Dish Drops Nexstar Stations, Including WKBN/WYFX

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Dish Network has stopped carrying Nexstar’s television stations, including WKBN-27 and WYFX/Fox, after the two companies failed to reach a new distribution agreement.

The move took effect at 7 p.m. Wednesday. WYTV is not affected.

Nexstar is the largest owner of local TV stations in the country with 197 stations. The Dish action affects 115 U.S. markets.

“We made a fair offer to keep Nexstar stations available to our customers, but Nexstar rejected it,” said Dish TV Group President Brian Neylon in a statement.

Neylon said Dish offered to extend the current contract while negotiations continue but did not receive a response from Nexstar. He said Nexstar is demanding more than $1 billion in fees “for stations that are available for free over the air.”

In its own statement, Nexstar said, “Since July, Nexstar has been negotiating tirelessly and in good faith in an attempt to reach a mutually agreeable multi-year contract with Dish, offering Dish the same fair market rates it offered to other large distribution partners with whom it completed successful negotiations in 2019 and 2020.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.