Fang's Bites

CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada Tribute to Stompin’ Tom Connors

CBC paid tribute to Canadian treasure Stompin’ Tom Connors tonight just before Hockey Night in Canada. This week, Tom died at the age of 77 of natural causes. His “The Hockey Song” is beloved by fans everywhere. And the man truly loved Canada. Very nice open by CBC and well done. Perfect.

We’ll miss you, Tom. Rest in Peace.

The Top Five Innovations in Sports Television

I haven’t done a post like this in a very long time. Viewers take watching sports for granted. We watch the games in high definition or some cases, 3-D, get instant replays, we can rewind plays instantly on our DVR’s, know how far a team has to go in order to get a first down, see the score and time as soon as we tune into a contest, get taken to another game if the one we’re watching is a blowout and watch a profile of an athlete to get to know him and/or her better. All of these are standard fare in sports, but at one time, producers needed to think outside the box to make them realities.

Let’s review the five greatest innovations in sports television. You can agree or disagree.

5. “Up Close and Personal”

ABC Sports brought this to fruition for its Olympic coverage. Executive Producer Roone Arledge realized that viewers were not familiar with most of the athletes in the Olympics. To help to get to know them better, Arledge and his ABC Sports producers developed profiles of the athletes to make viewers care about them. They would show the men and women at home instead of training for the Olympics. There would be interviews in relaxed settings. Some would have voiceovers from ABC announcers while others had narration from the athletes themselves. No matter how they were voiced, the profiles served their purpose. Starting with the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, Arledge titled them “Up Close and Personal.” While English teachers across the country cringed, viewers responded. And the profiles were used by all networks especially when NBC took over the Olympics. While the profiles are rarely used by NBC now, they still bring viewers closer to athletes.

Here’s an example of one ABC Olympics profile from the 1988 Calgary Games. This is of US Men’s Figure Skating Champion Brian Boitano as narrated by Jim McKay. As a bonus, you get a little preview of the “Battle of the Brians” between Boitano and Canadian Brian Orser with McKay and analyst Dick Button.

4. Fox Box

When Fox Sports surprised the sports world and purchased the rights to the National Football League in 1993, snatching them away from long-time incumbent CBS, the network promised to bring a new attitude to the game. They promised to bring younger viewers to the game as the ratings actually skewed to older demographics. And one of the first features people saw when Fox aired its first NFL game was a scorebug in the upper left hand corner of the screen. It was welcomed by fans all over the country. Former Fox Sports El Jefe del Mundo David Hill had brought something similar to English Premier League coverage on Sky Sports in the UK and felt it would work in the NFL. Boy did it ever. Other networks followed. Hill mentioned the Fox Box in the unveiling of Fox Sports 1 in New York, joking that he wished it was called the “Hill Box” instead.

The Fox Box has evolved over the years looking like this in 1994. Looks primitive compared to today.

How about this from 1999?

And finally this from 2012.

It’s changed the way we’ve watched sports. Every network has had to develop some type of scorebug. If you look at any sporting event pre-1994, it looks strange not to have a Fox Box.

3. “Whiparound” Coverage

A key for NCAA Tournament coverage, it started either in 1980 on ESPN or in 1981 on NBC depending on which account you want to believe. With most people watching NBC back in the early 1980′s, the Peacock gets most of the credit for bouncing in between three buzzer beaters in the NCAA Tournament with host Bryant Gumbel navigating viewers from St. Joseph’s upsetting DePaul to Arkansas winning over Louisville on the only halfcourt buzzer beater in NCAA Tournament history and finally to Rolando Blackman’s jumper with no time left to steer Kansas State over Oregon State. That is when the Madness was added to March. Here’s the last two buckets of Arkansas-Louisville with Marv Albert on the call for NBC, host Bryant Gumbel is in the middle of the video.

ESPN perfected the format for the NCAA Tournament in the early rounds as it shared the event with CBS from 1982 through 1990. When CBS took over the entire tournament in 1991, it did its best to match ESPN’s whiparound.

ESPN also used the whiparound on its NHL coverage in the 1980′s into the 1990′s and currently uses it on its college football “Goal Line” and college basketball “Buzzer Beater” channels as well as on the NCAA Women’s Tournament. MLB Network also utilizes it on MLB Tonight, but nothing quite matches the whiparound on the NCAA Tournament.

2. 1st and 10 Line

It first debuted on an ESPN Sunday Night NFL Football game in 1998 and was quickly followed by its network TV debut weeks later on CBS on Thanksgiving Day. It was soon standard for every football game both college and pro. It’s mostly yellow, sometimes orange, but yellow has become the best color to stand out on a green field. Other lines are used for the line of scrimmage or to signify a kicker’s field goal range for a game winning score or for an onside kick. No matter the network, the 1st and 10 line has to be included in the game broadcast or it doesn’t feel right.

1. Instant Replay

Where would we be without instant replay? Not only do we want to see a replay on television, but for a controversial play on-site, we want to see it at the stadium. Replay began in 1955 on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada through a kinescope, but that was only a few minutes after the play was aired. Videotape replay or “instant” replay didn’t occur until 1963 when CBS Sports director Tony Verna invented a system to play back the shot that was just seen during the Army-Navy football game. It wasn’t in slow motion, but it was the first-ever replay of a touchdown in the history of sports television. And soon afterwards, the way we watch sports would change forever.

Replay is used to review calls in the NFL, home runs in Major League Baseball, three point shots in college basketball and the NBA and goals in the NHL. Without replay, games would be be seen and mostly forgotten. Games become memorable with replays. Now we can watch that great catch, that bone crushing tackle, that dramatic home run or that game-winning goal from several different angles. Imagine if Verna hadn’t called for the replay?

Honorable Mentions: Pregame shows, ESPN SportsCenter.

Those are my selections for the greatest innovations in Sports Television.

Stompin’ Tom Connors, 1936-2013

If you don’t who Stompin’ Tom Connors is, then you’re not a hockey fan. Stompin’ Tom made the second most famous hockey song after the Hockey Night in Canada Theme which is now simply known as the Hockey Theme.

Tom wrote and sang “The Hockey Song.” It’s been used in countless videos and has become extremely popular in the hockey community. When you have the lyrics, “Oh, the good ol’ hockey game, it’s the best game you can name,” fans can identify immediately.

It was announced on his official website that Tom passed away at the age of 77 of natural causes.

Here’s the official press release from Tom’s record company.

STOMPIN’ TOM CONNORS DIES AT THE AGE OF 77:

Peterborough, ON (March 6, 2013) Today Canada lost one of its’ true musical icons with the passing of Stompin’ Tom Connors O.C.,LL.D.,Litt.D. Connors died of natural causes at his home in Ontario. He was 77 years of age.

Stompin’ Tom literally put Canada on the map with such songs as “The Hockey Song”, “Sudbury Saturday Night”, “Bud The Spud”, “Tillsonburg”, “Big Joe Mufferaw” and countless others.

Born Thomas Charles Connors in Saint John New Brunswick on February 9th 1936, he was separated from his mother at a young age and raised by foster parents in Skinners Pond, P.E.I. until he was 13 years old. His life of poverty, orphanages, hitchhiking and playing bars would eventually turn into a life of hit songs, national concert tours and fame in spite of a constant uphill battle to be recognized by the music industry in Canada. In 1979 in a fit of frustration and disappointment he returned all 6 of his Juno awards as a statement of personal protest against the Americanization of the Canadian Music Industry, a sentiment he continued to express to this day. In 1989 Tom signed with EMI Music Canada, teamed up with talent promoter Brian Edwards and returned to the stage where fans young and old embraced his music once again as he quickly became one of the biggest concert draws and sought after performers in the country.

Due to the unwavering love for promoting his home country, some of the many accolades he has received include becoming an Officer of the Order of Canada, his own Canadian postage stamp, he was invited by the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson to receive the Governor Generals Performing Arts Award, he was the recipient of both the Queens Gold and Diamond Jubilee Medals and he earned 3 honorary doctorate degrees (Saint Thomas University in Saint John New Brunswick; “Laws”, University of Toronto; “Laws”, and the University of P.E.I.; “Letters”).

He now has an astounding 61 recorded albums, 10 of which have yet to be released to the public. His songs will continue to be made available worldwide and remain a legacy to his career, his life and his beloved country.

Tom is survived by his wife Lena, 2 sons, 2 daughters and several grandchildren.

The Celebration of Tom’s life is being planned for Wednesday, March 13th in Peterborough, ON at 7pm at the Peterborough Memorial Centre and per his request, will be open to the public.

In lieu of flowers, the Connors family has asked that donations be made to your local food bank or homeless shelters, in memory of Stompin’ Tom.

Tom himself delivered one last message.

“Hello friends, I want all my fans, past, present, or future, to know that without you, there would have not been any Stompin’ Tom.”

