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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Local FOX affiliate, DirecTV talks break down

DirecTV said early this evening that its customers in Spokane no longer will be able to view Fox affiliate KAYU-TV after midnight following the breakdown of negotiations between the company and KAYU’s parent, Northwest Broadcasting. El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV said in a press release that it has been unable to reach a deal with Northwest Broadcasting, which owns KAYU as well as stations in Yakima, Medford, Ore., Laredo, Texas and Binghampton, N.Y. The two companies are negotiating the fees DirecTV will pay to carry those stations’ broadcasts. DirecTV reached fee agreements with other big broadcast media companies, a company news release noted. “Northwest Broadcasting… has decided they would rather deprive our customers of their local channels than make even an honest and good faith attempt to reach a fair deal in contract negotiations,” DirecTV said in the release. Jon Rand, of KAYU, could not immediately be reached for comment. A statement on the station’s website, however, said, “Over-the-air television stations, such as KAYU, spend a huge portion of their operating expense and capital investment to provide quality over-the-air signals. It is only fair to expect that if a cable company or satellite service wants to re-sell that signal to make a profit, that the broadcaster be fairly compensated for the use of their content.” The statement says viewers can watch KAYU over the air via antenna, or through another satellite or cable operator.