WBRZ, Dish Network fail to renew contract

• By CHRIS GAUTREAU
• Advocate business staff
• Published: May 2, 2008 - Page: 1D - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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If Dish Network’s several thousand Baton Rouge-market subscribers want to tune in to WBRZ-TV, they’ll need another service or a standard antenna, at least for the time being.

Unable to agree on how much the ABC affiliate should be paid for its programming, satellite provider Dish Network took the unusual step Thursday of dropping the station from its local lineup.

Instead of WBRZ’s signal, Dish Network on Thursday alternated a written statement on its decision and a videotaped statement from Vice President Eric Sahl, who called the station’s demand for more money “outrageous.”

Both sides were apologetic to customers, and WBRZ General Manager Rocky Daboval said Thursday that negotiations would continue. But he was clearly perturbed with Dish Network’s handling of the move and what he described as the company’s misleading version of the dispute in public comments.

In a release, Dish Network said WBRZ wanted more than double its compensation under the previous contract that expired Wednesday and that customers would have been forced to pay the difference.

Daboval said, however, the station’s requested increase represented a small portion of Dish Network’s $6 monthly charge for access to local stations.

“We were looking for 20 cents out of the 6 bucks they charge for five local stations,” he said. “Certainly, we don’t think that 3½ percent of what they’re charging is out of line. It’s not out of line with what we’re getting from other providers.”

The increase would cut into Dish Network’s profits, Daboval acknowledged, but it wouldn’t necessarily force the company to increase its fees.

In addition to the written and video comments, Dish Network also was broadcasting contact information for Daboval. He said that most of the calls he received from subscribers on Thursday were supportive of WBRZ.

Francie Bauer, a spokeswoman for Englewood, Colo.-based Dish Network, declined to comment on contractual details. Instead, she reiterated the company’s statements in its release and said it was hopeful a resolution might be reached within several days.

“When it comes to situations like this, we’re always looking to come to a quick resolution,” she said. “But we feel like the station is asking for an exorbitant amount of money.”

Dish Network subscribers still can tune in to WBRZ for free via a standard antenna.

The move, however, potentially affects about 7,000 subscribers in the Baton Rouge market, according to WBRZ, though Dish Network would not confirm the figure.