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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Once again DirecTV, KAYU fail to settle retrans fee dispute, set one more deadline

The continuing dispute between Northwest Broadcasting, Inc., and DirecTV has run past another deadline.

The two sides, unable to agree on a retransmission fee for Spokane's Fox affiliate, KAYU, extended a negotiation deadline through April 8. The last one expired on Friday, March 25.

Back in January, the fracas led to Northwest, which operates KAYU, to pull its signal from the area's DirecTV satellite subscribers. Enough clamor followed that the two sides agreed to a ceasefire; that happened in the week prior to the Super Bowl, which was carried on Fox this year.

The two sides continue saying the other party is holding back the solution. Northwest Broadcasting says this is the first time in 10 years it's been able to negotiate a new deal with DirecTV. The satellite company says the requested fees from Northwest are exorbitant.



The Spokesman-Review business team follows economic development in Spokane and the Inland Northwest.