Dispatch Broadcast Group has threatened to pull two of its network affiliates of Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis if a renewal to broadcast retransmission licensing terms can't be agreed upon.
As first reported by TV Predictions, WTHR-TV, an NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, and WBNS-TV, a CBS affiliate in Columbus, have posted alerts on their websites, threatening to go dark on Dish if a deal can't be worked out by June 15 at 2 p.m. EST.
"We will continue to work toward an agreement with Dish and hope to resolve this situation as soon as possible," the warning states. "But we wanted to make you aware that Dish subscribers may not have access to our programming beginning at 2 p.m. on Monday.
"Our programming will continue to be available on a free over-the-air basis through a television antenna, as well as through AT&T U-verse, Bright House, DirecTV, Comcast/Xfinity, where available, and most other cable systems in and around the Indianapolis metro area," the Dispatch message adds.
Responding on its DishStandsForYou.com communications platform, Dish says that it's in negotiations with Dispatch "and we do not understand why they have chosen to involve our customers at this time. There is still time to reach a resolution that mutually benefits both parties, and we are working around the clock to do so."
News of the potential Dish blackout comes as a carriage impasse between Mediacom and Granite Broadcasting has kept NBC affiliates in Duluth, Minn., Fort Wayne, Ind., and Peoria, Ill., off the cable provider since June 1.
A Mediacom rep told FierceCable that there have been several discussions between the cable operator and Granite since that time, but those talks have not generated any progress.
For more:
- read this TV Predictions story
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