Sinclair Broadcast pulls TV signals from Dish Network
By Joe Flint, Wall Street Journal
Signals for one of the nation’s biggest local broadcasters went dark on satellite TV distributor Dish Network Corp. on Tuesday, the result of a dispute over a new distribution contract.
Dish and Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. have been negotiating a contract that covers more than 150 local television stations owned or managed by Sinclair that reach more than five million customers in 79 markets. The signals were pulled from Dish after efforts to sign a new agreement or extend the existing one failed.
Besides owning 121 TV stations, Sinclair also manages 32 through partnerships. Of the 153 stations, 87 are affiliates of the four major broadcast networks — CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox — meaning customers lost access to local and national news programming as well as sports carried by those stations.