Satellite : Another Retrans Battle Brewing for DISH

As DN exited one retrans battle, the DBS service found itself engaged in another skirmish with a broadcaster.

In the past few days, stations owned by ComCorp posted notices on their respective Web sites informing viewers about the retransmission consent negotiations between the two sides. The station messages said D*SH has refused to consider the broadcaster's offer, "which is similar in terms granted to other local stations."

The ComCorp message added, "Keep in mind you currently pay DN nearly $6 per month for local stations." ComCorp said it offered its stations to D*SH "for close to a penny a day."

ComCorp said if D*SH fails to reach an agreement with the station owner, viewers could lose access to the broadcaster's programming. The company said station signals would continue to be available free over the air or through competing pay-TV providers.

ComCorp has stations in the Tyler/Jacksonville/Longview market and in Brownsville, both in Texas, as well as the El Paso/Las Cruces area in Texas and New Mexico. Also, the company has stations in Lafayette, Shreveport and Baton Rouge in Louisiana.

During the weekend, D*SH reached a retransmission consent deal with Young Broadcasting. The broadcaster's stations were pulled from the D*SH lineup for three days before the two sides reached an agreement.