Most of Oregon’s U.S. delegation is calling for an end to AT&T\/DIRECTV’s service blackout of KOIN 6 News.<\/p>\n
In a letter to AT&T\/DIRECTV and KOIN 6 News’ parent company, Nexstar Media Group, U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader, said that while they’re leaving the details of the contract negotiations to the involved parties, they believe “service blackouts threaten the public safety of our constituents and thus run contrary to the public interest.”<\/p>\n
Oregonians need access to urgent local breaking news and severe weather events, the delegation wrote.<\/p>\n
“Given that the Pacific Northwest is bracing for an earthquake of record magnitude and is rapidly approaching another wildfire season, we are especially concerned that our constituents are losing access to timely weather news that could prove lifesaving in the event of disaster,” the delegation continued.<\/p>\n
Monday marks more than two weeks since DIRECTV and “AT&T U-Verse” unilaterally dropped KOIN 6, along with 96 other local television stations across the country. DIRECTV rejected an offer from Nexstar to keep sending KOIN 6 to our viewers.<\/p>\n
Oregon is now one of nine states where legislators have asked AT&T\/DIRECTV to restore Nexstar programming.<\/p>\n