A company founded in 1996 that currently owns broadcast TV stations in 18 markets is currently at an impasse with Dish Network.
As such, its stations have been blocked, by law, from Dish customers in the markets where this TV operation has facilities.
But, here’s the rub: All of these stations are run by Nexstar Media Group.
However, Nexstar’s direct involvement in winning a new retransmission consent deal between Dish and its partner, Mission Broadcasting, is likely limited to viewer alerts appearing on Mission websites — administered by Nexstar.
Messages such as that appearing on Abilene, Tex.-based NBC affiliate KRBC-TV urge viewers to take action, assailing Dish for “denying you Abilene’s local news and all our programming.”
The 19 full-power and two low-power Mission-owned stations were “unilaterally dropped” Friday evening by Dish, and “without warning,” the company states.
According to KRBC, Mission and Dish had been negotiating a renewal of the carriage agreement, which expired at 7pm Eastern Friday (1/3).
“Mission had repeatedly offered to extend the current agreement while negotiations continued, which Dish flatly refused to do,” it claims.
Mission Broadcasting President Dennis Thatcher added, “We offered an extension, and Dish refused, even though the NFL Playoffs began on Saturday. This has been, sadly, typical behavior for Dish—the company has constantly put its subscribers in the middle, denying them programming they’ve already paid for rather than taking the path to negotiate in good faith.”
Thatcher added that Mission “has a long track record of negotiating fairly with all of its cable, satellite and telco partners and avoiding service interruptions in our markets. That’s simply not the case with Dish.”
In Mission’s view, Dish can restore its stations “at any time” by extending the current agreement while negotiations continue.
Dish responded by assailing Mission for using viewers as leverage while it seeks higher monthly rates. Further, Dish SVP/Programming Andy LeCuyer disputes Mission’s take on restoration of its stations. “Dish offered to extend the contract during ongoing negotiations, ensuring consumers would not be harmed in this process, but Mission refused,” he says.
Mission Broadcasting was founded by the late David Smith. He died on March 28, 2011 at the age of 55, of a massive heart attack while attending a friend’s wedding.
Ownership control transferred to his wife, Nancie Smith. She continues to lead Mission today. However, all of Mission’s stations are operated by Nexstar, via a joint sales agreement and shared services agreement. The ties between Nexstar, today the nation’s largest TV broadcast station owner, and Mission are close. Very close.
In fact, Mission’s close relationship with Nexstar led the FCC to reject a spin of three stations by Nexstar to Mission in order to win regulatory approval of its June 2014 acquisition of licensees Grant Broadcasting, Communications Corporation of America and White Knight Broadcasting.
This set the stage for Pluria Marshall Jr. to acquire the three Nexstar stations it wanted to effectively operate, but not directly own: KMSS-33 in Shreveport, La.; KPEJ-24 in Odessa-Midland, Tex.; and KLJB-18 in Quad Cities, Ia.-Ill.
In April 2019, Marshall’s company filed a lawsuit against Nexstar for what it said were active efforts “to undermine” its TV trio.
To be clear, Mission’s stations, while operated by Nexstar, are ultimately under Mission control. VP Lance Carwile, whose voice is heard when Mission’s office number answers, did not return RBR+TVBR‘s call seeking comment by Monday’s 3pm Central deadline.
Among the biggest markets impacted by the Dish impasse are Little Rock, where Mission owns the Fox and CW Network affiliates, and Scranton-Wilkes Barre, where Mission owns CBS affiliate WYOU-22. Ironically, WYOU was purchased by Nexstar Broadcasting as its first station property in 1996. It was transferred to Mission in order to comply with FCC regulations tied to winning approval of the Nexstar-Tribune Media merger.
Other markets include Amarillo, Lubbuck, Wichita Falls and San Angelo, Tex.; Billings, Mont.; Burlington, Vt.-Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Erie, Pa.; Evansville, Ind.-Henderson, Ky.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Joplin, Mo.; Monroe, La.; Rockford, Ill.; Springfield, Mo.; Terre Haute, Ind.; and Utica-Rome, N.Y.
A list of impacted stations can be found here.
