Looks like some DIRECTV customers in a few markets are going to need to dig out some old OTA antennas out of the closet: The MVPD provider is still in a dispute with Northwest Broadcasting after two weeks, and it is unclear how soon the two sides might reach a deal. Each has made statements that don’t indicate a solution is on the way.
Currently, four FOX affiliates are not available to DIRECTV customers: KAYU Spokane, WA; KFFX Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick, WA; WICZ Binghamton, NY and KMVU in Medford-Klamath Falls, OR.
Also, two MyNetworkTV affiliates are unavailable to DIRECTV customers: KXNM Fort Smith, AR; and WGNT Norfolk-Newport News, VA.
“Northwest has taken down these channels (for the second time in 20 months) to try and extort a 300% increase in fees which we refuse to accept as we must keep our customers’ monthly bills as low as possible,” DIRECTV said on its website, directvpromise.com. “We’ve always been willing to compensate Northwest fairly, but it’s wrong for them to expect DIRECTV customers to pay more for these channels than their neighbor across the street.”
Said Northwest Broadcasting CEO Brian Brady in an online statement: “We had reached an agreement on the money, compromising on what we had initially sought in order to keep our DIRECTV partnership and minimize disruption for our viewers. It was still less than what DIRECTV pays others, but we believed it was fair. During several weeks of intense negotiations, DIRECTV offered to more than triple what it pays us, reflecting FOX 40’s value. We were prepared to say ‘yes.’ However, DIRECTV’s offer came with other conditions that were so restrictive and unusual, we might have never seen the money. It was at this point that we lost trust in DIRECTV and severed our business ties.”
Northwest has ceased all negotiations with DIRECTV and is “moving forward to serve our viewers as best we can.”
“After 19 months, we reached a financial agreement a week ago,” Jon Rand, Northwest COO told The Mail Tribune. “We came to terms with what they would pay us. But then they added terms and conditions that we think they probably knew we couldn’t agree with and it blew the whole thing up.”
DIRECTV, however, said an agreement is on its way: “Northwest took the stations away to begin January 2011 and then returned them four weeks later just before the Super Bowl. The new FOX primetime lineup won’t premiere until mid-September, and we would anticipate this interruption being over before then.”
I am so tired of you big companies trying to stick it to the little guy. This is the same thing we went through last January. You ask for more money and then DirectTV has to ask for a highter rate. Well you know what…. I can live without your programming!!! I am disgusted with big companies like you.
I think I’ve just about had with the local fox station and am going to go about this in a different way! I wonder if fox knows just how much anger it has caused? To the point that if it comes back on I will block it and go to my daughters to watch the Seahawks on Sunday on comcast! Is there really that much difference that what Direct TV is paying you and what Dish is paying?
This story needs an update because the dispute still rages on. FOX’s primetime fall shows are already on air and many of us cannot see them or Football on Sundays as well as the upcoming Baseball postseason.
I really don’t care who’s fault it is. We customers, who are still paying, need this resolved.
Extortion is illegal isn’t it? This is basically extortion on the part of NW broadcasting. Maybe the attorney general of washington should look into this, might even be a borderline RICO case.
Pls do what you can with Directv to insure that we can watch the World Series.
All you gotta do is take a look at this http://www.facebook.com/SandpointSatelliteTV?ref=hl
Your answer is in the video. It is a bit a clunky work around but basically costs you 15 bucks and an am radio for audio from ESPN AM
OK, after being held hostage by NW Broadcasting through DirecTV for years, and now through DISH, I am ready for a fight…after all, we are being exploited!
I suggest everyone contact this company directly and complain. I have mail and phone info here:
Northwest Broadcasting Inc
4600 S Regal Street
Spokane, WA 99223-7960
509 448-2828
If not us, then who?
I totally agree with you… I will be looking for information on those that buy advertising on Fox and letting them know about this I think that if all of the dish and direct subscribers would let their voice be known to the advertisers That pay the big bucks to get their messages out to us the people that will be buying their goods and services then may Northwest Brodcasting would get the picture or GO BROKE… and then maybe a responsible company would pick it up. This is B.S. to the max
Got some inside info, American Idol and X-Factor are broadcast on Fox, people watch and vote for who they want to stay, NW Broadcasting is getting their pockets filled to pull off of Direct TV and Dish so certain demographics cant see the shows, therefore probably not vote, this way the voting is swayed towards the contestants the networks have decided should win will win. Its happening all over the US, Sounds rediculious, but you might be surprised what kind of SHADY things happen just to help the outcome of contests.
How much longer are we DISH customers going to be held hostage by these big companies? Our DISH rates creep upward and still we have to put up with this kind of situation. NW Broadcasting & DISH need to get their heads together and get this thing resolved. It’s all about money and guess who’s paying? There are other satellite providers out there. Maybe we should start looking at those.
This is not a dish thing… If you live in Spokane you can receive it via rabbit ears also true in most of the other NW cities. This is ALL NW Broadcasting. I SAY BOYCOTT all of the Advertisers on fox 28 and let them know why.
This is ridiculous! The Seahawks are on, we got promised the sports package for free but does not include the game. Are you sending us season tickets for our family of 7 to next years games for compensation instead? Our preference is to watch from the comfort of my home and not drive the 200 miles to Centurylink field. Better yet, maybe we will just switch to another TV service that cares about customers. Tired of this every couple of years not being able to watch what I am paying for.
I am tired of nw broadcasting and the satelite companies using us the customer as pawns in their game. First direct was cut off of fox last year so I switched to dish and then 3 weeks before X-Factor was done they cut off dish network fox programming. I think if the customers filed a class action lawsuit against these companies something would be done to preserve the customers tv programming and prevent them from being the pawn in this corporate game.
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