Sinclair Deal Doesn't Get Carried Away

A boost for Sinclair Broadcast Group with the news this week that the Group signed a multi-year deal with AT&T, U-Verse, and DirecTV to have its regional sports networks continue to be carried. Unlike when AT&T and U-verse pulled NFL Network earlier this year over a carry dispute, Sinclair was smart to allow their networks to continue to be carried while these now successful negotiations continued.

In addition to what were the Fox Regional Networks, this extension also includes The Tennis Channel (national) and the YES Network, of which Sinclair became a partner following its purchase from Fox.

Significantly, this new deal also includes Chicago area customers being able to receive Marquee, which is the new Chicago Cubs channel which debuts in February. Marquee will be the exclusive home to Cubs telecasts since no over-the-air deals are being made as of this time. This makes U-verse and DirecTV the first local carriers to commit to airing the network.

As of press time, no word as to the cost structure for consumers, such as if all subscribers will be "forced" into paying more or if the channel will be offered as a separate option. The only other Chicago area carrier to take Marquee prior to this announcement was Charter Communications, which has a slice of the market. Comcast (Xfinity) is the area's largest carrier, but owns a portion of NBC Sports Chicago, which airs the White Sox games, along with the Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls.

Now it becomes interesting to see how aggressive Comcast will be toward adding Marquee to its system, and at what cost to its customer base if and when it does. The fact that most Cubs fans subscribed to Xfinity will have an option to switch away should make for interesting negotiations.

Many have been wondering if the Chicago Cubs channel would go the way of YES in New York, getting plenty of coverage, or the way of the Dodgers in L.A. with most of the market holding off due to the financial implications for customers.

SAN FRANCISCO: KNBR AM-FM has added former Warriors great Chris Mullin to its coverage of the team, with the regular season getting under way next week. To start, Mullin will not have a specific air shift, serving as an on air contributor throughout the various local programs.

HOUSTON: It's a rare case of air talent "winning out", but that's what just happened for Rick Kamla. Kamla joined KILT 610 as afternoon drive co-host less than three months ago, coming over from WZGC-FM The Game in Atlanta (as well as working on NBA TV). Kamla's show replaced "Lord & Penergast" and lost even more in the ratings over the couple of months. (Sean Pendergast continues in his morning drive role with Seth Payne, while Rich Lord was not renewed.)

Kamla managed to get hired by SiriusXM Radio for its NBA Channel starting in time for the new season. As of press time, no word on a replacement from KILT.

MIAMI: Greg Likens is out at 790 The Ticket, announcing his decision to leave at the end of his October 6th show, and following more than 10 years in the market. Likens also was part of The Joe Rose Show mornings on WQAM along with hosting Dolphins content for the team.

MILWAUKEE: 105.7 The Fan has dropped its sports headlines updates after 10 AM which had been running twice per hour, stating that doing so allows more time for their hosts. Other sports stations in other markets also owned by Entercom have also begun this trend in recent months.

What this means is that their sports stations are making it more difficult to get the sports "news" of the day at a scheduled time. They act as though sports fans would rather hear some fan commenting about his favorite team's offensive line than hear about an injury which could impact a fantasy pick or a favorite team's status for the next game.

The "argument" is that fans get the injury and transaction news on their phone and various other sources. Although that is true, station management overlooks that fans can also get fan opinions on every social media outlet and hundreds of podcasts on demand, without having to listen to the local sports station which is now delivering less of what they want.

PORTLAND: With the NBA regular season starting next week, the Blazers radio broadcast is perhaps the most significant of changes from last season. It won't be the same without Brian Wheeler, who is no longer calling play-by-play, as he did for the previous 21 seasons. Wheeler was not retained, most likely due to health issues which caused him to miss parts of the past few seasons.

Travis Demers will call the game on 620 AM, with Michael Holton as the new analyst (in addition to his TV studio work surrounding home games).