Attention DISH customers: Despite FOX30 and MeTV’s best efforts to stay on DISH, as of 7 p.m. on March 31, you may no longer see your favorite programming live on DISH. You can also call our WFOX hotline at 904-997-7710. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions.
1. What is happening?
By law, FOX30 and MeTV 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 FOX30 and MeTV. Our existing agreement with DISH expires at 7 p.m. on March 31, 2016. If no deal is reached before that date, you will lose live access to the shows, sports and local news on FOX30 and MeTV, 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 FOX30 and MeTV?
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 FOX30 and MeTV, including Empire, Law and Order SVU and FOX30 Action News Jax. Tell DISH that if it drops FOX30 and MeTV, then you will drop DISH.
3. Why does FOX30 and MeTV charge cable and satellite operators a fee to carry their programming?
FOX30 and MeTV are 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. FOX30 and MeTV could not afford to broadcast Empire, Law and Order SVU and FOX30 Action News Jax.
4. What is a “fair” price for FOX30 and MeTV programming and why is DISH refusing to pay that price?
We have carriage agreements with every other major cable and satellite company that is carrying FOX30 and MeTV, 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 less than one-third of 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 FOX30 and MeTV.
6. Won't rates to subscribers go up if DISH has to pay FOX30 and MeTV?
Whether rates go up depends on decisions made by DISH. Like all cable and satellite companies, DISH is already charging you to receive FOX30 and MeTV 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 FOX30 and MeTV 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.
If DISH stops carrying FOX30 and MeTV 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 demand a refund because if DISH drops your favorite programming you no longer will be getting what you pay for.
Is there anything the public can do to help make sure that FOX30 and MeTV remain 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:
o DIRECTV: 1-855-852-4388 or www.directv.com
o Comcast: 1-855-825-2772 or www.comcast.com
o Charter Cable: 1-866-753-2521 or http://www.connecttocharter.com
o Verizon FiOS: 1-855-240-5162 or http://buyverizon.com
o Time Warner Cable: 1-855-396-3454 or https://purchase.timewarnercable.com/core/twcTPDeals
o AT&T U-Verse: 1-855-748-9123 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
