Senator Markey has been working to bring back in-state programming to Berkshire viewers for nearly three years

Massachusetts (March 31, 2020) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congressman Richard E. Neal (MA-01) announced that as of today, Charter Communications cable subscribers in Berkshire County now have access to WWLP, the Springfield Massachusetts NBC station. On a new channel 14 (channel 16 in Lee), which is available now, subscribers can see live WWLP news programming as it airs, including the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. Charter subscribers in the Berkshires will also continue to have access to broadcast stations based in Albany, New York. WWLP has not been on Charter's channel lineup in the Berkshires since April 2017.  

Senator Markey has worked with Senator Elizabeth Warren and Chairman Richard Neal for approximately three years to bring the station back on the air in the region.

“During the current coronavirus crisis, it is more important than ever that the people of the Berkshires have access to Massachusetts news and information,” said Senator Markey. “The coronavirus emergency is changing rapidly, and public officials across the state are continually issuing critical announcements that must reach every corner of the state. Viewers in the Berkshires will now have access to this vital Massachusetts news source once again. I want to thank Nexstar, WWLP’s owner, and Charter for following through on their commitment to me and the people of the Berkshires. And I thank Senator Warren and Congressman Neal for their years’ long partnership on this issue.”

“As our nation and Commonwealth grapple with this public health emergency, it’s critical that residents in the Berkshires have access to local programming that is accurate, reliable, and relevant to their community,” said Senator Warren. “I’m glad that WWLP will be returning to Berkshire County tomorrow and I’m thankful to Senator Markey and Congressman Neal for helping to get this done.”

“An emergency like the global coronavirus pandemic is the reason why we have been advocating so strongly for the return of WWLP TV-22 to the airways in Berkshire County,” said Congressman Neal. “During a time of crisis, like COVID-19, the public wants to be educated and informed with a reliable local news source. After more than three years of hard work, the people of the Berkshires will finally be able to view Massachusetts based news programming, and it could not have happened at a more appropriate time.”

Because the Berkshires are technically part of the Albany, New York “Designated Market Area,” Western Massachusetts viewers have only had access broadcast stations that focus on New York. Berkshire County is, therefore, known as an “orphan county,” like other counties in Wisconsin, Colorado, and Nebraska. 

Senator Markey previously introduced legislation with Senator Warren and Rep. Neal that would force the cable company Charter to engage in good faith negotiations with WWLP and WCVB to bring those stations back on the air in Berkshire County. Specifically, the bill authorizes a cable operator (Charter) to transmit any station that was retransmitted to viewers on December 1, 2016, including WWLP and WCVB, to subscribers in the Albany Designated Market Area, which includes Berkshire County, and forces Charter and the stations to negotiate carriage. The bill also preserves Berkshire County residents’ access to Albany, New York stations that provide relevant weather updates and important emergency information. Senator Markey pushed for a version of this bill as an amendment to the 2019 satellite reauthorization bill in the Senate Commerce Committee. 

Senator Markey has personally met with the CEOs of Charter and Nexstar, WWLP’s owner, and encouraged the two parties to resolve their dispute and meet Berkshire residents’ demand for Massachusetts television programming. Over the past three years, Senator Markey’s staff has been in regular contact with both companies and has worked to return carriage of Massachusetts programming to the Berkshires.

Additional steps the lawmakers have taken to bring Massachusetts television programming to Berkshire County include:

• Senators Markey, Warren, and Rep. Neal sent a letter to Charter and WWLP, encouraging both parties to pursue good faith negotiations to restore Berkshire viewers’ access to the Springfield station (March 2017);
• Senators Markey, Warren, and Rep. Neal sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai calling on the Commission to identify opportunities to resolve Charter’s dispute with WWLP (September 2017);
• Senator Markey met with senior staff at the FCC to discuss logistical considerations around potential solutions to the orphan county issue in Western Massachusetts (April 2018);
• Senators Markey, Warren, and Rep. Neal Sent a letter to Charter and WCVB, the ABC station in Boston, expressing concerns about the ongoing business dispute between the two parties and pushing for good faith negotiations to bring this station back to viewers in Berkshire County (May 2018);
• Senator Markey sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, urging them to support legislation that would bring Massachusetts programming back to viewers in the Berkshires and solve other orphan counties across the county (October 2019).

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