WISN-TV, other Hearst TV stations fade to black on DirecTV after talks fail on programming fees

Milwaukee subscribers to DirecTV and AT&T TV Now lost access to WISN-TV (Channel 12) Friday night, after negotiations on a new agreement on retransmission fees fizzled.

The deal between WISN's parent company, Hearst Television, and the satellite TV services had expired at midnight on New Year's Eve, but the two sides continued talking for three more days.

When those talks didn't bear fruit, Hearst pulled its stations from the service. 

In announcing the impasse, WISN and the other Hearst stations quickly rejected the term "blackout." 

"To be clear, we have not 'blacked out' our station," the stations' language reads, as posted on WISN's website. "You may continue to receive our station for free, over the air, or by other satellite distribution, and, where available, from cable operators." 

Without access to another way to get their TV programming, including Hulu's live TV streaming service, DirecTV subscribers will lose local WISN programming and some high-profile ABC shows, including the return of "The Bachelor" Monday night. 

In reporting the impasse, Cordcutter News posted DirecTV/AT&T's statement, which also avoids the word "blackout": "We must have Hearst’s permission to offer any of its stations and have repeatedly asked Hearst to keep them available while we conclude a new business agreement privately. Hearst has refused and instead continues to demand far higher fees than we have ever agreed to with any other station owner including very recent deals with far larger broadcasters. Hearst has chosen to intentionally withhold its stations … to try to keep increasing its fees for free broadcast TV." 

Such language from both sides is pretty standard during negotiations over retransmission fees. 

DirecTV and AT&T TV, like other cable and satellite services, pay networks, cable channels and local TV stations a fee to retransmit their signal to their subscribers. 

In recent years, as the traditional advertising model for television has been challenged by streaming and other alternative content-delivery systems, broadcasters have sought fee increases that the cable and satellite systems have balked at. When the two sides reach an impasse, the signals go dark on the services. 

Hearst, which owns 34 stations around the country, hasn't shied away from playing hardball in retransmission talks in the past. 

In fact, WISN-TV and other Hearst stations went dark for a week on DirecTV the last time their retransmission agreement expired, on Jan. 1, 2017. Later that year, Hearst stations disappeared from the Dish TV satellite service for nearly eight weeks before a new agreement on fees was concluded. 

In 2014, WISN-TV and other Hearst stations briefly left DISH Network, and the stations were off Time Warner Cable systems for a week in 2012.

Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cforan12.