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Regional television markets

Started by Desert Man, November 18, 2017, 10:37:53 PM

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SP Cook

The latest rumored buyer for the Fox Sports Net is....

Fox. 

Fox was apparently comfortable with ESPN taking over that business (Fox was always retaining the FS1 and 2 national channels) but since that cannot happen now, is not comfortable with some other company owning these, because it could encourage them to start yet another national competitor to ESPN (and FS1).  So Fox may just buy the set back itself.


vdeane

If they didn't want to lose the network, why did they include it in the sale in the first place?  Seems like this is far more convoluted than it needed to be, if that's really how they want to go.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

bing101


SP Cook

Quote from: vdeane on August 23, 2018, 07:39:13 PM
If they didn't want to lose the network, why did they include it in the sale in the first place? 

The idea is this.  Fox was going to sell the regional sports channels (Fox Sports Net) to ESPN and keep the national sports channels (FS1, FS2).  Obviously ESPN is already in the national sports channel business.  Fine. 

But the government says ESPN cannot own the regional sports channels.  So some other company get these.  Say Discovery.  Discovery (which owns a bunch of channels) has not been in the sports business before.  So they own the old Fox Sports Net channels, and they learn the sports business and become a player in it.  And then Discovery decides to start a competitor national sports channel to ESPN and FS1, etc.  Now there are more bidders for rights, etc.  Hurts FS1.

So Fox may just say "never mind" and keep the channels .

ftballfan

Quote from: bing101 on August 23, 2018, 10:07:18 PM
https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/8/23/buying-tribune


Now FTV Live does an editorial on who will buy the Tribune stations.
They forgot to mention the Tegna-Tribune conflict in Grand Rapids.
Tegna owns ABC affiliate WZZM (one of two ABC's in the market [the other is Nexstar-owned WOTV]; WZZM's stick had to be way up in Newaygo County in order to be adequately spaced to two other Channel 13's in the analog era, however, this location benefited WZZM in the early days as the market to the north (Traverse City-Cadillac [Newaygo County borders the market on two sides]) had no ABC until 1971 and even after then, WZZM put a better signal into the southern portions of that market [Ludington, Big Rapids, Manistee] than in-market WGTU, whose tower was (and still is) in Kalkaska County)

hbelkins

Quote from: SP Cook on August 24, 2018, 09:01:26 AM
But the government says ESPN cannot own the regional sports channels.

Doesn't ESPN more or less own the conference networks? (SEC, Big We-Can't-Count, etc.)


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Big John

^^ ESPN owns SEC, but Fox owns BTN.

bing101


SP Cook

Quote from: Big John on August 24, 2018, 02:16:03 PM
^^ ESPN owns SEC, but Fox owns BTN.

Correct.  To flesh out, ESPN owns the SEC Network, and is obligated to start a similar ACC Network one year from today, on the first day of football season 2019.  ESPN has been having big trouble getting systems to sign for the ACC, because it charges a higher "in market" and a lower "national" rate for these channels.  Which would mean that customers in Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida would be paying in market for both.  Florida and South Carolina are OK, but asking people anywhere else in Kentucky to pay anything for Louisville games is a fool's errand.  Georgia would be similar.

The Big 10 Network is a joint venture between Fox and the league.  The Pac 12 Network is owned by the conference totally, and they are losing their a**es on it. 

Which brings us to the Big 12.  In the Big 12, or better said Big 2, Little 8, the schools retain the rights to "third tier" games, which is one football game, a few basketball games and all the other sports which are generally found on the league channels elsewhere.   ESPN is obligated to pay Texas zillions of dollars for the Longhorn Network, which has ONE football game and the remainder is the most pointless content in the history of TV.  People are just not going to pay for one football game per year.  ESPN has begged to get out of the worst deal in ESPN history, but UT has them by the you know whats.  Meanwhile the other teams live on less money.

bing101


bing101


hbelkins

Meanwhile, there's this...

https://wvva.com/news/west-virginia-news-from-the-associated-press/2018/08/31/meteorologist-accused-of-fracturing-anchors-skull-in-fight/

Probably the biggest media news in West Virginia since Randy Yohe got arrested for DUI and possession. (For some reason I was thinking it was Tony Cavalier, but I was wrong.)


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

bing101

Quote from: hbelkins on August 31, 2018, 08:39:00 PM
Meanwhile, there's this...

https://wvva.com/news/west-virginia-news-from-the-associated-press/2018/08/31/meteorologist-accused-of-fracturing-anchors-skull-in-fight/

Probably the biggest media news in West Virginia since Randy Yohe got arrested for DUI and possession. (For some reason I was thinking it was Tony Cavalier, but I was wrong.)


Damn a TV News Talent in West Virginia the one accused of assault is accusing the other Talent for getting her man

hbelkins

Quote from: bing101 on August 31, 2018, 11:55:04 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on August 31, 2018, 08:39:00 PM
Meanwhile, there's this...

https://wvva.com/news/west-virginia-news-from-the-associated-press/2018/08/31/meteorologist-accused-of-fracturing-anchors-skull-in-fight/

Probably the biggest media news in West Virginia since Randy Yohe got arrested for DUI and possession. (For some reason I was thinking it was Tony Cavalier, but I was wrong.)

Damn a TV News Talent in West Virginia the one accused of assault is accusing the other Talent for getting her man

I hadn't heard a reason, even speculative, for the altercation. I'm hoping S.P. can shed some light on this.

Or I guess I could ask some of my friends who work for Gray and WSAZ's sister stations WKYT and WYMT what they've heard.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

hbelkins

Posed the question on Facebook, and although none of my TV station friends chimed in (possibly on corporate orders from Gray not to discuss it), others posted links that indicate there had been some problems between the two of them before, but the situation boiled over when the weather girl made a pass at the news girl's husband when they had a chance encounter out on the town.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

SP Cook

#240
Quote from: hbelkins on September 01, 2018, 02:16:55 PM

I hadn't heard a reason, even speculative, for the altercation. I'm hoping S.P. can shed some light on this.