“It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with it’s beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.”

“I must now pass the torch, to all of you, to help keep the Maple Leaf flying high, and be the Patriot Canada needs now and in the future.”

“I humbly thank you all, one last time, for allowing me in your homes, I hope I continue to bring a little bit of cheer into your lives from the work I have done.”

Sincerely,

Your Friend always,

Stompin’ Tom Connors

Here’s one video devoted to “The Hockey Song”

And the lyrics so you can sing along.

Hello out there, we’re on the air, it’s ‘Hockey Night’ tonight.
Tension grows, the wistle blows, and the puck goes down the ice.
The goalie jumps, and the players bump, and the fans all go insane.
Someone roars, “Bobby Scores!”, at the good ol’ Hockey Game.

:: CHORUS ::
OH! The good ol’ Hockey game, is the best game you can name.
And the best game you can name, is the good ol’ Hockey game.

Second Period.

Where players dash, with skates aflash, the home team trails behind.
But they grab the puck, and go bursting up, and they’re down across the line.
They storm the crease, like bumble bees, they travel like a burning flame.
We see them slide, the puck inside, it’s a 1-1 hockey game.

(Chorus)

Third Period. Last game of the playoff too!

Oh take me where, the hockey players, face off down the rink.
And the Stanley Cup, is all filled up, for the champs who win the drink.
Now the final flick, of a hockey stick, and the one gigantic scream.
“The puck is in! The home team wins!”, at the good ol’ hockey game.

(Chorus x3)

Tom will be missed.

Some Quick Tuesday Linkage

On my way to New York for the Fox Sports 1 unveiling and I’m going to try to do some links with the limited wifi that Amtrak has provided. It’s not the best, but it’ll do for what I need today.

Let’s begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who along with Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing, John Ourand from Sports Business Journal and Randy McClure of Rush the Court, conducted a sportscaster draft for the NCAA Tournament. Fascinating stuff.

At Awful Announcing, Matt Yoder explains the reasoning behind his draft picks.

In the shameless plug department, I have a post at AA on “What if” Keith Olbermann returns to ESPN. That is a huge “what if,” by the way.

On this site, I ask “What Can We Expect From Fox Sports 1 and 2?”

David Lieberman of Deadline has a Fox official telling its investors that Fox Sports 1 and 2 are expected to lose money at first, but it’s all about the long-term with the new channels.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter says Fox is downplaying expectations about Fox Sports 1 competing with ESPN.

At $ports Biz USA, Mike McCarthy talks with Jay Glazer about his new Fox Sports 1 show.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report says ESPN is reminding Fox about who has a 33 year head start in the all-sports cable business.

Richard Sandomir and Amy Chozick in the New York Times have an extensive look at the new Fox Sports venture.

Even with Fox starting a new network to compete with ESPN, it still has formed an Unholy Alliance with the Alleged Worldwide Leader. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has the story.

Addy Dugdale at Fast Company looks at the new Fox Sports 1.

Good article from Paulsen at Sports Media Watch on how SportsCenter has drifted into the abyss. I was thinking about using a Matrix reference, but I’ve used them up on Twitter.

Jason Lisk of The Big Lead profiles ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham who will get a plum assignment at the ACC Tournament next week.

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead tweets that Tom Rinaldi and his traveling piano have been re-signed by ESPN.

Will Leitch from Sports on Earth feels a Keith Olbermann return to ESPN is not a good idea.

Michael Hiestand from USA Today has the weekend sports ratings.

Mark Blaudshun in A Jersey Guy reports that the remnants of the old Big East plan to play its first postseason tournament without Syracuse, Pittsburgh and the Catholic 7 in Hartford. Good choice.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says ESPN Deportes will continue carrying Mexican League soccer.

Dieter Kurtenbach from the South Florida Sun Sentinel says 11 months after joining Miami’s WQAM, controversial talk show host Dan Sileo has been fired.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman notes that the Thunder are featured twice this week on TNT.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says University of Kentucky athletics has signed a promotional deal with Time Warner Cable.

Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago writes that a former Windy City sportscaster refused to take part in a farewell to two long-time news anchors.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has five things he learned from the weekend.

Joe Favorito says World Tennis Day on Monday helped to give the sport a global boost.

Back to Paulsen at Sports Media Watch, he notes that the PGA Tour experienced its fourth straight week of ratings declines.

And let’s end with one of the silliest moments on ESPN from Monday. Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that ESPN’s Stephen A. “A is for Awkward” Smith didn’t realize that ties were eliminated from the National Hockey League in 2004.

That will end the links for today. As long as I have wifi or 3G access (I know, 4G LTE users are laughing at me), I’ll provide tweets and a live blog on the Fox Sports 1 press event and upfronts today in New York. If communication is cut off, then all bets are off, but I’m willing to go out on a limb that we’ll have wifi access somehow, at least for the press conference this afternoon.

Keep your RSS, Twitter and any other syndication feeds updated.

NHL Network To Air Eight Games Over The Next Five Days

Starting tonight, NHL Network gets busy and airs a host of games through Monday. NHL Network has single games tonight, Friday, Sunday and Monday. And then on Saturday, the first time it’s ever aired four games including simulcasting three from CBC. This marks the first time in a while that NHL Network has decided to pick up an entire CBC slate.

Let’s take a look at what NHL Network is saying.

NHL NETWORK-U.S. OFFERS EIGHT GAMES OVER FIVE DAYS BEGINNING WITH THURSDAY’S “GAME OF THE WEEK” FEATURING PITTSBURGH @ CAROLINA

League-Leading Blackhawks, the Season’s Only Quadruple-Header, two appearances by Stanley Cup champion Kings Highlight Live-Game Schedule

NEW YORK (February 27, 2013) – NHL Network-U.S., the go-to destination for hockey fanatics, will air eight live NHL games over the next five days, including the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks and a rare quadruple-header Saturday, starting at Noon, ET.

Live coverage begins tonight with NHL Network’s “Game of the Week” at 7:00 p.m. ET featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins meeting Carolina for the first time since the off-season trade that sent Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh to Carolina to join his brother, Hurricanes captain Eric Staal. Jordan Staal, will face his former teammates from Pittsburgh, including Sidney Crosby, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2009.

The Network’s team of insiders and analysts will cover intermission reports during the broadcast and bring viewers up to speed on news and scores from around the League. NHL Tonight, hosted by Kathryn Tappen, will be on the air following the conclusion of the Penguins-Hurricanes at 10:00
p.m. ET.

NHL.COM GAME PREVIEW (PIT @ CAR):
http://www.nhl.com/ice/preview.htm?id=2012020291&navid=sb:preview

ADDITIONAL NHL NETWORK GAMES:

Friday, March 1:
Columbus Blue Jackets at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, March 2:
Ottawa Senators at Philadelphia Flyers (12:00 p.m. ET)
Washington Capitals at Winnipeg Jets (3:00 p.m. ET, CBC)
Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens (7:00 p.m. ET, CBC)
Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks (10:30 p.m. ET, CBC)

**This is the only time this season the NHL Network-U.S. will show four games in one day.

Sunday, March 3:
St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars (3:00 p.m. ET)

Monday, March 4:
Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET)

That’s going to do it.

Some Wednesday Linkage

Let’s do some linkage while I have some time.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand notes NBC’s hiring of Tiger Woods pal Notah Begay to its golf team. He replaces Dottie Pepper who went to the PGA of America.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand profiles ESPN PR pioneer Rosa Gatti who is retiring from the network after working there since the early days.

John & Tripp Mickle write that NBC remains as a wild card in the NASCAR Sprint Cup talks.

Over to the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center where Manny Randhawa definitely had an agenda in an interview with Deadspin editor Tommy Craggs over the site’s Manti Te’o coverage. Craggs shoots down several of Randhawa’s loaded questions.

To the Bleacher Report where King Kaufman analyzes the Craggs interview. It should be noted that Randhawa did some writing for B/R, but not now.

Michael O’Connell of the Hollywood Reporter says thanks to the Super Bowl and the Grammys, CBS will win the February sweeps while NBC without the NFL has fallen harder than a 3 ton boulder.

In Multichannel News, Broadcasting & Cable’s Tim Baysinger writes about ESPN getting out of the UK and selling its channels to BT Group.

At The Sherman Report, Ed Sherman notes that Leigh Montville is still producing high quality columns.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell says NASCAR needs to find a way to keep the increased audience that watched the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Sports Video Group tells us that the MLS’s FC Dallas has signed a TV rights deal with Time Warner Cable. Fox Sports Southwest previously held the rights.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says the Iron Pigs announcers will call some Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training games.

Eric Deggans from the Tampa Bay Times writes about the shaky debut of CBS Radio’s FM sports radio station.

