No Subject

Subject: Will Channel 38 soon say "Good-Bye" to the Celtics?

Today (Monday), I spotted on Yahoo's entertainment news page a story that
 UPN will expand to five nights of programming a week from the current
 three the week of October 6th. Thursdays and Fridays will be added.
\

With this move to take effect just after the start of the 1998/99 NHL
 season and just before the start of the 1998/99 NBA season, the message
 is clear: I think Channel 38 will not bid to renew the Celtics because
 with 5 nights of UPN prime-time programming a week this fall (going to
 6 or even 7 nights in the fall of 1999, but probably 7 nights no later
 than the fall of 2000), there will be no room for the Celtics.

I also would think that when WSBK's long-term Bruins contract ends after
 the 2001-2002 season, that WSBK won't renew either, because UPN by that
 time will probably be programming seven nights of prime-time a week.

Actually, I thought I had read somewhere or heard somewhere that WSBK had
 already decided not to renew the Celtics because of an expanding UPN
 lineup (perhaps someone else on this newsgroup can verify this).

Last week, Jim Baker in the Herald wrote that Fox Sports New England had
 made a huge offer which would give it exclusive rights to all Celtics
 games not on NBC. If that bid is accepted, FSNE might make the Celts
 cable-exclusive.

Currently, there are two NBA teams--New York and New Jersey--that do not
 have any local over-the-air TV coverage. Rights to all non-network games
 of both teams are held by MSG and Fox Sports New York, respectively.
 I believe these networks made the deals to preclude over-the-air local
 telecasts since otherwise, MSG and FSNY might have fewer subscribers
 if fans realized "I could see SOME Knicks and Nets games on free TV".
 But by having all the rights, the message is clear--except for the
 rare network games, you'd need cable to see the Knicks and Nets.

Another possibility: Fox Sports New England gets the rights to all Celtics
 games and then re-sells some away games (perhaps 20) to an over-the-
 air TV station (read: channel 68). According to a recent issue of
 Broadcasting & Cable magazine, various Fox Sports regional networks 
 have exclusive TV rights to four Major League Baseball teams. In theory,
 the appropriate Fox Sports network could air all games not on Fox (broad-
 cast network; Saturday afternoons) or ESPN (Sunday nights). But in the
 cases of the four baseball teams, Fox Sports has re-sold rights to some
 games (average of 50 to 60 per team) to a local TV station.

Were Fox Sports to acquire all Celtics TV rights and then re-sell rights
 to 20 away games to Channel 68, you can bet that FSNE would keep to
 themselves the "big" aweay games (e.g. Chicago, Indiana, New York,
 Miami, Utah, Los Angeles Lakers), while WABU's 20 games would be
 against the "stiffs" (e.g. Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, Toronto,
 Vancouver, and Los Angeles Clippers).

Regardless of the Celtics situation (I at this point think FSNE would get
 the rights to all the games and re-sell the rights for 20 away games
 against weaker NBA clubs to WABU), I think WABU might wish to approach
 WSBK about buying-out the remaining four years of the latter's long-
 term Bruins agreement. 

There would be some advantages in WABU buying-out the rest of WSBK's
 Bruins contract:

(1) No more conflicts with UPN. The Bruins would get more of the key
 games they want on over-the-air TV broadcast on over-the-air TV.

(2) After WSBK lost the Sox, many of their key sports production personell
 left the station. Many have landed at WABU.

(3) The quality of WSBK's Bruins and Celtics telecasts has dramatically
 fallen over the past few years. Prior to 1995, WSBK's coverage of the
 Bruins and Celtics was considered the best local TV coverage in the NHL
 and NBA respectively.

(4) WABU could sell sponsorships to the Bruins in a package with the Red
 Sox, BU hockey and men's basketball, and (if they acquire them) the
 Celtics.

(5) It could lift the overall ratings of WABU.

Joseph Gallant

<notquite@hotmail.com>

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #36
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