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Verizon Customers Could Soon Lose ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Stations If a New Deal With Nexstar is Not Reached

Luke Bouma

Verizon FiOs customers across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions brace for the possible disappearance of essential broadcast channels from their lineups. The conflict pits Verizon, a dominant force in both mobile and fiber-optic television services, against Nexstar Media Group, the nation’s largest owner of local TV stations. As negotiations stall, the pro-multichannel video programming distributor American Television Alliance has issued stark warnings about an impending blackout, highlighting the stations’ role in delivering popular network programming from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and The CW.

Verizon FiOs, which has carved out a significant niche in cable television delivery outside its more ubiquitous wireless reputation, relies on agreements with broadcasters to carry local affiliates. These deals, renegotiated periodically, compensate station owners for the value their content adds to pay-TV bundles. Nexstar, controlling over 200 stations in more than 100 markets, argues that rising production costs and the shift toward streaming demand higher fees to reflect the affiliates’ contributions to viewership. Verizon, however, views these requests as excessive, potentially driving up subscriber bills without commensurate benefits. The standoff echoes a pattern of disputes in the industry, where broadcasters leverage blackouts as bargaining chips to extract concessions from distributors.

The stakes are particularly high in urban centers where FiOs maintains a strong presence, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and smaller markets like Buffalo and Syracuse. Without resolution, subscribers could lose access to prime-time dramas, local news, sports broadcasts, and syndicated favorites that anchor evening routines. For instance, in the New York area, the outage would strip away CW programming from WPIX, alongside niche channels like Antenna TV and Rewind TV, which offer classic reruns beloved by nostalgia seekers. Similarly, Philadelphia viewers might find themselves without the CW and MyNetwork offerings on WPHL, compounded by the loss of Grit and Comet for action and sci-fi enthusiasts.

Extending into the nation’s capital, D.C. residents could see a double hit: WDCW’s CW and Antenna TV feeds vanishing, paired with WDVM’s ION Mystery, Rewind TV, and ShopLC, alongside its local DC News Now service. This fragmentation threatens comprehensive coverage of political events, a cornerstone for the Beltway audience. Further south in Richmond, WRIC’s ABC affiliation would go dark, taking with it Rewind TV, COZI TV, and Laff, disrupting everything from national morning shows to family comedies.

The ripple effects spread northward to New England and upstate New York. Providence’s WPRI, a CBS powerhouse, serves as a vital link for Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, with its MyNetwork, True Crime Network, and Defy TV subchannels providing diverse evening options. In Buffalo, the dual blow of CBS on WIVB and CW on WNLO, including Rewind TV, could isolate sports fans during Bills games or Sabres highlights. Syracuse’s WSYR, carrying ABC alongside Antenna TV and Bounce TV, faces similar jeopardy, as does Albany’s WTEN with its ABC, COZI TV, Antenna TV, and ION Mystery lineup. Greenwich, Connecticut, stands to lose WTNH’s ABC signal, a key outlet for Connecticut commuters tied to New York media habits.

Down the coast in Norfolk and the Hampton Roads area, WAVY’s NBC, The Nest, getTV, and Defy TV would exit screens, while WVBT’s FOX, CW, Rewind TV, and COZI TV add to the void, potentially silencing coverage of Norfolk’s naval community and Virginia Beach events. Harrisburg’s WHTM rounds out the ABC losses in Pennsylvania, with Grit and Laff subchannels enhancing its appeal for history buffs and humor lovers.

Beyond these local affiliates, the dispute extends to NewsNation, Nexstar’s national cable news network, which blends straight-reporting segments with in-depth investigations. Its absence from FiOs could leave subscribers scrambling for alternatives amid a polarized media landscape, where options for centrist perspectives remain limited.

For FiOs users, the advice is clear: monitor emails and app notifications for updates, and consider over-the-air antennas as a backup for core network signals. As the clock ticks, this feud underscores the fragility of the traditional TV ecosystem, where local stations—gatekeepers of community identity—collide with the economics of bundled services. Resolution seems distant, but the pressure from affected markets may yet force a compromise, preserving the airwaves for those who still tune in via cable.

Full List of Impacted Stations:

According to a report from The Wrap.

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