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds Radio Network has switched games to air Aroldis Chapman’s Spring debut.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch says it’s time to end the live postgame interviews.

Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times says ESPN’s Brent Musburger autographed a Katherine Webb poster.

Mark Blaudschun of A Jersey Guy looks at ESPN and the Big East getting back together again.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog says the proposed NHL realignment is good for TV, but not necessarily good for some teams.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media wonders how Olympic hockey would look on CBC and NBC.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news.

And we’ll end it there for now.

A Monday Sports Media Notebook

Let’s get cracking on some fresh content on this Monday afternoon. Plenty of stuff to go over.

• Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch’s Monday column discusses Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed reporting on the Red Carpet at The Oscars and reviews Fox’s Daytona 500 coverage. 
• The man who started SportsGrid, ABC News legal analyst Dan Abrams, the site has been sold to RotoExperts.
• I’m getting a lot of reaction to my post on whether Fox can find the proper role for Erin Andrews.
• Randolph May at Multichannel News talks about a case over Comcast’s refusal to move Tennis Channel off a dreaded sports tier.
• To Sports Business Daily where Richard E. Lapchick laments the lack of hiring diversity in the sports media.
• Overseas, ESPN is getting out of the UK television business, selling its channels to BT Group which beat it out for the rights to the English Premier League. ESPN will continue to maintain its digital UK assets and also kill ESPN Classic in Europe and Africa in separate decisions.
• USA Today’s Michael Hiestand feels Fox got off to a fast start with the overnight ratings for the Daytona 500.
• Hiestand also looks at the other sports overnight ratings from the weekend.
• David Lieberman at Deadline says News Corp.’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch (son of Rupert) says even with Fox Sports creating new all-sports cable channels, the company plans to be pennywise and not pound foolish over rights fees.
• In the Sherman Report, Ed Sherman talks with Golf Channel’s David Feherty about the season premiere of his weekly interview show.
• Bruce Allen at Boston Sports Media Watch looks at a preposterous argument put the forth by WEEI’s Gerry Callahan regarding the Daytona 500 and Danica Patrick.
• Bill Carter at the New York Times notes how NBC has had a precipitous fall into the ratings basement after starting off so well when Sunday Night Football was on.
• Phil Mushnick of the New York Post feels the Federal lawsuit against Lance Armstrong wreaks of hypocrisy.
• From Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog reports that MASN’s Kristina Akra who was the Nationals’ on-field reporter is leaving the network. No word on where she’s going or who’s going to replace her.
• Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says David Feherty will reveal a different side of golfing legend Jack Nicklaus tonight.
• Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times says Fox didn’t do itself any favors during its Daytona 500 prerace coverage.
• The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron notes that a local sports anchor is leaving his station after more than 20 years of service.
• Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Cardinals fans will be able to see and listen to their team throughout Spring Training.
• Dusty Saunders in the Denver Post writes about a Rocky Mountain TV veteran who wants to return to his sports roots.
• Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the SoCal Sports Calendar for this week.
• Tom has the five things he learned from the weekend.
• Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail makes clear of his disdain for CBC’s Don Cherry.
• Paulsen of Sports Media Watch says opposite the Daytona 500, the NBA on ABC took a big ratings hit.
• To Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing who looks at what Joe Buck plans to do with the St. Louis Cardinals if he manages to get the team and Fox Sports Midwest to sign off on his idea.
• Michael Shamburger at The Big Lead says Katherine Webb is 1st Round talent.

Ok, I’m going to end the linkage/notebook there.

Some Quick Sunday Morning Sports Media Thoughts

Saturday was certainly the interesting day in sports with two sports outside of the major four dominating headlines. Let’s go over them in bullet form.

• In what normally is the start of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series became the sports and also news story of the first part of Saturday when a crash at Drive4COPD at Daytona became more than just a race. As cars were speeding towards the checkered flag, Regan Smith and Brad Keselowski crashed. That caused Kyle Larson’s car to go airborne and hit a support fence. It also caused one of his tires to fly into the grandstand. At last check, 28 fans had been injured from the flying debris from the track.

  ESPN which was carrying the race elected to run past its signoff time and run into the North Carolina-North Carolina State college basketball game to cover the situation and get interviews with drivers and NASCAR President Mike Helton to find out what happened.

  ESPN’s crew did a solid job in gathering information, but the real spotlight shined on Speed for its coverage for two hours on its SpeedCenter program. Adam Alexander anchored the coverage and it covered all angles from the crash from the drivers to the fans who were injured in the stands updating news as it became available, airing the surreal NASCAR press conference and tapping the NASCAR on Fox crew to report the news. In this case, ESPN gets a B for its coverage of the crash and Speed gets the A+.

• After NASCAR, the focus shifted to Mixed Martial Arts and UFC’s pay per view event which had its first female fight headline the card. As usual, Mike Goldberg set up Joe Rogan as much as he could. Rogan tapped into his comedian inner self by suggesting people leave “flaming poop” at International Olympic Committee headquarters over the decision to remove wrestling from its roster after 2020. It certainly was a strange comment, but it was due to Dan Henderson wearing trunks with a Twitter hashtag seeking to keep wrestling in the Olympics past 2020.

  But that was not the main focus of the pay per view telecast, it was Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche as the main fight and it did not disappoint. While the fight lasted one round, it had a lot of action has Rousey had to overcome a chokehold and Rousey doing her patented armbar to win her 7th consecutive fight and retain the UFC’s Women’s Championship. Judging by the reaction on social media, there were a lot of buys for the fight and more than the usual attention on a UFC pay per view. Of course, Twitter reaction does not necessarily translate to ratings, but I’m thinking the interest into Rousey may have won UFC some fans on Saturday. And with Rousey’s win, expect her star to rise with interviews on mainstream programs like The View, Live with Kelly and Michael and Today’s 4th hour with Hoda and Kathie Lee.

• One story that quietly surfaced on Saturday was the potential NHL conference realignment worked out between the league and the NHL Players Association. You may remember the league tried realignment before the lockout, but it was rejected by the NHLPA. But this time, the league worked with the players and we have some interesting results.

  Detroit and Columbus would both go East. The Eastern half of the league would have two eight team “conferences”. Out West, there would be two seven team “conferences” and an interesting feature as unveiled by CBC’s Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada, there would be Wild Cards in the East to offset the higher playoff chances in the West. That could lead to some very interesting playoff potential and ratings for the NHL’s TV partners. If this is approved and Detroit heads back East, it brings back the old Toronto-Detroit Original Six rivalry into play and it also has five of the Original Six in the East. Chicago would remain in the West.

  There’s a lot of TV potential with this new realignment. NBC’s focus could remain totally in the East if Detroit moves out from the West. And Hockey Night in Canada wherever it lands could see more Detroit games for its 7 p.m. ET window.

  Certainly some interesting news coming out of the NHL on Saturday.

Ok, some thoughts for you on this Sunday. Back later today.

A Thursday Sports Media Notebook

Let’s provide a few items that need to be recognized on this busy Thursday in sports. Updated the Viewing Picks to include Entertainment, MMA, NASCAR and the revised start time for the WGC Match Play Championships. I work over an hour compiling the viewing picks for you, so peruse them and let me know that you’re reading them.

Before I start, I spent Wednesday night catching up with friends from the Providence Clear Channel radio station cluster as we got together to remember Mike Gonsalves, known as Dr. Metal on 94HJY. Throughout the 1990′s and into the 21st Century, Doc (as we affectionately called him) hosted “The Metal Zone” on HJY and was recognized by the metal community for being the only program in the region devoted to the genre.

On February 20, 2003, Doc introduced the hair band Great White at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, RI. At 11:07 p.m., pyrotechnics were set off and the walls and ceiling caught fire. With no sprinklers in the building, the fire quickly spread and the people were trapped inside. Most of those in attendance got out, but 100 people including Doc lost their lives. Four other people who were working for HJY managed to get out alive . It is a tragedy that still affects those of us who have a connection. But last night, a group of us who either worked at WHJY/WHJJ/WSNE and B101 at the time and knew Doc got together to remember him and talk about the good times and our memories of Doc. It was great to see everyone and we gave a toast to Mike. I hadn’t seen many in years, but the dynamics we had quickly came back. There’s something about radio people that binds us together. While the business side is awful, the grunts who worked on the mic and behind the scenes are all of quality. I’m truly blessed to have worked with so many good people and am proud to call them my friends. Thanks to John Laurenti for organizing our get together and thanks to all of the people who attended. I can’t mention them all here, but they all know who they are. And we all miss Doc. Rest in Peace, Mike.

Now to some of the stories that are happening in sports media.

