EchoStar Wins Station Carriage Case

[Gregg Lengling]

EchoStar won a must-carry case at the Federal Communications Commission concerning a station in the Columbia-Jefferson City, Mo., area.

New Life Evangelistic Center, licensee of television station KNLJ, filed a complaint against EchoStar concerning carriage of its local TV station via DISH Network. EchoStar filed an opposition to the complaint and New Life eventually filed a reply, the FCC said.

In denying New Life Evangelistic's complaint, the Media Bureau at the FCC said the station's request for carriage wasn't filed in a timely manner. Commission rules require a TV station to request carriage within 30 days of receiving notice that a satellite carrier intends to commence local-into-local service. KNLJ failed to request carriage within 30 days of a letter sent Oct. 16 by EchoStar and, therefore, the station's election was untimely, the bureau said.