You cannot make this stuff up.  The two were sent by the station to "Girls Night Out", a fundraiser for the YWCA domestic violence program.  They went to an after party at Charleston's largest "GAY bar" where plenty of liquor was consumed.  The weather girl started hitting on the news anchor's husband.  Push came to shove, and news anchor ended up with a cracked skull.

abefroman329


hbelkins

Quote from: abefroman329 on September 02, 2018, 03:58:45 PM
The fuck is a "gar bar" ?

You've never been to a bar where they have these huge aquaria with lots of gar swimming around in them? You're missing out.

It was a typo. He meant "gay bar," which I know because I saw someone whom I know post on another forum that the place they went is known for having lots of patrons who dress in drag when they attend.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

SP Cook


hbelkins

Gray tends to promote from within. Lots of people from WYMT move on to WKYT, or the Gray station in Knoxville (typically the UT grads that WYMT seems to like to hire.)  We haven't had a lot of WYMT folks move up to WSAZ, so I typically don't know where SAZ people move up to. (WKYT seems to be a career destination for a lot of people; I guess they like Lexington and don't want to move away.)

But I'm guessing that the weather girl has hit her profession's glass ceiling.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

SP Cook

Quote from: hbelkins on September 02, 2018, 08:46:37 PM
Gray tends to promote from within. Lots of people from WYMT move on to WKYT, or the Gray station in Knoxville (typically the UT grads that WYMT seems to like to hire.)  We haven't had a lot of WYMT folks move up to WSAZ, so I typically don't know where SAZ people move up to. (WKYT seems to be a career destination for a lot of people; I guess they like Lexington and don't want to move away.)


WKYT's #1 weather man, Chris Bailey, used to be the #2 at WSAZ, but he is a UK grad and made no secret that he wanted to get back to Lexington.

WSAZ, which has had a local news rating no less than double all other stations combined since local ratings started in 1968, tends to keep its male anchors until retirement.  The females change every couple of years, generally go to Ohio markets.  Gray's recent growth may change that as it now has larger markets to move to within the company.

hbelkins

Quote from: SP Cook on September 03, 2018, 03:24:37 PM

WKYT's #1 weather man, Chris Bailey, used to be the #2 at WSAZ, but he is a UK grad and made no secret that he wanted to get back to Lexington.

Chris is from Magoffin County, which is technically in the Huntington market. He had been at WKYT, playing second fiddle to T.G. Shuck. Shuck left TV, which opened the door for Bailey to come back to Lexington. He ended up wanting to go to WSAZ because of scheduling, as he had young kids at the time. When the #1 spot opened up in Lexington, he took it.

The National Weather Service meteorologists are not particularly fans of his.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Sctvhound

Quote from: SP Cook on September 03, 2018, 03:24:37 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 02, 2018, 08:46:37 PM
Gray tends to promote from within. Lots of people from WYMT move on to WKYT, or the Gray station in Knoxville (typically the UT grads that WYMT seems to like to hire.)  We haven't had a lot of WYMT folks move up to WSAZ, so I typically don't know where SAZ people move up to. (WKYT seems to be a career destination for a lot of people; I guess they like Lexington and don't want to move away.)


WKYT's #1 weather man, Chris Bailey, used to be the #2 at WSAZ, but he is a UK grad and made no secret that he wanted to get back to Lexington.

WSAZ, which has had a local news rating no less than double all other stations combined since local ratings started in 1968, tends to keep its male anchors until retirement.  The females change every couple of years, generally go to Ohio markets.  Gray's recent growth may change that as it now has larger markets to move to within the company.

Exactly what happens here with our stations in Charleston south. The main anchor talent have been at each station for decades (the CBS's news anchors have been together at 6 since 1991 and the guy has been doing it since the 70s). We've had one main anchor change at the big 3 stations in about a decade. The Sinclair-owned ABC replaced the older co-anchor who had been on in Nashville for years with a younger, cheaper lady.

The reporters/anchors usually go from here to one of the big 4 Florida markets (Jax, Tampa, Orlando or Miami), Raleigh or Charlotte. The NBC (owned by Nexstar) is especially cheap. They've gone through 4-5 sports anchors in 5 years. Their main sports anchor just left to be the 3rd sports anchor at the NBC/ABC in Jacksonville.

This leaves our NBC with 1 sports anchor during most of the football season.

BamaZeus

Quote from: hbelkins on August 31, 2018, 08:39:00 PM
Meanwhile, there's this...

https://wvva.com/news/west-virginia-news-from-the-associated-press/2018/08/31/meteorologist-accused-of-fracturing-anchors-skull-in-fight/

Probably the biggest media news in West Virginia since Randy Yohe got arrested for DUI and possession. (For some reason I was thinking it was Tony Cavalier, but I was wrong.)
THAT escalated quickly!

bing101

Quote from: BamaZeus on September 04, 2018, 11:28:53 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on August 31, 2018, 08:39:00 PM
Meanwhile, there's this...

https://wvva.com/news/west-virginia-news-from-the-associated-press/2018/08/31/meteorologist-accused-of-fracturing-anchors-skull-in-fight/

Probably the biggest media news in West Virginia since Randy Yohe got arrested for DUI and possession. (For some reason I was thinking it was Tony Cavalier, but I was wrong.)
THAT escalated quickly!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06_Sez2tEOk

Dang All my life I always thought newsroom drama looks like this as in the Paul Moyer Rants in Los Angeles. Note this video is from a person who was working for him back in 1989 when the rant was made.



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