• In his weekly media column, Richard Deitsch has news about Ray Lewis joining ESPN, Gus Johnson critiquing his soccer debut, ESPN’s Il Capo di Tutti Capi, John Skipper denying that SportsCenter is ignoring hockey and a whole lot more. 
• Continuing with ESPN, The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre reports that Bob Knight appears to be on the way out from the Alleged Worldwide Leader. While no one can deny that Knight has an excellent basketball mind, it really hasn’t translated on television. Plus there have been times when he’s appeared aloof on TV or even fallen asleep, traits that don’t endear one to the viewer. Knight originally joined ESPN in 2008 to contribute to its Final Four coverage, but was later signed to a full-time contract. Throughout his tenure at ESPN, Knight has refused to wear ties, refused to call Kentucky by name and really hasn’t distinguished himself as an analyst. If this season is the end for Knight, I can’t see CBS/Turner hiring him nor Fox. I think Knight would probably be happy fishing or hunting and conducting coaching clinics.
• We learned yesterday that baseball legend Joe Garagiola was retiring from broadcasting. Since 1997, Garagiola has been part of the Arizona Diamondbacks television team. He began his broadcasting career in 1955 after being a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. After joining the New York Yankees broadcast booth and being on the Today Show, he joined NBC Sports in 1974 on Monday Night Baseball with Curt Gowdy. He became the “A” team play-by-play man in 1977 with analyst Tony Kubek. Moved to the analyst’s chair in 1983 when Vin Scully joined NBC and left the network after the 1988 season. Garagiola always poked fun at himself. He had his own 15 minute pregame show before Monday Night Baseball called “The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola” which showed the humorous side of baseball including bubble gum blowing contests and groundskeeping tips. In the Baseball Hall of Fame Broadcasters Wing, Garagiola certainly has had a celebrated career on TV whether it be in the broadcast booth, working in morning television or hosting the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
• A University of North Dakota hockey radio announcer got suspended for using the phrase “choke job” in a postgame interview.
• I hope this doesn’t get removed from YouTube. This is truly some interesting broadcasting history. This 16 minute clip is believed to be the only footage that still exists of Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese calling a CBS Baseball Game of the Week. It’s from 1961 between the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds at the old Crosley Field. Dizzy and Pee Wee were a very popular broadcast team. Dean was known for his malapropisms and in this clip, you can hear him attempt to pronounce Joe Amalfitano and Matty Alou. Dean called the Game of the Week for CBS from 1955-1965. At one time, Dean was bored with the game he was calling and suggested viewers change the channel to a game being broadcast on NBC and even mentioned NBC. He did a couple of Monday Night Baseball games on NBC with Curt Gowdy as a guest announcer. Dean was truly a character as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as a broadcaster. Some interesting features of the broadcast, no video replay, it wasn’t invented yet and on-screen graphics were few and far between. Do not take it down, MLB.
• Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reports that sports radio station WEEI is making changes to its weekday lineup once again. Kirk Minihane will join the station’s right wing morning show, Dennis & Callahan as a third host. Dennis & Callahan, once a ratings juggernaut, has been trailing Toucher & Rich on CBS’ 98.5 The Sports Hub in the latest Arbitron ratings. This comes after Glenn Ordway was let go last week. I’m hearing that Jen Royle will host a weekend show on the station giving Boston sports radio its first female-fronted show.
• NHL on NBC studio analyst Mike Milbury has once again made a splash. He referred to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins as “crack addicts” as their play is “addictive.” Awful Announcing has a recap and a video clip.

That’s the notebook for today.

A Fast Wednesday Sports Media Notebook

In lieu of linkage which has been sorely lacking, my sincere apologies, I give a sports media notebook which includes some links for you. Life has gotten in the way and you’ve responded by not visiting the site. It tells me you want fresh content so I’ll do my best to provide that to you as often as I can.

• John Ourand of Sports Business Journal tweeted on Tuesday that Fox Sports 1 will be unveiled to advertisers in an upfront presentation on March 5. I expect a full press release and perhaps an embeddable video to place on this site. Fox Sports 1 will take over Speed’s infrastructure on many participating cable and satellite providers in August and its companion channel, Fox Sports 2 will bump Fuel TV from existence.

  The new Fox Sports networks will certainly change the sports media landscape almost immediately.

• Also from Ourand with Michael Smith in this week’s SBJ, we find the Big East looks like it has deals in place with NBC Sports Network for football and basketball and CBS for basketball as well. ESPN does have the right to match the offers, but for now, let’s assume that NBCSN has its first pickup of a major college conference, content it desperately needs.

  I do expect NBCSN to be a major player for the second half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season and to perhaps take the Nationwide Series. NBCSN does have some summer holes to fill and NASCAR would fit the bill.

• In the Chicago Tribune, Robert Channick reports that the Cubs have exercised a clause to renegotiate its media rights deal with WGN-TV. The Cubs and WGN have been together since 1948 and has had a national following since the 1980′s when ‘GN followed WTBS and became a Superstation on cable. Since then, WGN’s parent company, Tribune Co. has split the station into two feeds, WGN America which is on many cable and satellite providers across the country and WGN, Channel 9 in Chicago.

  Earlier this week, Paul Sullivan in the Tribune reported that the Cubs may choose to leave WGN after the 2014 season and opt to go all-cable, however, it appears the two sides will at least discuss a new contract and Tribune Co. says it wants to keep the Cubs. Major factors in these new talks are the recent megadeals by the New York Yankees, Cleveland MLB Team and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs also need money to help offset costs for renovations to Wrigley Field.

  The Cubs are also on Comcast SportsNet in a deal forged with the White Sox, Bulls and the Chicago NHL Team.

  We’ll be keeping an eye on what transpires. No matter what happens, the Cubs will be getting more money. A whole lot more.

• I’m saddened to hear that Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sara Ganim is being harassed by the Paterno “Truthers”. The Philadelphia Magazine blog, the Philly Post reports that Ganim is being subjected to sexist taunts on Twiiter by the people who refuse to believe the Freeh Report. Ganim did very solid reporting on the Jerry Sandusky case and her stories led to the downfall of the former Penn State football defensive coordinator, coach Joe Paterno and the football program, but it does not allow for people to use Twitter to harass and threaten. C’mon, now.
• A Phoenix Coyote fan who is a pediatrician for an Arizona network of hospitals got angry at Adrian Dater, the Colorado Avalanche beat reporter for the Denver Post and told him on Twitter to “go catch a movie in Aurora” and “join Jessica for all I care.” That is in reference to last year’s movie theater shooting in Aurora, CO that left 12 people dead including Jessica Ghawi and 58 others injured.

  After outrage from Dater and others, the pediatrician made his account private and then subsequently deleted his account. In addition, his employer has released a statement saying the actions are under review.

  I understand getting emotional over your team, but is it necessary to tell a reporter to get shot and wish him dead? Is this what we have become? The last two stories about trolling reporters through Twitter almost leaves me no hope for humanity. Luckily, I remain an optimist, but stories like these make it tough.

We’re done here for now.

It’s Hockey Day in America

As the late Bob Johnson used to say, “It’s a great day for hockey.” As it’s cold in the Northeast and it snowed in Southern New England, it’s certainly is a great day for hockey.

And to celebrate the sport, the NBC Sports Group, the NHL and USA Hockey have declared today as Hockey Day in America. Similar to last week’s Hockey Day in Canada, NBC/NBC Sports Network combine to air three games. NBC has an afternoon doubleheader with Pittsburgh at Buffalo followed by Los Angeles at Chicago. NBC Sports Network has the tripleheader nightcap with Washington at the New York Rangers.

The entire day will be wrapped around the Hockey Day in America celebration at New York’s Central Park hosted by Liam McHugh. In addition, there will be several features showing what hockey means to America including one on Jack Jablonski who was paralyzed after a hit in a high school hockey game and struck up a friendship with the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson. And there will be another with Michelle Beadle and Jeremy Roenick on hockey hair.

We have the details of Hockey Day in America on the NBC Sports Group below.

NBC SPORTS GROUP CELEBRATES “HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA”

Coverage Begins at Noon ET on NBC From New York City’s Trump Rink in Central Park
NBC Sports Will Tell the Story of America’s Passion for Hockey with Numerous Features Throughout the Day Across NBC and NBC Sports Network
NHL Tripleheader: Pittsburgh Penguins-Buffalo Sabres at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC; Los Angeles Kings-Chicago Blackhawks at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC; Washington Capitals-New York Rangers at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network

NEW YORK – February 12, 2013 - NBC Sports Group will celebrate the third annual Hockey Day in America by delivering nine hours of hockey coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network, including numerous features that tell the story of America’s passion for hockey, weaved within an NHL tripleheader that features six U.S. teams.

