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Raycom yanks local stations off DirecTV

RaycomDozens of stations owned by Raycom Media were blacked out on DirecTV Monday, the result of a failed attempt to reach a retransmission agreement with the satellite television broadcaster.

Raycom had said it was negotiating in “good faith” with DirecTV, but was unable to reach a decision by the end of August. As such, 53 stations in more than three dozen markets have been blacked out on the service.

“This is frustrating for DirecTV customers who rely on Raycom stations for information and entertainment,” Raycom CEO Paul McTear said in a press release. “We share their frustration and are committed to doing everything we can to resolve this issue and have been for the last 12 weeks of discussions.

As usual, the retransmission negotiations deal with how much Raycom believes DirecTV should pay in order to deliver the company’s 53 local television stations to pay television customers.

Stations affected include CBS and FOX affiliates in Tucson (KOLD, KMSB), ABC and FOX affiliates in Columbus (WTVM, WXTX) and six CBS and NBC affiliates in Hawaii (KGMB, KHNL and their full-power relays).

Some Raycom stations began posting messages on their websites early Monday morning encouraging DirecTV customers to complain to the pay TV provider and reminding viewers that the stations can still be viewed over the air.

Raycom employed a similar tactic during negotiations with DirecTV in 2011. DirecTV says it is working with Raycom to reach an agreement.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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