Subs face blackout in EchoStar, Fox dispute
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/12/2002 1:45:00 PM
Subscribers to EchoStar Communications Corp.'s DISH network in 19 markets may lose their Fox signals for awhile, if EchoStar and Fox Broadcasting cannot come to carriage terms for Fox's owned-and-operated stations.
EchoStar's current deal with Fox expires June 30, and EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen told subscribers in one of DISH network's "Charlie Chats" that they may be in danger of losing their local Fox stations for awhile.
If a deal cannot be struck by the end of the month, EchoStar will charge local-package customers in those markets $1 less per month until the situation is resolved.
EchoStar is also having trouble cutting a carriage deal with the CBS affiliate, WPEC(TV) in West Palm Beach, Fla., which is owned by Freedom Broadcasting.
EchoStar plans to offer local TV signals in West Palm Beach starting June 19, but it is unsure whether it will be able to carry WPEC. Those subscribers also would get a $1 price break until the situation is resolved.
In other EchoStar-related news, the company plans to launch EchoStar 8, its second spot-beam satellite, this Friday from a site in Kazhakstan.
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