Satellite subscribers may lose ABC

Published 4:00 am Friday, December 10, 2010

Local subscribers to DISH Network could lose ABC television programming next week, if DISH Network and Chambers Communications Corp. are unable to come to an agreement.

Chambers Communications, a Eugene-based company that operates Bend ABC affiliate KOHD-TV, ABC affiliates in Eugene, Medford and Klamath Falls, and Chambers Cable of Sunriver, announced in a news release Thursday that its current agreement with DISH Network is set to expire at midnight Dec. 15.

Officials from Chambers Communications and DISH Network could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

In the news release, Chambers Communication said DISH Network has rejected multiple proposals for a long-term agreement that would have allowed Chambers’ stations to remain on the air. The release said Chambers Communication has successfully reached agreements with all other major cable and satellite providers to keep its stations on the air in all four markets.

The release did not state what compensation Chambers Communications is seeking from DISH Network, but said Chambers Communication is continuing to negotiate.

If the two sides do not come to an agreement and DISH Network turns off the ABC signal, DISH Network subscribers will still be able to receive KOHD-TV by using an antenna to pick up the free over-the-air digital signal.

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