Thousands of TV viewers have proven they’re more loyal to Fox News than to the Dish network, following a dispute between the TV provider and political news channel. Since Dish removed Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network on Dec. 20, the provider has lost about 90,000 subscribers.
The source of the dispute involves an argument over contract negotiations:
Dish CEO Charlie Ergen in a Christmas Eve video on Dishstandsforyou.com said the parties were nearing a deal, even though Fox News was looking for an increase doubling its rate – a hike he said was somewhat justified given its leadership status in the space. He said the talks, broke down when Fox introduced a third network into the conversation, for which it was eyeing a “surcharge” that would have trebled the cost for a service that was not scheduled to expire “for some time.” Ergen didn’t identify the service.
In addition to the 90,000 people who have dropped Dish, a total of 350,000 people have called the provider or searched for alternatives in their area.
So, what is life like without Fox News? Greg Scandlen at The Federalist says being forced to find other news outlets has opened his eyes to just how biased the competition really is:
Both MSNBC and CNN are far more one-sided than I ever realized. Other than “Morning Joe,” they simply do not allow dissenting voices on their daytime programming. Anytime there is a story that needs a political comment, CNN will have a single has-been Democrat member of Congress. When MSNBC wants a variety of viewpoints, they will range from the Huffington Post on the Right to Mother Jones on the Left. Nobody ever disagrees with one another on these shows. It is really extraordinary.
Scandlen says Fox does tend to lean to the right on the political spectrum, but it’s the only network that offers a variety of viewpoints, living up to its “fair and balanced” mantra.
Perhaps Dish will start to live by it too – or continue to watch its subscribers disappear.