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Impasse continues to block Channel 8 from DirecTV

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Though talks are ongoing, it’s unlikely the carriage fee dispute between local CBS affiliate Channel 8 and DirecTV will be resolved before Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff between the San Diego Chargers and the Arizona Cardinals.

That means the preseason game will be blacked out for DirecTV subscribers in San Diego County for the second straight week.

The two sides are embroiled in negotiations over the price DirecTV must pay to carry KFMB Channel 8. DirecTV claims Channel 8 wants to double what it charges for content that can be received over the air for free. It says the increase could result in higher monthly rates for its subscribers.

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Channel 8 counters that it has successfully reached agreements with all other pay TV provider in the local market. The rate increase would amount to less than 2 cents per subscriber per day.

It offered DirecTV the same rate that AT&T – DirecTV’s new parent company – currently pays to carry Channel 8 on U-Verse locally. The offer was rejected.

DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said Friday that there are no updates on negotiations.

Pat Nevin, vice president and general manager of Channel 8, said both sides are talking, but he doubts that the impasse will be resolved before Saturday’s game.

Channel 8 has the local broadcast rights to all four Chargers preseason games this year.

“I am frustrated that we haven’t been able to reach an agreement,” said Nevin. “We are doing everything we can to get this resolved.”

DirecTV declined to say how many subscribers it has in the San Diego market for competitive reasons. Channel 8 estimates that it is less that 150,000.

DirecTV subscribers could try to get the game over the air, but the topography of the county makes it difficult to receive a good signal in some neighborhoods. In addition, a digital antenna may be needed.

While carriage fee battles often involve regional sports networks, local stations are increasingly butting heads with pay TV providers. On Thursday, the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, KSL-TV, blacked out its signal on DirecTV in Utah after negotiations broke down.

Local broadcasters have blacked out their stations 65 times so far this year, according to the American Television Alliance, a pay TV industry group.