Coverage begins Sunday at Noon ET on NBC with NHL Live originating from Trump Rink in New York City’s Central Park. Liam McHugh will anchor NBC Sports’ live pre-game and intermission coverage, and will be joined by analysts Jeremy Roenick, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

Following NHL Live at 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC and NBC Sports Network will deliver three games. NBC will broadcast a doubleheader  featuring one Western Conference and one Eastern Conference matchup. In the early game, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will take the ice against Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres. Then at 3:30 p.m. ET, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings will face off against the undefeated (10-0-2) Chicago Blackhawks. At 6 p.m. ET NBC Sports Network will conclude the Hockey Day In America celebration with an Eastern Conference matchup between Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals against Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers. Both NBC broadcasts will be available online and via mobile through NBC Sports Live Extra and the NBC Sports Live Extra App.

NBC Sports will weave the stories of America’s affinity for hockey into and around its coverage of the three NHL games, which will include interviewing and highlighting American players. Among the stories scheduled to be told on Sunday:

Ice Hockey in Harlem
Ice Hockey in Harlem is a non-profit organization for youth that uses the sport of hockey to promote academic achievement, teamwork and character. Their motto is “Education is the Goal” and the organization has served the community for 25 years. The program is only open to those living north of 110th Street in Manhattan and there is a waiting list to enroll each fall. At the core of this non-profit organization are lessons that stick with the kids for life. Themes such as family, commitment, dedication and giving back are passed on to these local area children, which will help in creating a better future, leaders and role models.

Hockey Hair
Skaters streaking down the ice with long, flowing hair trailing behind them has been a common sight at hockey games for decades. Unlike playoff beards, which are widely believed to have been popularized by Islanders teams of the early 1980s, the exact origins of hockey hair have never been adequately explained. Michelle Beadle and Jeremy Roenick will dive back into NHL history and explore the long legacy of Hockey Hair.

Jack Jablonski’s Road To Recovery
Jack Jablonski was a promising ice hockey player for Benilde-St. Margaret’s high school in suburban Minneapolis. On December 30, 2011, a check from behind during a JV game left him paralyzed from the chest down. That same day, Jablonski’s boyhood idol, Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left knee. Jablonski and Peterson both faced grueling rehabilitation programs and seemingly insurmountable odds. Then something curious happened and they met during the summer. Jablonski naturally was inspired by Peterson and all the hard work he’d done to get back to the Vikings’ training camp. What’s surprising is that Peterson was deeply inspired by Jablonski as well and used him as motivation during his comeback, which resulted in one of the greatest years ever by a running back. Jablonski has also exceeded expectations, regaining some movement that his doctors never expected.

A Little Boys Winter Classic
During the NHL lockout this past December, eight-year old Christopher John thought of holding his own Winter Classic. Working with his parents and his teammates on the North Jersey Avalanche, John turned his dream in to a reality. The Avalanche took on the Long Island Royals at Central Park’s Lasker Rink on December 23rd. Along the way, John’s idea for a game took on greater meaning and served as a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Sandy. New York Rangers  LW Carl Hagelin and D Ryan McDonagh heard about the game and showed up at 8 a.m. to cheer the kids on. To date, the campaign has generated $25,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Hockey Day in America is part of Hockey Weekend Across America. Launched by USA Hockey in 2008, Hockey Weekend Across America is a nationwide initiative to celebrate the game at all levels and to expose hockey to new audiences.

Hockey Day In America NHL Tripleheader

The tripleheader will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC when the Buffalo Sabres host the Pittsburgh Penguins at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY. Gord Miller will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the game and will be joined by “Inside the Glass” analyst Joe Micheletti.

At 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, the Los Angeles Kings travel to the United Center in Chicago Ill. to take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Veteran play-by-play announcer Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick will call the action and will be joined by analyst Eddie Olczyk. “Inside the Glass” analyst Pierre McGuire will report from the ice.

The Hockey Day In America tripleheader wraps up at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network when the New York Rangers host the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Dave Strader will manage play-by-play duties for the game and Brian Engblom will serve as the “Inside the Glass” analyst.

NBC will also celebrate Hockey Day through social media.

NBC SPORTS GROUP CELEBRATES #HockeyDay IN AMERICA VIA SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY

Fans Invited to Use #HockeyDay and Share Messages and Photos of Local Hockey Day Celebrations

NEW YORK – February 15, 2013 - NBC Sports Group will celebrate Hockey Day In America with fans by inviting viewers to share photos of how they are spending the day in their hometown. Using the hashtag #HockeyDay, fans will be able to share photos, via Twitter, of celebrations at home, ice rinks and at arenas across the country. Select images will be retweeted by NBC Sports’ NHL Twitter account @NHLonNBCSports and shared on-air during NBC and NBC Sports Network’s nine hours of Hockey Day In America coverage.

Hockey Day In America fans on Twitter can also follow an entire collection of NBC Sports and NHL accounts: @NHLonNBCSports, @NBCSports, @NBCSN, @NBCSportsPR, @liam_mchugh, @Jeremy_Roenick, @NHL, @BuffaloSabres, @penguins, @LAKings, @NHLBlackhawks, @washcaps, @NYRangers.

That will do it.

Jack Edwards Jumps Up and Down on NESN

I don’t know when NESN installed a camera in its TD Garden broadcast booth, but this is genius. Tonight was a perfect opportunity for NESN to unveil the Jack Edwards Cam during a Boston Bruins battle against the New York Rangers. While the Blue Shirts won in a shootout, it reached an extra session and shootout after the Bruins ferociously came back after being down 3-0 in the third period.

So after the B’s tied the game in the final minute, Jack Edwards went crazy. Viewers didn’t see Jack jumping up and down until after the overtime period when NESN put together a highlight package. What was next was pure television gold.

Classic stuff. Jack Edwards continues to provide internet magic.

Lockout? What Lockout? Bruins-Rangers Becomes Most Watched NHL Game in NBC Sports Network History

The NHL lockout seems to have built anticipation for hockey. On Wednesday, NBC Sports Network began what it called “Wednesday Night Rivalry”, pitting the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers. And while the B’s and Rangers haven’t been true rivals in decades thanks to the NHL’s division alignments, the teams did play a very exciting game that went to overtime.

NBC Sports Network saw an average audience of 956,000 viewers, the most watched NHL regular season game in the history of the network dating back to when it was previously known as Versus and then OLN before that. And it was the most watched regular season game on cable since 2002 when ESPN had the contract.

In the two home markets, Boston saw a 6.94 local rating, the second highest ever for a NHL game on NBCSN and New York received a 2.07 number which is the best-ever for the Big Apple for NBCSN.

Here’s the press release.

INAUGURAL “WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY” IS MOST-WATCHED NHL GAME IN NBC SPORTS NETWORK HISTORY

Bruins-Rangers OT Game Watched by 956,000 Viewers; Most-Watched Regular-Season Game on Cable in 11 Years
Through Four Games, NBC Sports Network’s NHL Viewership Up 53% vs. Last Year’s Season Average
New York & Boston Markets Post Record Ratings on NBC Sports Network

NEW YORK – Jan. 24, 2013 — This week’s inaugural Wednesday Night Rivalry game between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers from Madison Square Garden was watched by 956,000 viewers (0.53 HH rating), making it the most-watched NHL regular-season game in the network’s history*, dating back to the 2005-06 season. The previous record was set on opening night last season when 874,000 viewers (0.51 HH) tuned in to see the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins take on the Philadelphia Flyers.

The contest (7:30-10:12 p.m. ET), won by the Rangers, 4-3, in overtime, was also the most-watched NHL regular-season game on any cable channel in 11 years, since ESPN drew 1.28 million for Sharks-Red Wings in 2002 (1/23/02). Wednesday night’s game peaked in the second period with 1.09 million viewers from 8:45-9 p.m. ET.

Locally, New York scored a 2.07 HH rating, the market’s highest-ever rating for an NHL regular-season game on NBC Sports Network. Boston received a 6.94 HH rating, the second-highest regular-season Bruins game ever on NBC Sports Network, behind only last season’s opening night game against the Flyers (7.39 HH rating). NBC Sports Network was the No. 1 rated network overall in Boston from 7:30-10:15 p.m. ET, and the No. 2 cable network in New York during that time.

Through four games this season, NBC Sports Network is averaging 507,000 viewers, up 53% compared to the 2011-12 season average of 332,000, and up 27% compared to the first four games last season (398,000).

*NBC Sports Network was previously known as VERSUS (2006-2011) and OLN before that.

That’s it.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago Scores With NHL

The Chicago NHL team is back in action and Comcast SportsNet couldn’t be happier. Tuesday night’s game between Chicago and St. Louis drew the regional sports network’s best-ever ratings for a regular season NHL game.

Overall, CSN Chicago drew a 5.4 household rating for the team’s home opener at the United Center. It breaks the previous record for a game against Vancouver in 2010.

