In this undated photo provided by This Is Just A Test (TIJAT) Media and the A&E Network, peace activist Arno Michaelis, left, speaks with Chris Buckley, the Grand Knighthawk for the North Georgia White Knights, on A&E's documentary series "Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America," which premieres on January 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. (TIJAT/A&E via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
A&E is changing the name of its eight-part documentary series about the Ku Klux Klan.
The network says the series will now be called "Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America," not "Generation KKK" as announced earlier this week.
A&E said in a statement Friday that the change was needed to "ensure that no one can mistake its intent and that the title alone does not serve to normalize the Klan."
The network also said civil rights organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change will create educational curricula and other materials to help contextualize the show's content.
"Escaping the KKK" follows individuals and families trying to extract themselves from the racist and anti-Semitic hate group.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
