IDAHO FALLS — DirecTV subscribers in Eastern Idaho will no longer be able to watch Local News 8 or CW East Idaho programming, according to KIFI General Manager Monte Young.

    KIFI programming, with a studio based in Idaho Falls, was pulled from the airwaves Wednesday at 11 a.m.

    “I am disappointed that DirecTV would deprive its subscribers of station KIFI’s highly rated, national and local programming,” Young said in a news release. “However, the station can still be received over-the-air, free and via local cable systems and the Dish Network satellite service.”

    Young indicated that he had been in negotiations with DirecTV for several weeks but that the negotiations reached an impasse earlier this week.

    The station’s current carriage agreement with DirecTV expired on Sept. 30.

    “In an effort to accommodate DirecTV, and avoid a disruption of service to DirecTV satellite subscribers, the station granted DirecTV an extension to noon, Central Time, on Oct. 9,” Young said.

    Satellite companies, like cable companies, mark-up the price they pay for local broadcast signals and re-sell those signals to their subscribers, according to Young.

    Cable ONE officials announced on Oct. 1 that all Turner Network channels were removed from the line-up due to a concerted retaliation effort associated with ongoing contract negotiations.

     As a result, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Headline News, Turner Classic Movies, TruTV and Boomerang are no longer accessible to local Cable ONE customers.

    Following the public announcement last Tuesday, Cable ONE officials said Turner Network deauthorized signals to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network, despite the fact they have a valid contract to continue carriage of those channels.

    “Turner has chosen to punish our customers by deauthorizing the signals for these channels so that they will no longer receive them,” said Cable ONE Public Relations Manager Trish Niemann last week. “We believe that they have deauthorized these channels in retaliation for us dropping their less popular programming.”

    Cable ONE will be crediting customers accordingly. Such customers do not need to call in to receive their credit as it will automatically be applied and will appear on their next billing statement.

    Young said KIFI’s proposal, in comparison to what DirecTV pays for less popular programming, is very modest and is consistent with today’s market rates.

    “I hope the current impasse will be resolved and the disruption in service for DirecTV’s subscribers will end,” Young concluded. “But, DirecTV subscribers may wish to make plans for receiving the station off the air for free, or switch to a local cable company or a satellite service.”