WMUR Goes Dark Over Fee Fight

TV news enthusiasts in some parts of New Hampshire are without WMUR today, due to a carrier fee fued between the news station's parent company, Hearst Television Inc., and Time-Warner, which serves markets to the west and northeast of Nashua, including Keene, the Lakes Region and the North Country, according to a statement posted on WMUR.com.

The disconnect between Hearst and Time Warner is not just happening here, however. It's a national break-up between the two media companies affecting programming in 14 major markets around the country, including Mancheser, Boston, and Portland, Maine.

WMUR's post reads in part, "Contrary to Time Warner’s claim, we have not 'blacked out' our station. You may continue to receive our station for free, over the air, or by satellite from DirecTV or DISH, and, where available, from other cable operators. " 

The statement also references Time Warner's refusal "to pay our station a reasonable fee relative to what it pays for other significantly less popular channels. Time Warner’s characterization of the percentage increase in carriage fees we are seeking is inaccurate."

That statement followed a post on a Time Warner web site that “Hearst’s demand for a nearly 300 percent increase is way out of line. That kind of outrageous increase is unfair to our customers and unsustainable for our business.”