FARGO – DIRECTV subscribers can once again watch WDAY-TV of Fargo and KBMY-TV of Bismarck now that a signal carriage agreement has been reached, Forum Communications Co. announced Thursday night, Aug. 18.
However, not all of the stations owned by FCC were part of the deal. WDAZ-TV of Grand Forks, XTRA, Justice Network and MYNetwork TV won’t be offered on DIRECTV, said Mari Ossenfort, FCC’s vice president of broadcasting.
“Thus WDAZ will only be offered over the air or with a cable provider where they are available,” Ossenfort said in a news release.
She said WDAZ-TV plans to distribute a limited number of free antennas to viewers who no longer receive the channel from DIRECTV. Anyone interested should call the station at (701) 775-2511.
Despite the fact that not all FCC stations were included in the deal, Ossenfort said the company is pleased to have WDAY-TV and KBMY-TV back on DIRECTV.
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“We want to thank our viewers for their patience and their loyalty,” she said in the release. “We view DIRECTV as a partner of ours, as we do all cable companies and Dish Network.”
AT&T spokesman Mark Giga expressed similar sentiments in an email.
“AT&T is pleased that Forum Communications has returned WDAY-ABC and WDAY-CW to our Fargo, Valley City and Grand Forks customers' homes and appreciate those same families’ patience over these past several weeks,” he wrote.
Talks between DIRECTV and WDAY-TV, WDAZ-TV and KBMY-TV over a signal carriage contract reached an impasse in early June. And DIRECTV, which is owned by AT&T, subsequently stopped carrying signals for the three stations.
The contract was to have expired on March 31, but it was first extended to May 30 and then to June 1.
Forum Communications Co. also owns The Herald.
