AT&T/DIRECTV: Facts and questions on WSOC-TV negotiations

1. What is happening?

By law, WSOC-TV must negotiate carriage agreements with satellite companies like AT&T/DIRECTV. Usually, these deals are reached without any disruption to service to viewers. In fact, our company has completed dozens of agreements -- including several in the past few weeks -- with only the rarest of disruptions. Unfortunately, so far, AT&T/DIRECTV has refused to reach a fair, market-based deal to carry WSOC-TV. Our existing agreement with AT&T/DIRECTV expired at 3 a.m. on New Year's Morning. No deal was reached by then, so you will lose live access to the shows, sports and local news on WSOC-TV, which you rely on and are paying for. We are continuing to negotiate with AT&T/DIRECTV, but AT&T/DIRECTV has refused to agree to reasonable terms for the valuable programming we provide.

2. As a AT&T/DIRECTV customer, what can I do to continue to watch my favorite shows on WSOC-TV?

The best thing viewers can do is call your service provider at 1-800-288-2020 (AT&T), 1-800-531-5000 (DIRECTV) or 1-855-380-6515 (DIRECTV). Tell AT&T/DIRECTV that you pay them a lot of money to watch your favorite shows on WSOC-TV, including How To Get Away With Murder, Scandal, Designated Survivor, Good Morning America and Channel 9 Eyewitness News. Tell AT&T/DIRECTV that if it drops WSOC-TV, then you will drop them.

3. Why does WSOC-TV charge cable and satellite operators a fee to carry their programming?

Producing and broadcasting high-rated, top-quality programming is very expensive. WSOC-TV invests hundreds of thousands of dollars in our local news, weather and emergency programming. Without the fees from cable and satellite operators, this would not be possible.

4. What is a "fair" price for WSOC-TV 's programming and why is AT&T/DIRECTV refusing to pay that price?

We have carriage agreements with every other major cable and satellite company that is carrying WSOC-TV, including DISH and Comcast. In fact, we just recently concluded a new long-term agreement with Comcast that will ensure continued service from that provider. AT&T/DIRECTV, however, insists that it should pay substantially lower rates than what it pays competing video providers. Naturally, we cannot give away our product for less than it is worth.

5. What does AT&T/DIRECTV pay for other channels?

Based on publicly available information, AT&T/DIRECTV pays over $6 per subscriber per month for ESPN. In other words, $6 from your monthly bill goes straight to ESPN. Our ratings are much higher than ESPN's yet we are asking for far, far less than what AT&T/DIRECTV pays to ESPN. More importantly, ESPN has NO local programming, NO local employees, NO local investments and a very small local audience -- unlike WSOC-TV.

6. Won't my cable rates go up if AT&T/DIRECTV has to pay WSOC-TV?

Whether rates go up depends on decisions made by AT&T/DIRECTV. Like all cable and satellite companies, AT&T/DIRECTV is already charging you to receive WSOC-TV as part of your monthly bill. AT&T/DIRECTV should stop overpaying for channels its customers do not watch and re-allocate that money to the channels, like WSOC-TV, that its subscribers turn to every day. In any event, we do not control how much AT&T/DIRECTV pays to other channels or how it manages its business. We simply ask that AT&T/DIRECTV pay a fair market price for our content, just as its competitors do; and we have and will continue to negotiate with AT&T/DIRECTV in good faith in an effort to successfully complete a deal with them.

7. If AT&T/DIRECTV stops carrying WSOC-TV, will I get a refund on my bill?

It is up to AT&T/DIRECTV to resolve such questions with its customers. But, you could call AT&T/DIRECTV at 1-800-531-5000 or 1-855-380-6515 to demand a refund because if AT&T/DIRECTV drops your favorite programming, you no longer will be getting what you pay for.

8. Is there anything the public can do to help make sure that WSOC-TV remains on AT&T/DIRECTV?

The best way to influence this controversy is for you to register your support of how important it is for them to continue to carry the station by calling DIRECTV at 1-800-531-5000 or 1-855-380-6515. You pay DIRECTV a lot of money. It will listen to your voices, or you can contact any number of other providers that are committed to providing you with the programming you watch every day:

Charter/Time Warner Cable: 1-877-566-4892 or www.timewarnercable.com

Comcast:  1-800-XFINITY (1-800-934-6489) or http://www.xfinity.com/

DISH Network:  1-844-203-4552 or http://www.dish.com/

Regardless, WSOC-TV will continue to work hard to try and get a successful outcome to this negotiation so that you do not lose live access to any of your favorite programming, but the ball remains in AT&T/DIRECTV's court to step up like all of their competitors and peers have done.

Cox Media Group