Update: KSBY service returned to Dish Network
Update posted Jan. 11
Service restored after three-day blackout
–Cordillera Communications has announced that its stations, including local news station KSBY-NBC have been returned to Dish Network as Sunday afternoon following a three day blackout. The contract impasse followed months of negotiations over carriage terms, including the fees the satellite company must pay Cordillera to retransmit its signals.
“We are pleased to have reached a multi-year agreement with Dish for carriage of our stations,” said Terrance Hurley, President of Cordillera Communications. “We want to thank our loyal viewers for their patience as we worked hard to negotiate with Dish to restore essential local coverage. At its core, disputes such as this are about protecting the future of local broadcasting in the communities we serve, a cause to which Cordillera remains fundamentally committed.”
Original story posted Jan. 6
Communications company having problems negotiating with Dish Network
–Cordillera Communications, owner of network-affiliated TV stations in mid-to-small markets across the country, is warning viewers who watch its stations through Dish Network of a potential disruption in service. Cordillera has been in negotiations with Dish Network for months over the fee the satellite company must pay Cordillera to retransmit its signals.
Cordillera operates KSBY-NBC in the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo market area. The current agreement is set to expire at 10 a.m. on Jan. 7.
“Cordillera is committed to working 24/7 to continue negotiations with Dish Network, but we have significant doubt that a new agreement can be reached before the deadline,” said President of Cordillera Communications Terrance Hurley.
“Unfortunately, Dish Network has refused to reach a fair, market-based agreement with Cordillera even as we offer terms similar to those of existing agreements with every other cable and satellite provider,” Hurley said. “Dish may not recognize the value of our market-leading TV stations, but its subscribers do. Viewers depend on our local news coverage, demand our highly-popular network and syndicated programming, and support these local stations that in turn support their local communities.’
‘Collecting retransmission fees is even more critical to local stations because in the past few years there has been a sea change in our business model requiring us to pay the major networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX millions of dollars annually to carry their programming,” Hurley said.
About retransmission consent
–Since 1992, under Federal law, cable and satellite providers must obtain broadcaster consent to redistribute broadcast programming over their multichannel distribution systems. The law prohibits cable operators and satellite companies from carrying broadcast stations without entering into an agreement to do so, and other business contracts prohibit satellite and cable providers from carrying replacement network and syndicated programming from sources outside of your market area. This “retransmission consent” requirement was put in place by Congress to protect local broadcasters and to insure that the substantial local news and public service efforts of local broadcasters are maintained for the public good. Broadcasters and the satellite and cable providers that carry them negotiate new retransmission consent agreements every few years that generally include a programming fee, among other provisions.
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