DIRECTV subscribers in several mid-sized U.S. markets woke up on March 7, 2026, to find five local broadcast stations missing from their channel lineups. The blackout stems from a failed retransmission consent agreement between the satellite and streaming provider DIRECTV and Morgan Murphy Media, a family-owned broadcaster based in Madison, Wisconsin. The carriage dispute escalated after the previous contract expired at midnight on March 6, resulting in the immediate removal of the stations’ signals across DIRECTV’s satellite platform, U-verse television service, and associated streaming options, as spotted by the TV Answer Man.
In a statement to Cord Cutters News a DIRECTV spokesperson said: “Morgan Murphy has temporarily blocked our customers’ access to its local stations to try to force them to pay lots more for much of the same programming for the next few years. Morgan Murphy has tried this many times before, with our customers and others, and a little patience today can help us to keep costs down in the future. We want our customers to receive the best value for their money and appreciate their understanding as we work with Morgan Murphy to reconnect them as soon as possible.“
The affected stations include KXLY, the ABC affiliate serving Spokane, Washington, and surrounding areas in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. In Wisconsin, viewers lost access to WISC, the CBS and MyNetworkTV affiliate in Madison, as well as WKBT, the CBS affiliate covering La Crosse, Eau Claire, and parts of western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa. Rounding out the list are APP, the ABC affiliate reaching the Yakima, Pasco, and Richland tri-cities area in central Washington, and KOAM, the CBS affiliate for the Joplin, Missouri, and Pittsburg, Kansas, region.
Morgan Murphy Media operates a portfolio of stations primarily in smaller to medium-sized markets, focusing on local news, community programming, and network affiliations with major broadcasters like ABC and CBS. The company has a history of negotiating carriage deals with various pay-TV providers, including past disputes that have occasionally led to temporary blackouts. DIRECTV, which has been working to manage rising programming costs amid shifting viewer habits toward streaming, maintains that the broadcaster is seeking substantial fee increases for the right to carry its stations’ signals. The provider argues that such demands strain efforts to keep subscription prices reasonable for customers while preserving long-term affordability.
The blackout affects everyday viewing for thousands of households reliant on DIRECTV for local news, weather updates, sports coverage, and prime-time network programming. In regions like Spokane and Madison, where local stations play a central role in delivering breaking news and emergency information, the loss of over-the-air signals via pay-TV could disrupt access to critical community content. Viewers in these areas may turn to over-the-air antennas, alternative streaming services, or competing cable providers to regain access to the channels, assuming those platforms maintain agreements with Morgan Murphy Media.
Both sides have expressed a desire to resolve the issue swiftly and restore service. Morgan Murphy Media has encouraged affected subscribers to reach out directly to DIRECTV to voice support for bringing the stations back online. The broadcaster has positioned the dispute as a necessary step to secure fair compensation for the valuable local content it produces, which includes extensive news operations and community engagement. DIRECTV, in turn, has highlighted its ongoing commitment to delivering strong value to subscribers and its efforts to negotiate terms that balance costs without passing excessive increases onto consumers.
Carriage disputes of this nature have become increasingly common in the evolving television landscape, as broadcasters seek higher retransmission fees to offset declining traditional ad revenue, while pay-TV providers push back against escalating expenses in a competitive market dominated by streaming giants. Previous negotiations between these parties and others have sometimes extended into weeks or months before agreements are reached. No specific timeline for resolution has emerged, leaving subscribers in the impacted markets to monitor updates closely. In the interim, the absence of these stations underscores the fragility of local broadcast access in an era of fragmented media delivery.
The situation highlights broader challenges facing the industry, including the tension between maintaining local journalism and managing distribution costs. As negotiations continue behind the scenes, DIRECTV customers in Spokane, Madison, La Crosse, Yakima, Joplin, and nearby communities await a breakthrough that would return their local channels to the lineup.
Please add Cord Cutters News as a source for your Google News feed HERE. Please follow us on Facebook and X for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.