The influential Conservative Party of New York has issued a statement criticizing DirecTV parent company AT&T after the distributor dropped Newsmax from its network lineup.
The party, which received more than 300,000 votes in the 2022 election, making it the third-most voted for party in New York state, said in a statement: "Political speech, particularly dissenting speech, is America's most precious resource, whether it comes from the political left or the political right."
The statement continued, "The New York State Conservative Party is, therefore, alarmed at AT&T's decision to pull the Newsmax channel from its . . . offerings. We suspect this wasn't done for the economic reasons AT&T claims — Newsmax has a considerable audience — it was a political decision based on faddish prejudices in corporate boardrooms against legitimate conservative opinion."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
The message comes just a day after the Republican Party, via the Republican National Committee, issued an email urging members to support Newsmax.
"DirecTV has claimed that their decision was the result of a dispute over carrier fees, but this is yet another example of powerful corporations silencing conservative viewpoints," RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote. "It's anti-free-speech and anti-American."
Newsmax is America's fourth highest-rated news network in the cable landscape and a top-20 overall channel that reaches 25 million Americans weekly, according to the Nielsen ratings.
DirecTV said it dropped the popular network due to "cost-cutting" measures.
AT&T DirecTV also carries 22 left-leaning news channels, many of which draw considerably lower ratings than Newsmax, and those channels get paid license fees.
This week, DirecTV claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would amount to "tens of millions" of dollars. Newsmax denied that, saying it is seeking an approximate fee of $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest requested fees in cable.
"This was never about the fees being excessive," said Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax of all cable news channels should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny."
DirecTV recently issued a statement it wants Newsmax back on its service, but on its terms.
Consequently, Ruddy said there has been no real negotiation or no flexibility provided by DirecTV in its refusal to pay carriage fees.
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!
2. 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!
3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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