Sunbeam Television and DirecTV have failed to reach a carriage agreement. As of Friday at 12:00 a.m., both WHDH and WLVI were pulled from DirecTV lineups, replaced with a still image from DirecTV.
On both stations’ websites, viewers are greeted with a message regarding the conflict:
Sunbeam Television Corporation, the parent company of WHDH-TV Channel 7 and WLVI Channel 56, could not come to an agreement regarding a renewal of its carriage agreement with DirecTV. We are working hard to reach an agreement with DirecTV so that you can receive our signal again. Until we do you will not be able to view WHDH and WLVI on DirecTV, but you can receive Channel 7 and Channel 56 over the air and from other cable and satellite providers. We are seeking fair market value for the transmission of our signal. We have been able to negotiate deals with several other providers. We appreciate your viewership and hope to be back on DirecTV as soon as possible.
If you would like to voice your concerns to DirecTV, here’s the number to call. 1-800-531 5000.
Sunbeam had been looking for a 300 percent increase in retransmission fees, which has been a sticking point in negotiations for weeks. During that time, DirecTV has been able to come to agreements with dozens of other stations, including Hearst’s WCVB, which had been displaying a message to viewers with the possibility of removal.
Amazing piggishness on the part of channel 7. It’s not surprising considering how the company is always caught up in a battle with someone – Neilsen(over the fact that channel 7 doesn’t think their ratings should suck as much as they do), or someone good who they are firing, or their employees who they are trying to gouge by dramatically reducing their salaries and destabilizing their bargaining rights. Not the place to be, or win in the ratings fortunately. Low end.
I’ll be donning my Patriots jersey tomorrow, drinking my favorite cheap scotch and will be delighted to take DirecTV to the brink while my network prepares to offer the Superbowl with the hometown team. Who do you think will blink?
[Diabolical laughing]
There’s actually a one-day “truce” happening tomorrow in Miami, check it out:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/sunbeam-declares-one-day-truce-with-directv-for-nfl-playoff-game_b36564
and, I’m sure there will be a “truce” in Boston when the Superbowl rolls around. Outraged viewers will only take so much of a greedy and totally disregarding tv station owner.
7 has a job posting for a sports anchor. Who is leaving?