Did your local ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC TV station vanish overnight? If so, you are not alone as DIRECTV NOW, DIRECTV, and U-verse TV lost 17 local TV stations over the weekend. These include stations owned by Deerfield Media, MPS Media, GoCom Media of Illinois, Howard Stirk Holdings, Roberts Media, Second Generation of Iowa, and Waitt Broadcasting.
AT&T is working to get these locals back, but by law, without a contract, they can not offer these locals.
Blackouts like this are not new. For years, cable TV companies often lose locals in similar situations. Hopefully, AT&T will quickly be able to strike deals to bring back these 17 local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC TV stations.
AT&T recently had public fights with Viacom and A+E Networks over new contracts. Now though AT&T has new contracts from Viacom and A+E Networks keeping them on DIRECTV NOW, DIRECTV, and U-verse TV.
Reports over the weekend said 17 local channels are now unavailable through AT&T. In total the affected companies own 29 stations but reportedly only 17 of them are no longer available. Sometimes for a long list of reasons not all TV stations contracts come up for renewal at the same time.
Update: Here are the stations who’s owners are in a dispute with AT&T:
- Alexandria, LA KLAX
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX KBTV
- Bend, OR KMTR
- Binghamton, NY WICZ, WBPN
- Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City-Dubuque, IA KFXA
- Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, IL WSRP
- Chattanooga, TN WFLI
- Cincinnati, OH WSTR
- Eugene, OR KMTR
- Eureka, CA KVIQ, KIEM
- Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, MI WEYI
- Gainesville, FL WNBW
- Idaho Falls-Pocatello, ID KPVI
- Medford-Klamath Falls, OR KMVU, KFBI
- Mobile, AL WPMI, WJTC
- Rochester, NY WHAM
- San Antonio, TX KMYS
- Sioux City, IA KMEG
- Spokane, WA KAYU
- Syracuse, NY WSYT, WNYS
- Tallahassee, FL-Thomasville, GA WTLF
- Twin Falls, ID KPVI
- Wilkes-Barre-Scranton-Hazelton, PA WSWB
- Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick, WA KFFX
- Yuma, AZ-El Centro, CA KSWT, KYMA
Did your local TV station go dark over the weekend? Leave us a comment and let us know what station went dark in for you.
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