St. Marys customers:
This is not the news we hoped to share, but we are ending our negotiations with WJXT. After three weeks at an impasse, it’s clear an agreement—one satisfactory to both parties—is not going to be reached.
As we said before, we feel it’s our responsibility to advocate on behalf of all of our customers. As a result, we did not make this decision lightly. Since negotiations began, we have been weighing customer feedback, price, and viewership.
We heard your calls and read the messages you sent or posted, both for and against keeping WJXT. We also carefully considered what price we feel is reasonable for a product that’s available free online and via WJXT’s news app (for Android and iOS). Finally, we looked at how many of our customers view WJXT every day—a number that is less than five percent of our St. Marys subscribers.
Understanding that WJXT’s dedicated fans would like to keep the channel, we offered to carry it as an a la carte option. The station would have received 100 percent of the fees for those who decided to add the channel. This offer was rejected.
As a result of our decision, the channel will stay dark and it will be removed from our channel lineup.
This does not make me happy at all. Now I have to make a decision.
Not happy! I guess I am going to be leaving TDS.
I am very disappointed with TDS to have not reached an equitable agreement with WJXT on behalf of their loyal paying customers. I find it very hard to believe that only 5% of Saint Marys customers were WJXT viewers. I have missed the only news station that I have been watching for nearly 20 years now.
I find it unacceptable for TDS to offer such a pitiful consolation as still having the ability to view a favored channel online or via their app. This does not speak to me as a provider who values their customers- especially at the steep prices being paid each month.
Perhaps as TDS’ loyal customer base falls off they might reconsider.
I for one thank TDS for not having to a greedy independent television channel. WJXT is not affiliated with any network, so at most you get mediocre local news for Jacksonville. Mostly reruns for shows, they have to pay for those rights- that is why they have to charge television providers so much now, so that cost would be in our bill raising. That’s not worth it to me, and at least 95% of TDS TV customers. No loss here.