Fox Providence has also been unavailable on rival satellite network DirecTV since October.
PROVIDENCE — Fox Providence has been removed from the DISH Network amid a contract dispute between the station's distributor, Mission Broadcasting, and the satellite TV provider.
Customers of the other satellite TV provider, DirecTV, have been without WNAC Fox Providence and its sister station The CW since they were pulled on Oct. 21.
The contract with DISH Network expired on Dec. 27, but the channels were only removed on Friday, according to a news release from DISH.
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The dispute affects 28 local markets across the country. Providence's WNAC and ABC affiliate WVNY in Burlington, Vermont, are the only two markets affected in New England.
What is causing the contract dispute?
DISH Network described the dispute as Mission Broadcasting demanding "unreasonable rate increases as their viewership with DISH subscribers continues to decline."
A message on the home page of Fox Providence's website offers the other side of the dispute.
"DISH Subscribers: WNAC has been forced off your line-up, and important programming you pay for has disappeared," said the website, which prompts subscribers to call DISH to demand the return of WNAC.
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"WNAC FOX Providence has presented a proposal for fair value compensation based on the importance and value our programming brings our viewers," according to a Fox Providence web page devoted to the dispute. "Despite our tireless efforts, DISH has refused our fair offer and is making negotiations very difficult."
Among its programming, Fox Providence broadcasts college basketball and some NFL games.
WPRI-TV, owned by Nexstar and distributed by Mission Broadcasting, was pulled from Verizon's Fios lineup in October 2022 following a similar dispute but was restored after 15 days.
How can I watch Fox Providence?
Fox Providence can still be accessed over the airwaves with a TV antenna on Channel 64, or with a subscription to YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV.
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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite atwcowperthwaite@providencejournal.comor follow him on Twitter@WheelerReporter.
