement being released Monday.
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http://www.multichannel.com/u-verse-tribune-retrans-deal-done/394845
 
I just read in an actual newspaper yesterday that WFMY Greensboro NC had a dispute with Dish and was trying to keep Dish from airing another CBS affiliate.
 
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