This is the response I got from LIN;
Dear Robert,
Thank you for your email and I understand your frustration. We are trying hard to come to an agreement with DISH network. The rates we are asking for are a fraction of what DISH pays for many cable networks that you may never even watch. Local television stations are consistently ranked among the most-watched channels, in part because we provide local news and programming that cable networks don't offer and we host/sponsor important community service events, yet we do not get compensated fairly for the value of our stations. Nobody would find that reasonable, which is why Congress enacted laws that allow us to negotiate for fair compensation.
"DISH is using 140% as a public relations scare tactic. The fact is we are asking for pennies a day per subscriber. Any increase in pennies is going to result in a large percentage. For instance, if you go from 1 cent to 2 cents, that is a 100% increase. We are only asking for fair value, again pennies a day per subscriber, which is far less than what DISH is paying for cable channels that you may never even watch."
We do not want to lose subscribers or advertisers, we just want to come to a reasonable agreement with DISH. For more information; please go to our website
LIN Media
Thank you for supporting your Local stations.
From: Robert Meyer
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 19:21:57 -0700
Subject: Dish network
Hi,
I am a Dish network subscriber and I usually record your local Albuquerque CBS affiliate Over The Air on a Sony HD DVR, not Dish network, so if you don't get your extortionist price increase from Dish, I will not really be affected. However, I do pay Dish network for a programming package that includes local programming, and your 140% price increase demand could result in a rate increase that I would wind up paying for. BE REASONABLE!!!!! A 140% price increase is not reasonable for something that is free OTA.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Meyer
Let's see. Are they asking for 2 cents a day? That would be about 60 cents per month. That's more than Dish pays for most cable networks which I can't receive OTA for free. Every other local will then start demanding a big increase too. Dish customers ultimately have to pay for this, even if we don't watch that channel on Dish or watch it OTA.