Four Iowa TV Stations Blacked Out on DISH Network

If you're a DISH Network customer, you might've noticed that one of your local Iowa TV channels has mysteriously disappeared and been replaced with a black screen.

Due to an ongoing dispute between DISH and Gray Media, four stations in four Iowa markets have been removed from the service as of Tuesday, March 10th, with no resolve nor return date in sight.

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What Stations are Affected by the Blackout:

As of this week, Gray-owned stations are no longer on DISH Network. Growing up with DirecTV, I'm used to these types of disputes. Typically, there's little for the consumer other than frustration, as these blackouts tend to effect local channels, which obviously carry local news, leaving those with network TV without much in the way of alternatives.

The following stations have been removed from DISH Network for the time being:

• Cedar Rapids/Iowa City: KCRG (ABC)
• Quad Cities: KWQC (NBC)
• Ottumwa: KYOU (FOX/NBC/CW)
• Sioux City:  KTIV (NBC/CW)

This dispute recalls another that took place in 2023, when TEGNA and DirecTV were in a spat that saw the removal of WOI and WQAD from the satellite service, per The Des Moines Register.

Meanwhile, Gray is the nation's largest owner of "top-rated local television stations and digital assets," which serve 113 full-power TV markets. DISH Network issued a statement regarding the blackout:

Following Gray Media's decision to black out its local stations from the DISH TV lineup, 226 channels in 113 markets are currently unavailable to DISH customers. Gray Media chose to disconnect these stations — which provide critical local news, sports, and weather — after DISH refused to accept unreasonable rate increases that would have raised monthly bills for consumers - DISH Network's statement per The Des Moines Register

DISH Network accused Gray Media of using its market dominance to demand "retransmission consent fee hikes" that they deem antithetical to declining cable viewership and the ubiquity of streaming services. At this time, there's no end to this blackout in sight. Read more on The Des Moines Register's website.