NEWS

Super Bowl blackout averted on Dish

Charles Runnells
crunnells@news-press.com

WINK-TV will be back on Dish Network again — just in time for the Super Bowl this weekend.

The Fort Myers TV station broke the news Friday afternoon on Twitter.

WINK, which broadcasts the big game in Southwest Florida, had remained dark on the satellite-TV provider since Jan. 8.

WINK-TV remains off the air on the DISH Network, and the Super Bowl is this Sunday.

Last month, both DISH and WINK (owned by Fort Myers Broadcasting Co.) were pointing fingers at each other after contract negotiations stalled and WINK disappeared from DISH Network. WINK managers declined to be interviewed Friday, and Dish didn't respond to an interview request.

“Fort Myers Broadcasting is using innocent consumers as bargaining chips by blacking them out from a marquee sporting event,” said Warren Schlichting, Dish’s executive vice president of programming, in a statement released before the NFL Wild Card playoffs in January. “And (it’s) turning its back on its public interest obligations.”

WINK managers, meanwhile, said they'd been holding out for a fair price from Dish. WINK News is a News-Press media partner.

“Fair agreements are critical to local TV stations' ability to provide local news, community and emergency information, as well as top-quality entertainment,” WINK general manager Joe Schwartzel said in a news statement. “Unfortunately, DISH Network has refused to reach a fair, market-based agreement with WINK-TV, even as we offer terms similar to those of our existing agreements with other cable and satellite providers.”

Some local sports fans weren’t happy with the blackout, of course, and it’s possible the contract dispute might backfire for Dish.

“I'm done with DISH,” said Roly Llerena of Cape Coral.

Another local, Stephen Guyton, said he dropped satellite TV altogether after a similar blackout last year involving NBC-2 and DirecTV.  “Get a $9 pair of rabbit ears,” he said. “They work great!”

Blackouts are a growing national trend as satellite providers and channels spar over contracts and pricing. Satellite and cable TV providers pay WINK and other channels to broadcast their content.

Earlier this year, the American Television Alliance urged the Federal Communications Commission to take action on the problem. Last year saw a record 193 blackouts across the United States and affected 12 million people, according to the viewer advocacy group. That’s up from 94 blackouts in 2014.

“Broadcasters are abusing outdated rules to boost their bottom lines and continue to threaten viewers with blackouts,” the association says on its website. “We are united in our determination to ensure the best viewing experience at an affordable price and to end the public threats of blackouts intended to scare and confuse viewers.”

Super Bowl 50 is Friday pitting the Denver Broncos against the Carolina Panthers.

Despite the blackout, the family-owned WINK has remained on the air elsewhere. It could be seen online, via TV antennas and through Comcast, DirecTV and CenturyLink.

In addition to the Super Bowl, WINK also broadcasts WINK News, “Big Bang Theory,” “Criminal Minds,” “NCIS,” “Survivor” and other popular programs.

This is the second time WINK has gone dark on Dish. Another impasse led to a blackout in 2012, according to the WINK release.The station reports that it has never been blacked out by another TV provider.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (News-Press) (Facebook) or @charlesrunnells (Twitter)