St. Louis-Chicago was the number one rated program in the market in all key demographics. It’s more evidence that hockey fans were waiting for the NHL in droves.

We have the press release from Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

COMCAST SPORTSNET DELIVERS ITS HIGHEST CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS REGULAR SEASON GAME RATING TO DATE

Last Night’s Blackhawks Home Opener vs. STL attracts over 188,000 Households on Comcast SportsNet;
#1 Highest-Rated Television Network in Chicago market from 7:30-10:15 PM for Adults 25-54

Chicago, IL (January 23, 2013) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks, delivered its highest Blackhawks regular season rating ever last evening (January 22) — a 5.40 household rating for its live coverage of the Blackhawks home opener against the division rival St. Louis Blues.

For last night’s thrilling 3-2 victory by the Blackhawks, Comcast SportsNet attracted approx. 188,179 households for the entire game and posted a 6.28 “peak” rating during the 10:00 PM quarter-hour (218,845 households). The 5.40 single game regular season ratings record on Comcast SportsNet shatters the previous record set on March 5, 2010 vs. Vancouver (4.35). Source for all ratings information is provided by Nielsen Media Research overnights.

Comcast SportsNet was also the #1-highest rated television network in the Chicago market last night in all key advertising demos — including Adults 25-54 — for the entire length of the game (7:30-10:15 PM).  The network was also #1 in the market for six-straight hours (5:30-11:30 PM) in the following demo categories: Men 18-34, Men 18-49, Men 25-54 and Adults 18-34.

In addition, via data obtained through CSNChicago.com’s social media hub “Blackhawks Pulse,” last night’s Blackhawks-Blues match-up garnered a solid 38,400 game-related tweets, highlighting the growing movement of in-game social media engagement with fans.

So far this season through two games, the Blackhawks on Comcast SportsNet are currently averaging a 4.26 household rating, an increase of 75% compared to last season through two telecasts, while, in the demo category of Adults 25-54, ratings are up 46%.

There you have it.

Lockout? What Lockout? NBC Sees Best Ratings For NHL Dating Back to 1999

Yup, for the NHL, these are stellar numbers. Of course, they don’t draw a candle to the NFL or even Major League Baseball, but for the sport which has been constantly been beat up in the media and by its own executives, this comes as good news. The season opening game on NBC, regional coverage split between Chicago-Los Angeles and Philadelphia-Pittsburgh drew the best regular season numbers for the National Hockey League dating back to when Fox had the contract. That’s a total of 14 years, and yes, before the 21st Century.

Saturday’s split coverage drew a 1.6 US household rating and an average of 2.77 million viewers. The last minutes of Philadelphia-Pittsburgh peaked at 3.82 million viewers.

These are the the most-watched regular season games on NBC excluding Winter Classic games.

Let’s look at what NBC is saying about the NHL.

SATURDAY’S “NHL ON NBC” BROADCAST IS MOST-WATCHED FOR NHL REGULAR-SEASON IN 14 YEARS, EXCLUDING WINTER CLASSICS

Regional Coverage of Chi-L.A. & Pit-Phi Scores 2.77 Million Viewers, Best Non-Winter Classic Regular-Season on Any Network Since 1999
Buffalo, Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, & Phoenix All Score Record Ratings across NBC or NBC Sports Network

NEW YORK – January 23, 2013 – NBC’s coverage of the NHL on Saturday produced the league’s most-watched regular-season broadcast in 14 years, excluding Winter Classics, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

Regional coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings, which saw the Blackhawks handily defeat the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings, 5-2, and the Pittsburgh Penguins victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1, was watched by 2.77 million viewers (1.6 HH rating).

Excluding Winter Classics, it is the most-watched NHL regular-season coverage on NBC since the network again began broadcasting the league in 2006, and the most-watched since three-game regional coverage on Fox in 1999 (4/18/99, 3.09 million).

The coverage on NBC (3:25-6:09 p.m. ET) peaked at 3.82 million viewers in the final minutes of the broadcast when most viewers were watching a one-goal Penguins-Flyers game. The Penguins scored an empty-net goal in the game’s final two minutes.

LOCAL RECORDS & MILESTONES

In addition to Saturday’s national success, eight markets set local ratings records or milestones for NHL regular-season coverage that aired either on NBC or NBC Sports Network, Saturday-Tuesday, excluding Winter Classics.

• Buffalo scored a 22.3 for the Sabres 5-2 victory over the Flyers on Sunday on NBC.
• Columbus posted a 2.5 rating for Monday night’s game on NBC Sports Network, which saw the Red Wings defeat the Blue Jackets, 4-3, in a dramatic shootout.
• Phoenix posted a 1.44 on Sunday night for the Blackhawks 6-4 win over the Coyotes on NBC Sports Network.
• New York posted a 0.77 for last night’s Devils 3-0 win over the Flyers on NBC Sports Network, which is the market’s best delivery on the channel for a Devils game in which they did not play either the Rangers or Islanders.

As previously announced, Pittsburgh (19.4), Philadelphia (7.8) and Chicago (6.6) scored best-ever NBC ratings in those markets for the NHL regular season for Saturday’s games, excluding Winter Classics. The 1.5 rating for Los Angeles for Saturday’s game was best for that market, excluding Winter Classics, since NBC’s NHL regional telecast on March 4, 2007 (Col-Det/Phi-Pit/Car-Atl; 1.8), and the market’s best-ever on NBC for a Kings game.

Final national ratings and viewership for Sunday’s Flyers-Sabres game on NBC, as well as Monday’s Red Wings-Blue Jackets game and last night’s Flyers-Devils game on NBC Sports Network, were not available at the time of this release.

That’s it for this post.

NESN Scores With Boston Bruins Season Opener

The Boston Bruins season opener occurred four months late, but it did not damper the audience for the game. The New England Sports Network, a.k.a. NESN, received a spectacular 9.4 household rating in Boston for the game and a 17.4 share for the Bruins game against the New York Rangers.

The previous high was an 8.9 rating for a 2012 regular season game against Vancouver.

Let’s take a look at what NESN is saying about the ratings.

NESN’s coverage of Saturday’s Bruins season opening win over the New York Rangers set a new regular season game ratings record with a 9.4 average household rating in the Boston DMA (17.4 share). NESN’s previous best regular season game rating was an 8.9 HH rating on January 7, 2012 against Vancouver in the teams’ first meeting since the Bruins beat the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup. 

NESN’s demo ratings for the Saturday Bruins opener attracted a broad audience, garnering a 12.8 rating for men 25-54, 10.3 for adults 25-54 and a 7.9 for women 25-54.

NESN’s pre and post-game coverage of the season opener also earned impressive ratings. Bruins Face-Off LIVE, which was expanded to a 1-hour show for opening night, earned a 2.5 HH rating (5.3 share), the third highest rated regular season Bruins pre-game show in NESN history. Bruins Overtime LIVE, garnered a 5.1 HH rating (9.3 share), the second highest rating for a Bruins regular season post-game show in NESN history.

That is all.

2013 NHL Season Opener Scores For NBC

Having regional coverage involving three hockey-friendly markets and a defending Stanley Cup Champion, NBC saw its best overnight ratings for a non-Winter Classic telecast since it began re-airing the league in 2006. And the overnights are the best on any network for an NHL regular season game dating back to 2002.

Regional coverage of the Chicago-Los Angeles and Pittsburgh-Philadelphia games brought a 2.0 overnight number to NBC. Locally, Pittsburgh had the best rating with a 19.4, Philadelphia saw a 7.8 while Chicago garnered a 6.6 number, all quite good and all local ratings records for the NHL.

We have further details of the NHL on NBC ratings in this press release.

NBC’S INAUGURAL 2013 NHL COVERAGE DELIVERS HIGHEST REGULAR-SEASON OVERNIGHT RATING IN MORE THAN A DECADE, EXCLUDING WINTER CLASSICS

Regional Coverage of Blackhawks-Kings & Penguins-Flyers Scores 2.0 Overnight, Best for Non-Winter Classic Regular-Season Game on NBC Since Coverage Began in 2006 & Best on Any Network Since 2002
Coverage up 67% vs. 2011-12 NHL on NBC Regular-Season Average
Pittsburgh (19.4), Philadelphia (7.8) & Chicago (6.6) post best non-Winter Classic Regular-Season Games Ever on NBC

NEW YORK – January 20, 2013 – There was a clear thirst for the return of the NHL as yesterday’s two-game regional coverage on NBC scored a 2.0 overnight rating (3:30-6:15 p.m. ET), resulting in a host of records and milestones, according to official data released today by The Nielsen Company. The 2.0 overnight was (excluding Winter Classics):

• the highest overnight rating for regular-season coverage in more than a decade;
• the highest overnight for regular-season coverage on NBC since its recent coverage of the league began in 2006;
• a 67-percent increase compared to last year’s 2011-12 regular-season average;
• an 82-percent increase vs. last year’s coverage during the comparable weekend;
• Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Chicago scored record local ratings.

