Here’s an update for you. Don’t forget I’ll have College Football Viewing Picks, NFL Viewing Picks, NFL Picks for Week 5, Primetime Viewing Picks and Weekend Viewing Picks coming up throughout the day so keep refreshing the site or subscribe through RSS.
David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch breaks news that the very solid Eric Frede is no longer the host of Bruins broadcasts on NESN and the younger Kathryn Tappen will take his place. As Scott says, it’s a very odd move.
Tom Hoffarth of the LA Daily News has posted his media notes in the Farther Off the Wall blog. Among his notes, an expanded interview with Dan Patrick and a nice picture of Big Ten Network sideline reporter Charissa Thompson whom you may have seen on FSN.
Paul Christian in the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin in his weekly media news and notes column says the scheduling by TBS and MLB for the League Division Series is hurting baseball. We get this every year from a media columnist but I don’t see it with the record setting attendance and TV ratings across the country. You’d think the sport was about to disappear with every similar column that is published every year for the past twenty years. I’ve seen nary an article criticizing the NBA for putting the Finals on at 9 p.m. ET and having the games end close to midnight on the East Coast.
SI’s Richard Deitsch has his Media Power Rankings for September.
The Kansas City Star’s Jeffrey Flanagan talks with Royals TV analyst Paul Splitorff who says he may not want to work a full season when Fox Sports Net Midwest takes over the team’s broadcasts next year. FSN plans to do 140 games.
Phil Swann of the TV Predictions website says MASN is looking to do selected Nationals and Orioles games in HD next season. Swann adds that TBS is not in HD on Dish Network. And Stephen Silver of E-Gear says TBS HD is not available in Phoenix. Keith Reed in the Boston Globe says customers of Verizon Fios and some Comcast customers can’t see the games in HD. Bruno Matarazzo, Jr. of the Salem (MA) News says some Red Sox fans are shut out of TBS because they don’t have cable or satellite.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says TBS is getting good ratings for Day 1 of the League Division Series. And MLB says the first day average was higher than last year when ESPN and Fox covered the LDS. John Dempsey of Variety also reports on the higher ratings for the LDS this year.
Sean Duncan of the Times-Mail of Indiana says TBS’ coverage has hooked him back into baseball this year. Stacy St. Clair of the Chicago Daily Herald writes that Cubs fans feel TBS is pro-Diamondbacks. And the Daily Herald says WGN Radio is trying to sync its audio with TBS’ video so fans can listen to Pat Hughes and Ron Santo without any delays. Ted Cox of the Daily Herald can’t stand TBS’ coverage. The Cleveland Plain Dealer talks with Alyssa Milano who as you know participates in TBS Hot Corner online coverage and has a blog on the site.
Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant reports that local Giants and Jets fans won’t be able to see the Battle of New York as WFSB-TV will carry the Browns-Patriots game instead.
The Detroit Free Press says fans of Michigan and Michigan State are getting hit this weekend as the Big Ten Network picks up their games this weekend and the largest cable provider in the state, Comcast still has not resolved its dispute with the channel. From the Citizens Voice in Pennsylvania, an editorial says Comcast needs competition so it won’t hold viewers hostage. Beth Hudson of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with BTN lead analyst Charles Davis about Penn State.
Marc Katz of the Dayton (OH) Daily News says he’s happy to hear Dan Patrick on the radio again.
R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News reports the NHL Network has picked up its first cable carriage deal in the US with Time Warner Cable. NHL Network had been previously in Canada only.
NBC Sports gives us excerpts of its weekly media conference call with John Madden and Cris Collinsworth. Both talk about Brett Favre as Chicago-Green Bay will be the Sunday Night Football game this week.
ESPN provides the features that will air on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. I see one potential disaster with the cast of “Dirty Sexy Money”. And the Alleged Worldwide Leader boasts that it had the best viewing third quarter ever for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPNews.
Versus has announced a new weekly show with Dennis Miller. If he didn’t work on Monday Night Football, what does Versus think that he’ll work now? Variety’s Josef Adalian has more on this show.
I found more links than I expected. I’ll have Primetime Viewing Links later.
