Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., appeared on Newsmax's "National Report" and said the censorship of Newsmax by DirecTV doesn't "make a lot of sense," specifically due to the lack of a clearly defined reason.
"I think it's really unfortunate," said Fry. "I think Newsmax delivers such a good product to millions of Americans around the country, and to see this, I think is really frustrating.
"I've heard it from my constituents back home … it's really frustrating, particularly the reasoning they've been given. Doesn't really — to me — make a lot of sense."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain
Newsmax is the fourth highest-rated cable news channel reaching 25 million Americans, according to Nielsen.
DirecTV claimed both Newsmax and OAN were removed as "cost-cutting" measures.
At the same time the service continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many with much lower ratings than Newsmax. And all of those channels get license fees.
This week DirecTV claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would cost them in the "tens of millions" of dollars.
Newsmax has denied these claims, saying it was seeking a fee of about $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest fees asked for in cable, and that the total amount of the deal was a fraction of "tens of millions."
"This was never about the fees being excessive," Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, said. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax, of all cable news channels, should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny."
DirecTV has issued a statement it wants Newsmax back on its service, but only on its terms.
Ruddy said there has been no real negotiation and no flexibility by DirecTV in its refusal to pay any carriage fees to the network.
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain.
2. AT&T customers call toll free at 888-855-2338 to cancel/complain for U-verse, cellular and wireless services.
3. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!
4. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.