1. What is happening?
By law, WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV must negotiate carriage agreements with satellite companies like DISH. Usually, these deals are reached without any disruption to your service. In fact, our company has negotiated dozens of agreements with only the rarest of disruptions. Unfortunately, so far, DISH has refused to reach a fair, market-based deal to carry WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV. Our existing agreement with DISH expires on March 31, 2019. If no deal is reached before that date, you will lose live access to the shows, sports and local news on WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV, which you rely on and are paying for. We are continuing to negotiate with DISH, but DISH has refused to agree to reasonable terms for the valuable programming we provide.
2. As a DISH customer, what can I do to continue to watch my favorite shows on WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV?
The best thing viewers can do is Call DISH at 1-800-333-3474. Tell DISH that you pay them a lot of money to watch your favorite shows on WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV, including [popular shows, local news, etc]. Tell DISH that if it drops WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV, then you will drop DISH.
3. Why does WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV charge cable and satellite operators a fee to carry their programming?
Station is among the highest rated channels on DISH. Producing and broadcasting high rated, top-quality programming is very expensive. We invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in our local news, weather, and emergency programming. Without the fees from cable and satellite operators, this would not be possible. WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV could not afford to broadcast [list popular programming, etc.].
4. What is a “fair” deal for WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV programming and why is DISH refusing to pay it?
We have carriage agreements with every other major cable and satellite company that is carrying WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV, including DirecTV and Comcast. DISH, however, insists that it should pay substantially lower rates than what it pays competing video providers. Naturally, we cannot give away our product for less than it is worth.
5. What does DISH pay for other channels?
Based on publicly available information, DISH pays over $6 per subscriber per month for ESPN. In other words, $6 from your monthly bill goes straight to ESPN. Our ratings are much higher than ESPN’s! Yet, we are asking for far less what DISH pays to ESPN. More importantly, ESPN has NO local programming, NO local employees, NO local investments, and a very small local audience – unlike WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV.
6. Won't rates to subscribers go up if DISH has to pay WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV?
Whether rates go up depends on decisions made by DISH. Like all cable and satellite companies, DISH is already charging you to receive WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV as part of your monthly bill. DISH should stop over-paying for channels its customers do not watch and re-allocate that money to the channels, like WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV, that its subscribers turn to every day. In any event, we do not control how much DISH pays to other channels or how it manages its business. We simply ask that DISH pay a fair market price for our content, just as its competitors do; and we have and will continue to negotiate with DISH in good faith in an effort to successfully complete a deal with them.
7. If DISH stops carrying WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV, will I get a refund on my bill?
It is up to DISH to resolve such questions with its customers. But, you could call DISH at 1-800-333-3474 to let them know you are no longer getting what you pay for if DISH drops your favorite programming and request a refund.
8. Is there anything the public can do to help make sure that WSOC-TV and WAXN-TV remains on DISH?
The best way to influence this controversy is for you to register your support of how important it is for them to continue to carry the station by calling DISH at 800-333-3474. You pay DISH a lot of money. It will listen to your voices, or you can contact any number of other providers that are committed to providing you with the programming you watch every day:
- DIRECTV: 1-888-777-2454 or www.directv.com
- Comcast: 1-800-934-6489 or www.comcast.com
- Charter/Spectrum Cable: 1-833-694-9256 or 1-855-243-8892 or http://www.spectrum.com
- Verizon FiOS: 1-877-218-8592 or http://fios.verizon.com
- AT&T U-Verse: 1-877-821-6209 or http://www.attsavings.com/
Regardless, we will continue to work hard to try and get a successful outcome to this negotiation so that you do not lose live access to any of your favorite programming, but the ball remains in DISH’s court to step-up like all of their competitors and peers have done.
Cox Media Group
