Thune, Other Lawmakers Seek End to Blackout of Nexstar Stations on DirecTV
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and other lawmakers urged a resolution to retransmission fee disputes between Nexstar and AT&T's DirecTV that resulted in blackouts of more than 120 Nexstar-owned stations. The blackout began last week and was continuing.…
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AT&T contends Nexstar ended access to its channels “even though we offered Nexstar more money to keep them available to you. Nexstar simply said no and elected to remove them from your lineups instead, putting you in the middle of its negotiations.” The broadcaster said it's “reiterating its offer of an unconditional extension of the existing distribution agreement for 30 days to restore the blacked-out programming to viewers and allow the parties to reach a new agreement.” Thune and Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., were among those asking both companies to continue negotiations, in letters to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson that Nexstar released Tuesday. Thune said DirecTV should “provide carriage” to two Nexstar-owned South Dakota stations -- KCLO-TV Rapid City and KELO-TV Sioux Falls -- “so that the parties can continue negotiations without impacting consumers’ ability to view their local news coverage in the affected broadcast markets.” Kennedy said the blackout is affecting “multiple markets across Louisiana … at the height of hurricane season. While I take no sides in negotiations between two for-profit companies, I am concerned that your failure to reach an agreement is negatively impacting Louisiana families.” AT&T should “accept Nexstar's offer of a short-term extension while you resolve your differences,” Kennedy said. Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-N.Y., wrote Stephenson and Nexstar CEO Perry Sook Tuesday urging an end to blackouts of at least six central New York stations: WBGH-CD Binghamton, WIVT Binghamton, WFXV Utica, WPNY-LP Utica, WSYR-TV Syracuse and WUTR Utica. Four Democrats of Massachusetts' congressional delegation -- Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern and Rep. Richard Neal -- cited DirecTV subscribers' loss of access to Nexstar-owned WWLP Springfield. The lawmakers wrote Stephenson and Sook in a letter released Monday that “this is unacceptable, and your consumers should not be caught in the middle.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also urged DirecTV to allow a carriage extension through Aug. 2, this time for Nexstar-owned WCTX and WTNH, both New Haven. “This cutoff seems to have the sole purpose of enhancing DirecTV bargaining leverage -- with severe harm to Connecticut consumers,” Blumenthal said in the Friday letter, which Nexstar published.