Re: Opportunity missed for Sox

["Sean Smyth" <Sportswriter@dejazzd.com>]

Howard Glazer writes:
> Now, in the same column, the writer, Chuck Carree, mentions that the
> area's Fox Sports Net operation will not be carrying a small package of
> Braves games this year, as baseball has determined eastern North
> Carolina to be Orioles territory, so they'll see 80 O's games.
>
> I'm confused. Baseball has strict territorial regulations for TV, but
> radio stations can cherry-pick deals with teams hundreds of miles away?
> Why wasn't this station forced to carry Orioles games or nothing?

I happen to live 50 miles from Baltimore, 100 from Philly and 200 from
Pittsburgh, and we get games from the Orioles, Phillies, and Pirates on
television. The Phillies and Orioles share an over-the-air affiliate (with
the local cable company picking up any Orioles games that conflict with the
Phillies) and Pittsburgh's games come in through its cable outlet. We also
get the Orioles' cable outlet (Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic) and some
cable companies in York also carry the Philly version of Comcast Sports Net.
I would presume we'd also see some Expos games in the small likelihood that
the team moves from Montreal to Washington. (Comcast SportsNet is the only
sports network on the DC-Baltimore region, and I'm sure the Expos would
somehow contract with them to get local television coverage.) So, here TV
territory is not an issue (yet).

I believe the only rules regarding radio coverage is that only the immediate
city with the team is given exclusivity radio-wise. For instance, the
Yankees' network could not contract with a Boston station (let's say WBZ,
since Infinity owns the Yanks' rights), but they can air games on stations
outside Boston (see WSKO).

Last year, the local Phillies affiliate was undecided on which team's games
it would air, and negotiated with the Phillies, Yankees, and Pirates. (York
already has an Orioles affiliate.) In the end, the Yankees were reportedly
looking for too much money, and the station went back with the Phils.

> And if a
> station in North Carolina feels it can do no worse than "break even"
> with the Yankees, what's to prevent the Yanks from going out and
> peddling their star-studded product to stations everywhere?

Again, nothing, as long as they don't infringe on another major-league city.

> Oh, and why would the station have been interested in Red Sox games? The
> Trot Nixon connection?

I guess there is a pocket of Red Sox fans down in the Carolinas, maybe
because of the fact that one of their affiliates is a relatively clear
channel (WTIC), though that could hold true for a number of teams.

-Sean