Due to a crazy schedule for most of this week and then having a medical procedure done yesterday, I have not been able to blog like I’ve wanted to. Links have been scarce, but I’m available to do them now and hopefully, won’t be interrupted.
Your Weekend Viewing Picks have your sports and entertainment programming for Halloween weekend. Let’s get to the links.
National
Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Tim McCarver has been broadcasting for a very long time and reports that Ron Franklin makes a return to the broadcast booth next week.
Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter writes that if the NBA loses an entire season, corporate partners Time Warner and Disney would take some hits in the short term, but see moderate profits in the long term.
Philiana Ng of the Reporter says Game 6 of the World Series dominated the primetime ratings on Thursday.
John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable says DirecTV is crying foul to the FCC about Fox’s ad in their carriage dispute over several networks including FX, 19 Fox Sports Net affiliates, Fox Soccer and Speed.
George Winslow of B&C notes that NASCAR.com has developed the first app for Google TV.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Varsity will stream high school games for co-owned Cablevision subscribers.
Mike says last week’s bidding for US World Cup media rights doesn’t help FIFA’s corrupt reputation.
ESPN Ombudsman Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute delves into ESPN’s role in the college sports realignment game.
Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that baseball’s problems are magnified when a historic moment as in last night’s World Series Game 6 comes so late for East Coast viewers.
Ben Koo from Awful Announcing criticizes MLB.com for its silly policy of not allowing websites like mine to embed certain videos.
Awful Announcing gives praise to Joe Buck for his plagiarized call of David Freese’s walk off home run in last night’s Game 6 World Series.
Deadspin’s AJ Daulerio exchanged e-mails with Buck on his call.
Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that a Dallas TV station jumped the gun in saying the Texas Rangers won the World Series last night.
Sports Video Group reports that CTV/TSN has won the Canadian rights to the FIFA World Cups from 2015 through 2022.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell explains why we’re suddenly closer to an NBA deal and a complete 82 game season.
Sports Media Watch writes about the World Series Game 6 ratings.
Dave Kohl in the Broadcast Booth looks at the reporting on Dan Wheldon’s death.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe looks at the World Series ratings vs.the NFL this season.
Bill Doyle from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks with Fox 25’s Kristine Leahy.
Newsday’s Neil Best looks at MLB Network’s latest Bob Costas special with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
Neil says ESPN2’s SportsNation will do an ode to LIVE with Regis and Kelly on Monday.
Over to the New York Post where Phil Mushnick is again filled with hatred.
Justin Terranova of the Post has 5 questions for Sirius XM MLB Network Radio co-host Jim Duquette.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Fox finally got a ratings payoff for the World Series.
In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has the latest on the Baltimore-Washington, DC sports media.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner interviews the host of Bloomberg’s weekly “Sportfolio” program.
South
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder gets the opportunity to talk about his former team twice a week on local sports radio.
Barry Horn at the Dallas Morning News writes that Game 6 of the World Series is now the most watched baseball game in the history of the Metroplex.
David Barron in the Houston Chronicle says the Texans continue to top the local TV ratings.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes ESPNU will air a basketball fundraiser for the Joplin, MO tornado victims.
Midwest
John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with local website owners who want businesses to help ensure the Bengals won’t be blocked out in the local market.
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that viewers are the losers in the DirecTV/Fox carriage dispute.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tells us that Week 7’s Vikings-Packers game was the most watched TV program of last week, topping all network programming.
Bob notes that Milwaukee and surrounding towns are part of a rare TV marketplace where a significant amount of viewers still don’t have cable or satellite.
Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business notes that classic Bulls games will be aired on Comcast SportsNet during the winter.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dan Caesar writes that Fox has hit the megaload with a long World Series.
West
John Maffei of the North County Times writes that last week’s brawl with Arizona gave UCLA some TV time, but for the wrong reasons.
Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star says Christmas doesn’t need NBA games.
Jim notes that ESPN took a big hit when it lost the World Cup bidding to Fox.
Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News talks with ESPN’s College GameDay’s Lee Corso.
Tom talks with SoCal broadcaster Steve Physioc.
Tom says people are confused over the battlelines in the DirecTV/Fox carriage dispute.
Tom talks with Dan Patrick about the #occupygameday movement.
Canada
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that CTV/TSN has wrested the World Cup rights away from CBC.
