Grand Junction, Colorado – Thousands of Western Colorado families woke up Tuesday morning and turned on their TV to find KJCT News 8, CW 13, and Ion completely gone from their DISH lineup. The blackout started at midnight after Gray Television and DISH failed to reach a new carriage agreement.
For many viewers, this is more than an inconvenience. KJCT is the only local TV station that covers Mesa County breaking news, weather, and high school sports every single night.
Why Your Screen Just Went Dark
DISH and Gray Television, the owner of KJCT, blame each other for the collapse in talks.
A DISH spokesperson told KJCT that Gray demanded “an excessive rate increase that would have forced us to raise prices on all customers.” Gray fired back, saying DISH refused a fair deal that would have kept the station on the air.
This is the same fight that has blacked out local channels across America dozens of times in the last five years. DISH currently has active disputes with other station groups, leaving millions without their hometown news.
Right now, every single DISH customer in the Grand Valley cannot watch KJCT News 8, The CW, or Ion.
How Long Will This Last?
Neither side is talking timeline.
Past DISH blackouts have lasted anywhere from a few days to several months. The longest recent dispute kept Nexstar stations off DISH for 76 days in 2019-2020.
Gray Television says it is “committed to reaching a fair agreement” but will not accept terms that hurt its ability to keep delivering local journalism.
Here Are All Your Options Right Now
You do NOT have to wait for DISH and Gray to fix this. Here are the fastest ways to get KJCT News 8 back today:
- Switch to DIRECTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or Fubo – all carry KJCT with no blackout
- Put up an antenna – KJCT is free over the air 24/7
- Download the free KJCT News 8 app on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or your phone
- Watch every newscast live on kjct8.com or the station’s YouTube channel
Call DISH at 800-333-3474 and tell them you want KJCT back. The more customers who speak up, the faster these disputes usually end.
This Keeps Happening to Local TV
DISH has dropped or threatened to drop local stations more than 200 times since 2017, according to the American Television Alliance.
Every time, families lose the news team they trust for severe weather alerts, election results, and stories about their own kids.
Longtime Grand Junction resident Linda Martinez told KJCT, “When the tornado sirens went off last summer, I turned on Channel 8. That’s who I trust. DISH took that away from us.”
The Bigger Picture for Local News
Stations like KJCT are fighting for every dollar because advertising money has moved to Google and Facebook. Carriage fees from pay-TV companies now make up a huge part of the budget that keeps newsrooms running.
When those deals fall apart, the people who lose are the viewers who count on local reporting every single day.
KJCT News 8 has been Western Colorado’s trusted station for decades. The team says they are not going anywhere and will keep bringing you the news no matter what platform you use.
Stay with us. We’re still here for you, on air, online, and on every app. And we’re fighting to get back on DISH as fast as possible.
Drop your thoughts below: Are you affected by the DISH blackout? What service are you switching to? Use #BringBackKJCT and tag your friends so DISH hears how many Western Colorado voices are missing their local news.
