DISH: TEGNA Blacks Out Customers' Access To Local Channels In 38 Markets

(RTTNews) - DISH Network Corp. (DISH) announced that tonight TEGNA Inc. (TGNA), formerly Gannett Co., Inc., has blacked out DISH customers' access to local channels in 38 markets, despite its offer to extend contract negotiations.

Warren Schlichting, DISH senior vice president of programming, said, "With DISH willing to grant an extension and a retroactive true up on rates, TEGNA had nothing to lose and consumers had everything to gain by leaving the channels up,"

DISH said it had had been making steady progress with TEGNA in recent negotiations, and was hopeful that they would come to a mutual agreement to renew carriage of the TEGNA local stations. DISH said it offered a short-term contract extension to TEGNA that would include a retroactive true-up when new rates were agreed upon, and would preserve the ability of DISH customers to access the TEGNA local stations while negotiations continued.

Stanton Dodge, DISH executive vice president and general counsel, said "TEGNA's decision to cut ties with DISH customers is a prime example of why Washington needs to stand up for consumers and end local channel blackouts,"

Meanwhile, TEGNA responded that it worked hard over the course of months to reach a deal with DISH. TEGNA said DISH has refused to reach an agreement and once again is preventing its customers from accessing valued channels, even as customers continue to pay for that content.