On January 6, 2020, RBR+TVBR reported on a retransmission consent impasse that led to the “blackout” by Dish of a group of stations managed by Nexstar Media Group but owned by two independent licensees.
History repeated itself on Friday.
Channels owned by Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting but operated by Nexstar were removed by law from Dish, as a fresh retransmission consent accord could not be had by the expiry date of its previous deal.
Some 28 markets are impacted, with the following stations being blocked to Dish subscribers:
Mission:
- (NBC: KRBC) – Abilene, TX
- (FOX: WXXA) – Albany, NY
- (CW: KWBQ) – Albuquerque, NM
- (MNT: KASY) – Albuquerque, NM
- (FOX: KCIT) – Amarillo, TX
- (MNT: KCPN) – Amarillo, TX
- (FOX: KHMT) – Billings, MT
- (ABC: WVNY) – Burlington, VT
- (FOX: KLJB) – Davenport, IA
- (FOX: WFXP) – Erie, PA
- (CW: WTVW) – Evansville, IN
- (FOX: KFQX) – Grand Junction, CO
- (ABC: KODE) – Joplin, MO
- (ABC: WLAJ) – Lansing, MI
- (FOX: KLRT) – Little Rock, AR
- (CW: KASN) – Little Rock, AR
- (ABC: KAMC) – Lubbock, TX
- (NBC: KTVE) – Monroe, LA
- (CW: WPIX) – New York, NY
- (FOX: KPEJ) – Odessa, TX
- (FOX: WNAC) – Providence, RI
- (ABC: WTVO) – Rockford, IL
- (NBC: KSAN) – San Angelo, TX
- (FOX: KMSS) – Shreveport, LA
- (CBS: KOLR) – Springfield, MO
- (ABC: WAWV) – Terre Haute, IN
- (ABC: WUTR) – Utica, NY
- (FOX: KJTL) – Wichita Falls, TX
- (MNT: KJBO) – Wichita Falls, TX
- (CBS: WYOU) – Wilkes Barre, PA
White Knight:
- (NBC: WVLA) – Baton Rouge, LA
- (FOX: KFXK) – Tyler-Longview-Lufkin, TX
As Dish Group President Brian Neylon sees it, “Both programming groups rejected Dish’s contract extension offers to keep programming available for customers while we continue to negotiate. We’re disappointed Mission and White Knight have chosen this course of action. The demanded fees are unreasonable given that Mission and White Knight’s viewership on Dish have significantly declined over the past three years, indicating that many viewers have moved to other channels for programming they prefer.”
Of course, that’s up for debate. First, the fees sought by these Nexstar-run stations could reflect higher affiliate fees being forced on Mission and White Knight by the networks. Second, viewership of Dish could have “significantly declined” for various reasons — just as cord-cutting has devastated many cable television channels.
Dish, of course, dredged up retransmission consent disagreements with Comcast, Verizon Fios and AT&T U-Verse and noted that Mission is presently in a long-term dispute with DirecTV; a retransmission consent agreement expired in mid-October with no resolution between the two parties.
Neylon commented, “We will continue to fight on behalf of DISH customers to keep prices as low as possible. We hope Mission and White Knight will continue to negotiate with us in good faith so we can minimize the disruption to our customers.”
Meanwhile, impacted stations including WXXA-23 in Albany-Schenectady-Troy are fighting back. On the station’s microsite, a section of the WTEN-10 website, a message directed toward Dish subscribers notes how WXXA “has been forced off your line-up, and important programming has disappeared.”
As the team leading “FOX 23” sees it, “WXXA FOX 23 has a contract with Dish that allows them to deliver our programming to you.” But, that contract was originally set to expire on Tuesday, December 27. As such, an extension was already seen — a fact Dish did not share in its statement.
Furthermore, Mission-owned WXXA believes it has presented to Dish “a proposal for fair value compensation based on the importance and value our programming brings our viewers.”
That fell on deaf ears at Dish.
“Despite our tireless efforts, DISH has refused our fair offer and is making negotiations very difficult,” Mission said. “They will tell you it’s for your benefit, but don’t believe it. Our offer is fair. And now they may hold you, the subscriber, hostage. It’s not right.”
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. Its President is Dennis Thatcher.
