If you had trouble finding local news on your channel lineup this weekend, here’s why. LIN Media pulled the plug on 17 local networks airing on Dish over the weekend as the two companies failed to come to a distribution agreement. The contract officially expired on Mar. 4, 2011 at midnight (MST), affecting such cities as Albuquerque, New Haven, Providence, and Buffalo. (See full list of cities below.)
LIN Media President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent L. Sadusky said, “We only want what is fair for our local stations, so that we can continue providing the premium news, sports, entertainment, and other local programming that is most important to viewers.”
Dish responded saying, “”It’s unfortunate that LIN Media, a corporate media conglomerate, pulled its channels down at midnight, holding viewers in 17 markets across the nation hostage while attempting to coerce DISH Network to submit to outrageous demands.”
Well, hopefully if you were in one of the affected markets you had an antenna hooked up to switch over to an over-the-air signal.
The following markets were pulled from the Dish lineup:
Albuquerque: KRQE-TV (CBS) and KASA-TV (FOX)
Austin: KXAN-TV (NBC) and KNVA-TV (CW)
Buffalo: WIVB-TV (CBS) and WNLO-TV (CW)
Columbus: WWHO-TV (CW)
Dayton: WDTN-TV (NBC), WBDT-TV (CW)
Ft. Wayne: WANE-TV (CBS)
Grand Rapids: WOOD-TV (NBC), WOTV-TV (ABC)
Green Bay: WLUK-TV (FOX)
Indianapolis: WISH-TV (CBS) and WNDY-TV (MyNetwork TV)
Lafayette: WLFI-TV (CBS)
Mobile: WALA-TV (FOX) and WFNA-TV (CW)
New Haven: WTNH-TV (ABC) and WCTX-TV (MyNetwork TV)
Norfolk: WAVY-TV (NBC) and WVBT-TV (FOX)
Providence: WPRI-TV (CBS) and WNAC-TV (FOX)
Springfield (Mass): WWLP-TV (NBC)
Terre Haute: WTHI-TV (CBS)
Toledo: WUPW-TV (FOX)
