DirecTV blackout may impact weekend NFL fans

KION subscribers of DirecTV may not be able to watch Sunday’s AFC championship game.

DirecTV shut off KION local news and network programming at 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, January 12 th .

KION’s parent company, News-Press and Gazette Broadcast (NPG) has been attempting to negotiate with DirecTV since September 6 th and agreed to eight short-term contract extensions in an effort to avoid the disruption. On Thursday, January 19 th , one week after the blackout began, DirecTV called for an single-day Sunday exemption. NPG President of Broadcast Mike Meara declined, stating “DirecTV has been consistently slow and unrealistic in its negotiating. It is unfair that DirecTV is placing its customers in the middle of this, just as it is unfair for them to expect NPG to accept terms dissimilar to what we have agreed to with other providers.”

390-thousand DirecTV subscribers are impacted by the DirecTV blackout in NPG’s 10 local television markets; Colorado Springs, CO, El Paso, TX, Santa Barbara, CA, Monterey, CA, Columbia, MO, Palm Springs, CA, Idaho Falls, ID, Yuma, AZ, Bend, OR and St. Joseph, MO. There has not been any disruption of service for customers of other satellite or cable providers.

NPG is keeping its viewers up to date on the dispute in its local newscasts and on the company’s website: http://www.npgco.com/SaveMyLocalStation

Sunday’s NFL Championship, meantime, will be available to impacted viewers over the air.

American Football Conference: Steelers vs. Patriots, 3:30 p.m. PT on CBS