If you're a DISH satellite TV subscriber, you may have noticed that WABI TV5 and their sister station The CW are no longer available.

Once again a satellite TV provider and a local TV broadcasting company have reached an impasse in contract negotiations and you, the viewer, are caught in the middle.

DISH says that "WABI has blocked access to gain leverage", and that DISH offered a contract extension to continue negotiations which WABI in turn rejected.  DISH also said that the satellite provider is lobbying lawmakers in Washington to create laws that would prevent "broadcasters like WABI from using their in-market monopoly power to put profits ahead of the public interests they are supposed to serve."

On the other hand, on the station's website WABI claims, "a number of delays and challenges arose as communications unfolded.  Chief among the outstanding issues leading to the immediate impasse is that DISH has demanded a revision that will allow them to permanently take TV5's signal away from thousands of currently served subscribers."  The station goes on to say, "we do not want anyone who currently has access to our local news and other programming to permanently lose us as result of DISH’s insistence on this change.

Both companies say that they remain "open to negotiations."

DISH customers can call 1-800-333-DISH (3474) for more information and WABI invites you to call them at 207-947-8321.

In June of 2012 management at both WABI and DirecTV could not agree on a new contract which saw WABI removed from that satellite TV provider's lineup for 23 days.

Let's hope that everyone agrees on a new contract soon so that local viewers and advertisers both get what they pay for.

 

More From WDEA Ellsworth Maine