or


[03/31/12 - 07:55 PM]
Tribune Television Stations and WGN America No Longer Available Via DirecTV
Tribune has established a web site, www.tellDirecTV.com, to enable DirecTV subscribers to register their concerns about losing this valuable programming.

[via press release from Tribune]

Tribune Television Stations and WGN America No Longer Available Via DirecTV

Contract Covering 19 TV Markets, WGN America, Will Expire Tonight

CHICAGO, March 31, 2012 -- As of midnight, tonight, Tribune television stations in 19 markets across the country will no longer be available via DirecTV, denying subscribers access to the local news, traffic, weather, sports and entertainment programming provided by those stations. DirecTV subscribers will also be unable to watch WGN America, Tribune's national cable network.

Tribune Broadcasting's contract with DirecTV will expire at midnight, Saturday, March 31. A new agreement has not been reached. By federal law, without an agreement in place, DirecTV cannot carry the signal of Tribune's local television stations. Tribune's local stations in the eastern time zone will be the first to be denied by DirecTV to its subscribers. Stations in other time zones will follow.

"This situation is extremely unfortunate," said Nils Larsen, Tribune Broadcasting president. "We don't want anyone to lose the valuable programming we provide, but we simply cannot get fair compensation from DirecTV and we cannot allow DirecTV to continue taking advantage of us."

DirecTV has never compensated Tribune for the rebroadcast of its television stations and Tribune is asking for an agreement that is similar to those that DirecTV already has in place with hundreds of other broadcasters and program providers.

"As baseball season gets underway, DirecTV's inflexibility means sports fans in some of our local markets such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, will be deprived of one of baseball's most cherished events - Opening Day," said Larsen.

In Chicago, Cubs and White Sox baseball games broadcast on WGN-TV will be lost to subscribers, including the home openers of both teams. DirecTV subscribers in Philadelphia will lose access to Phillies baseball on WPHL-TV, including the team's home opener. In Washington, D.C., subscribers who are fans of the Nationals will not be able to see Nationals games on WDCW-TV, including their Opening Day contest with the Chicago Cubs. In New York, DirecTV subscribers will lose access to Mets baseball broadcast via WPIX-TV. Finally, DirecTV subscribers across the country will lose access to HD sports programming such as Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox baseball broadcast by WGN America.

"In addition, local news, weather, traffic and sports coverage will also be lost, as well as the high-quality entertainment programming we offer on our local stations," said Larsen. "This is a terrible outcome for the communities we serve and we regret that DirecTV has put us in this position."

In those markets in which Tribune owns the local Fox affiliate, DirecTV subscribers will lose entertainment programming such as "American Idol," "Glee," "New Girl" and sports programming such as NASCAR and Major League Baseball. In those markets where Tribune owns the local affiliate of The CW Network, DirecTV subscribers will lose programming such as "America's Next Top Model," "Gossip Girl," "Supernatural," "Vampire Diaries," and the series finale of "One Tree Hill." In New Orleans, where Tribune owns the local ABC affiliate, "Modern Family," and NBA basketball games will be unavailable to subscribers.

"There are options for DirecTV subscribers," said Larsen. "They don't have to miss their regular news or favorite shows. Our broadcast stations are available for free in HD with a TV antenna or through an alternative pay-TV provider."

Tribune has established a web site, www.tellDirecTV.com, to enable DirecTV subscribers to register their concerns about losing this valuable programming. "We've seen tremendous traffic to the website and a very high volume of calls, and we know that people will be disappointed and upset," said Larsen. "We're urging DirecTV subscribers to continue to make sure they are heard by calling DirecTV and engaging in social media via Twitter and Facebook."

TRIBUNE is one of the country's leading multimedia companies, operating businesses in broadcasting, publishing, and interactive. The company's broadcasting group owns or operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable and Chicago's WGN-AM. In publishing, Tribune's leading daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel (South Florida), Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, The Morning Call and Daily Press. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune's print and broadcast properties and extend the company's nationwide audience.





  [march 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[09/15/25 - 04:00 PM]
HBO Max Acquires Exclusive U.S. Rights to Powerful Event Series, "One Day in October" from FOX Entertainment
Filmed on location in Israel, "One Day in October" presents seven emotionally gripping and artistically interwoven narratives of love, courage, sacrifice and survival.

[09/15/25 - 03:25 PM]
Over 41 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watch Terence Crawford Defeat Canelo Alvarez to Claim Super Middleweight Championship
The main event scored an estimated average minute audience (AMA) of 36.6 million live+SD viewers from opening to closing bell, per VideoAmp and Netflix.

[09/15/25 - 02:51 PM]
Tom Brady, Fanatics, Riyadh Season, FOX Sports and OBB Media Announce Groundbreaking Inaugural Flag Football Event
Other confirmed players include some of the biggest names in football, such as Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., and Rob Gronkowski.

[09/15/25 - 12:16 PM]
Video: "Stay" - Trailer - Hulu
What will it take to leave? "Stay" streams October 8.

[09/15/25 - 11:52 AM]
Video: "Power Book IV: Force" - Official Teaser - Season 3
Tommy's almost back, and he's ready to take over the whole city.

[09/15/25 - 11:45 AM]
The "77th Emmy Awards" Delivers Its Largest Television Audience Since 2021, Up +8% from Last Year
Hosted by Nate Bargatze, the telecast was seen by more than 7.42 million viewers on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

[09/15/25 - 11:02 AM]
Video: "Matlock" - New Season Official Trailer - CBS
Emmy and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates stars as Matty Matlock, a brilliant attorney who rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses clever tactics to win cases while hiding a hidden agenda.

[09/15/25 - 10:30 AM]
ABC News Studios and "20/20" Announce "The Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of Disneyland - Special Edition of 20/20," Airing Sept. 21 on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
The two-hour special pulls back the curtain to reveal the magic behind Walt Disney's dream, with enchanting stories sure to surprise and delight even the most devoted fans.

[09/15/25 - 10:16 AM]
Video: "Frankie Quinones: Damn That's Crazy" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Frankie QuiƱones hits the stage to unpack love, addiction and the high-stakes politics of the family carne asada.

[09/15/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary Short "The Devil Is Busy" Debuts September 23
The film takes viewers on a daylong journey with Tracii, the determined head of security at a women's healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia as she works to ensure the safety of women seeking abortions in the face of new restrictions and persistent protests.

[09/15/25 - 09:30 AM]
Utkarsh Ambudkar and Ginnifer Goodwin Join the Cast of Disney Jr.'s Hit Series "Superkitties"
They'll be voicing villains Champster and Pamster Glamster (aka The Glamsters), a glamorous and hilariously clueless brother and sister hamster duo who cause chaos for the SuperKitties.

[09/15/25 - 09:16 AM]
Acorn TV Celebrates "An Autumn to Die For"
The event will feature an extensive array of great programming including premieres of all-new series such as the Acorn TV original "Murder Before Evensong" starring Matthew Lewis and based on the bestselling series by British author The Reverend Richard Coles.

[09/15/25 - 09:01 AM]
Watch the Magical Adventure "Smurfs," Premiering on Paramount+ September 16
In the film, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the crew on a daring rescue mission to save Papa Smurf (John Goodman) after he is mysteriously kidnapped by the evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel.

[09/15/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The shocking true-life tale of Ed Gein, the infamous murderer and grave robber who inspired many of Hollywood's most iconic on-screen killers.

[09/15/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.