DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) has reached a broadcast retrans renewal agreement with Cordillera Communications, restoring 10 network affiliates to its service after a 10-day blackout.
The stations had been dark on the nation's No. 2 pay-TV service since Jan. 1.
The affected stations included NBC affiliates KOAA-TV (Colorado Springs, Colo.), WLEX-TV (Lexington, Ky.), KSBY-TV (Santa Barbara, Calif.), KVOA-TV (Tucson, Ariz.) and KRIS-TV (Corpus Christie, Texas).
Also impacted were CBS stations KRTV-TV (Great Falls, Mont.), KTVQ-TV (Billings, Mont.), KPAX-TV (Missoula, Mont.) and KBZK-TV (Butte, Mont.), along with ABC station KATC-TV (Lafayette, La.). With six of the stations residing in Montana, DirecTV and the Minnesota-based station group received public pressure from one of the state's Senators, Republican Steve Daines.
"These subscribers are missing local news, public affairs programing and emergency weather alerts that they have subscribed to and expect to receive," Daines wrote in an public letter. "I urge both parties to come to a resolution on negotiations in a timely manner for the sake of Montana viewers."
For more:
- read this Great Falls Tribune story
- read this Multichannel News story
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