NBC Sports’ coverage consisted of the Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings, which saw the Blackhawks handily defeat the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings, 5-2, and the Pittsburgh Penguins victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1, as well as a half-hour pre-game show that featured the Kings championship banner raising.

The 2.0 overnight was the best for any regular-season game on any network, excluding Winter Classics, since a 2.3 overnight for three-game regional on ABC (1/12/02), also making it the best on NBC since the network began broadcasting the NHL again in 2006.

The 2.0 overnight was up 67% compared to last year’s 2011-12 NHL on NBC regular-season average (1.2), which includes the 2012 Winter Classic, and up 82% vs. coverage during the comparable weekend last year, which featured Chicago-Detroit (1.1; 1/14/12; overtime).

The overnight ratings for Pittsburgh (19.4), Philadelphia (7.8) and Chicago (6.6) were NBC’s best-ever in those markets for the NHL regular season, excluding Winter Classics. The 1.5 rating for Los Angeles was best for that market, excluding Winter Classics, since NBC’s NHL regional telecast on March 4, 2007 (Colo-Det/Phil-Pitt/Caro-Atl; 1.8).

TOP FIVE MARKETS (Rating/Share)

Pittsburgh	19.4/38
Philadelphia	7.8/16
Chicago	6.6/15
Buffalo	6.6/13
Boston	2.5/6

With the games concluding between 6-6:15 p.m. ET, including what was a one-goal game for much of that time between the Penguins and Flyers, the coverage peaked at a 2.9 rating. Pre-game coverage (3-3:30 p.m. ET), which primarily consisted of the Kings championship banner raising, drew a 1.4 overnight.

That’s it.

Wringing Out Some Thursday Linkage

This has been a rather bizarre 24 hour period trying to follow this Manti Te’o story.

I’m going to provide some linkage for you.

Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey at Deadspin provide some information on what the media missed on the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend story.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead says it’s time for the sports media to stop putting athletes on pedestals.

TMZ is on the case of the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend. You know what it did with Tiger Woods.

Jackie Pepper talks with a Notre Dame player who acknowledges that the team knew that Manti Te’o's girlfriend was a lie all along.

In Outkick the Coverage, Clay Travis chronicles how Manti Te’o's fake girlfriend broke the internets last night.

Ed Sherman in The Sherman Report praises Deadspin’s story on Manti Te’o, but with one caveat.

Jim Romenesko has statements from the South Bend Tribune’s executive editor in response to readers’ questions in regards to its story on Te’o back in October.

Todd Spangler of Broadcasting & Cable says the Oprah Winfrey Network will stream tonight’s interview with Lance Armstrong as will several cable and satellite providers.

Juliet Macur of the New York Times has several questions that Oprah should have asked Lance Armstrong.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the New York Islanders pending move to Brooklyn hasn’t affected the team’s broadcasters. Yet.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says YES generates the ratings.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with CBS Sports Radio’s Doug Gottlieb.

Sports Media Watch notes that Fox scored with Seattle-Atlanta.

SMW says last Saturday’s Packers-49ers game was the lowest-rated NFL Divisional Playoff game on Fox in four years.

SMW tells us that last Saturday’s Ravens-Broncos scored for CBS, but was still down from last year’s comparable NFL playoff game.

That will conclude the linkage for now.

Some Quick Midweek Links

I keep getting bogged down with family stuff. I’m going to try and provide some linkage now.

Deadspin’s Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey have the story of the day exposing the inspirational Manti Te’o's girlfriend story as one huge hoax.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has Twitter reaction to the Te’o girlfriend hoax.

Michael Hiestand talks with ESPN’s Stuart Scott about his cancer recurrence.

Michael asks who has to more to gain from this week’s interview, Lance Armstrong or

Scott M. Gleeson at USA Today’s Game On blog notes that Brent Musburger’s favorite Miss Alabama, Katherine Webb, will cover Super Bowl XLVII for Inside Edition.

Speaking of Brent, TMZ caught up with him as he was at an airport to talk about ESPN’s apology over his comments on Ms. Webb.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable notes that ESPN Deportes is venturing into social media.

Todd Spangler from Multichannel News says Google says Time Warner Cable is withholding its Metro Sports network from Google’s TV service in Kansas City.

David Gianatasio of Adweek writes that Nike’s new ad featuring Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods taps a familiar theme.

Simon Dumenco from Advertising Age facetiously speculates on what Lance Armstrong revealed to Oprah Winfrey.

Brandon Costa at Sports Video Group says NBC and local regional sports networks are scrambling to hire crews and production trucks for a hastily scheduled National Hockey League season.

ESPN.com’s Kristi Dosh, the Sports Biz Miss, says NHL teams are offering perks to lure fans back to the arena.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the TV networks are glad to see the National Hockey League back.

Jerry Barmash of FishbowlNY writes that MSG Network is ramping up for the 2013 NHL season.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Daily Gazette says thanks to the scheduling, there will be no New York Rangers blackouts in the Capital Region this season.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has compiled the 2013 NHL TV schedule for the Capital Region.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun notes that this weekend’s Ravens-Patriots AFC Championship Game will get Super Bowl treatment from CBS.

In the Washington Post, Dan Steinberg in the DC Sports Bog has the transcript of WaPo columnist Sally Jenkins sitdown with PBS’ Charlie Rose about Lance Armstrong.

For her part, Jenkins says she’s not mad at Armstrong.

The Washington Examiner’s Jim Williams has ESPN’s Chris Evert being bullish on Serena Williams’ chances to sweep the Grand Slams this year.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says a long-time local sportscaster ends his TV tenure tomorrow.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says the AFC Divisional Playoffs topped the local ratings.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a local sportscaster leaving for Chicago.

Danny Ecker of Crain’s Chicago Business writes that the Chicago NHL Team has renewed its radio deal with WGN.

Joe Flint from the Los Angeles Times reports that Fox may convert Fox Soccer into an entertainment channel.

And that’s going to do it for now.

NHL GameCenter Live To Be Discounted for the 2013 Season

This came to the Fang’s Bites inbox and is quite welcome news. While we await word of the NHL Center Ice out-of-market pay-per-view cable package, the National Hockey League has announced that its popular mobile and tablet app, GameCenter Live, will be discounted for the 2013 season at $49.99.

Compare that to last season when the price was $169.99 for a full season. That is quite the bargain compared to the previous price and I’m considering getting this for my iPad.

The NHL says the app will have several enhancements for this season including improved menus, and postgame video highlights.

Here’s the official press release from the National Hockey League.

NHL GAMECENTER LIVE AVAILABLE FOR SPECIAL PRICE OF $49.99 FOR 2012-13 NHL REGULAR SEASON

GCL Allows Fans to Watch Out-of-Market Games Live on Computers, Smartphones, Tablets and Connected Devices, Including Xbox 360 for First Time
League Also Announces Enhanced NHL GameCenter App

NEW YORK (January 14, 2013) – The National Hockey League today announced that NHL GameCenter LIVETM, the League’s critically acclaimed, out-of-market, live-game streaming product, is available this season for the special price of $49.99.

The subscription fee of $49.99 enables fans to watch live and archived games featuring teams outside a fan’s local market across multiple screens, including smartphones, tablets, computers and connected devices. The special price is available for this season only.

NHL GameCenter LIVE^TM offers fans worldwide* the most robust live-game viewing experience with in-game interactivity, on-demand replays, DVR capabilities, highlights and more.

NHL GameCenter App

The NHL also announced significant enhancements to the NHL GameCenter ™ app, the official app that provides live streaming access and video highlights during NHL games. Available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads (and later this season on BlackBerry 10) the redesigned NHL GameCenter^TM app now features more free video for users — including post-game video highlights, a live-game simulation with real-time shift changes and play-by-play for the ultimate second-screen experience in hockey.

The re-designed app also has an improved menu structure, allowing fans to transition easily from one section to the next and navigate more content than ever with ease.

The NHL GameCenter^TM app, available for download beginning January 15, includes the following features:

NHL GameCenter^TM (free)
· Live scores and stats for every team and player
· Live game simulation with near real-time shift changes, boxscores and play-by-play (new this season)
· Post-game video highlights (new this season)
· Video on-demand content featuring the best selections from NHL editors
· Full-season schedule and standings
· Customized game alerts
· Player profiles with headshots, bios and stats for all active NHL players
· Customizable settings for up to five favorite teams (new this season)

Upgrade to NHL GameCenter™ Premium** ($4.99 or free for Verizon tablet and 4G LTE smartphone customers)
· Live radio broadcasts (home and away)
· In-game video highlights
· Condensed game replays

Upgrade to NHL GameCenter LIVE^TM ($49.99 or free with broadband subscription)
· Live out-of-market game video (home and away)
· Access across multiple devices
· All NHL GameCenter™ Premium content

Verizon Wireless tablet and 4G LTE smartphone customers will continue to get access to NHL GameCenter Premium content as well as additional exclusive content for free. Exclusive free content for Verizon customers includes live streams of NBC network games, NBC’s Inside the Glass and NHL Network’s NHL On The Fly™.

Connected Devices

NHL GameCenter LIVE^TM will now be available for the first time on Xbox 360 in addition to other popular internet-connected devices including the PlayStation®3 System and Roku.

NHL GameCenter LIVE^TM and NHL GameCenter^TM were co-developed with the NHL’s strategic partner NeuLion. For more information or to subscribe to NHL GameCenter LIVE, please visit http://nhl.com/gamecenterlive.

NHL Center Ice

NHL Center Ice, the out-of-market live NHL game television product, also is being made available by many satellite and cable carriers for a special one-time price. For more information, please contact your local cable
provider.

*NHL GameCenter Live is not available in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden due to an existing agreement in place between NHL and Scandinavian broadcaster, Modern Times Group (MTG).

NHL games can be viewed instead via Viaplay digital platforms.

NHL GameCenter LIVE is subject to blackouts and other restrictions.

There you have it.

Our Monday Linkage

Time for some Monday links. Let’s get to them.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with CBS Evening News anchorman Scott Pelley about interviewing President Obama for the network’s Super Bowl coverage and also reviews the performances of the NFL “B” analysts during the weekend.

Michael Smith and John Ourand at Sports Business Journal note that the Atlantic Coast Conference is exploring the potential of a new league-owned network.

Chris Chase of USA Today’s Game On blog reports that tennis superstar Maria Sharapova has joined Twitter.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks with ESPN’s Hannah Storm about returning to SportsCenter this week after the holiday season grilling fire that left her singed.

Hiestand also talks with Michelle Beadle about her upcoming show on NBC Sports Network.

UK journalist David Walsh who was the first writer to investigate disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong after his first Tour de France “win”, has an article in the Sunday Times looking back at his long journey.

Ed Sherman in The Sherman Report notes that the Times placed an ad in the Chicago Tribune calling on Oprah Winfrey to ask certain questions to Armstrong when they tape their “interview” this week. Here’s a closeup look at the ad courtesy of Deadspin.

Ed interviews Dana Jacobson of CBS Sports Radio.

Philiana Ng of the Hollywood Reporter says USA Network and the NFL will team up for their second annual special that will air after the Super Bowl.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says the NHL is back.

Christopher Heine of Adweek writes that Lincoln has shot a social media-driven spot that will air during Super Bowl XLVII.

Brian Steinberg from Advertising Age says social media might be spoiling Super Bowl advertisers’ suspense and full impact.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times talks about Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Emrick calling a girls’ 12-and-under game last week.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post wants to know why Lance Armstrong thought he could cheat and get away with it.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says no one is happier about the end of the NHL Lockout than NBC.

In an upset, David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun actually has some praise for CBS’ Dan Dierdorf from Saturday’s Ravens-Broncos game.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that the much-maligned Vinny Cerrato is part of CBS Sports Radio’s weekend lineup.

Dan notes that Fox Sports Radio’s Steve Czaban has quit Twitter cold turkey.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks about ESPN2′s Australian Open coverage which will run late into the night.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times has a review of the weekend in sports TV.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says Texans-Patriots drew big numbers in H-Town.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer says Time Warner Cable is picking up college basketball games from Sports Time Ohio.

Bob Wolfley with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the NFL playoffs played big in Sudstown.

Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch says Comcast SportsNet is tapping a Milwaukee sports reporter to fill a position.

The Denver Post’s Dusty Saunders writes that Ravens-Broncos got big numbers in the Rocky Mountain region.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has this week’s SoCal sports calendar.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says Americans shouldn’t expect to see small market NHL teams on NBC.

Brad Gagnon of Awful Announcing has the grades for the NFL’s top broadcasting teams.

Because I’ve been in and out today, I’m finally getting the links to you after 6 p.m. I have been trying to get these up since before 11 a.m.

NHL Network (US) Releases A 78 Game Schedule for the 2013 Season

To pick up the slack of NBC Sports Network when it’s not airing games, NHL Network in the United States will carry 78 regular season games. Some will include Hockey Night in Canada games on Saturday evenings. Others will be local broadcasts of various games.

In addition, various studio shows will return like NHL Live on Monday with EJ Hradek and co-hosted by Deb Placey or Bill Pidto.

The nightly NHL on the Fly that carries live look-ins and real-time scoring updates also returns.

And NHL Tonight, the network’s signature wrap-up show with Kathryn Tappen and analysts Barry Melrose, Kevin Weekes or Mike Johnson will end the league’s night.

It’s just too bad we didn’t have any studio programming to update fans during lockout, but that’s water under the bridge now.

Here’s the NHL Network press release.

NHL NETWORK-U.S. TO BROADCAST 78 NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAMES

#hockeyisback — NHL Network Returns Tonight with Live Reports from Training Camps and New Hosts

NEW YORK (January 12, 2013) – NHL Network-U.S. will televise 78 live games this regular season, focusing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and featuring eight double-headers, seven triple-headers and one quadruple-header. Regular-season coverage on NHL Network-U.S. gets underway on Saturday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. ET. with the New York Rangers in Boston to take on the Bruins.

On Saturday evenings, NHL Network-U.S. again will broadcast CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada programming beginning with the Hockey Tonight pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. ET, and Coaches Corner and Hotstove intermission programming during live game broadcasts.

Beginning tonight, January 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET and airing each night leading up to puck drop on the 2012-13 NHL season, NHL Network will be live with a special season preview titled NHL Tonight 2012-13 Season Preview. Along with host Kathryn Tappen, a rotating cast of hockey insiders will bring viewers an in-depth look at the upcoming season, including team-by-team breakdowns, live on-location reports from NHL training camps and all the latest news as the League’s 30 teams gear up for the 99-day race for the playoffs.

With a return to the ice comes the season return of NHL Live, one of the Network’s signature programs. NHL Live begins broadcasting Monday, Jan. 14 at 5:00 p.m. ET.  Another fan favorite, the 2013 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, live from the Halifax Metro Centre, also highlights opening week on the Network for U.S. audiences. The game airs live Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET followed by a special edition of NHL Tonight 2012-13 Season Preview at 10:00 p.m. ET.

In addition, NHL Network-U.S. will broadcast TSN shows NHL Top 50 Players, NHL 30 and NHL Fantasy Draft Special in the coming days. For the complete NHL Network schedule, please visit www.nhlnetwork.com.

New talent at NHL Network

New this season, Glenn Schiiler and Mark Roe join the Network as the hosts of marquee shows NHL On The Fly and NHL Tonight, bringing highlights and their expert analysis to the viewers at home. Prior to joining the Network, Schiiler was a sports anchor on Score Weekend and Score Tonighton The Score, while Roe served as Sports Director for the award-winning CTV News in Barrie, Ontario, where he daily covered the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.

Returning NHL Network shows

NHL Live airs weeknights from 5-7 p.m. ET, throughout the season. Host EJ Hradek keeps fans in-the-know with headlines and buzz from insiders all over the hockey world. Fans can interact live by either tweeting @NHLLive or calling in with questions at 1-855-HAT-TRICK.

NHL On The Fly, the Network’s signature show, airs nightly from 7-10 p.m. ET taking fans inside the action from around the League with live look-ins, real-time scores, team press conferences and expert analysis from a variety of your favorite NHL veterans, including current and former players.

NHL Tonight hosted by Kathryn Tappen and featuring a rotating cast of analysts including Barry Melrose, Kevin Weekes and Mike Johnson, returns nightly at 10 p.m. ET serving fans with every highlight, from every game, every night. NHL Tonight will re-air the following morning.

2012-13 NHL Network-U.S. live-game broadcast schedule is as follows:
(subject to change)

1/19/2013 — NY Rangers at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
1/20/2013 — Pittsburgh at NY Rangers, 7:00 p.m.
1/24/2013 — NY Rangers at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
1/25/2013 — Minnesota at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
1/26/2013 — Colorado at San Jose, 4:00 p.m.
1/26/2013 — Toronto at NY Rangers, 7:00 p.m.
1/27/2013 — Buffalo at Washington, 3:00 p.m.
1/28/2013 — Boston at Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
1/31/2013 — Pittsburgh at NY Rangers, 7:00 p.m.
2/1/2013 — St. Louis at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
2/2/2013 — New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 1:00 p.m.
2/2/2013 — Boston at Toronto, 7:00 p.m.
2/7/2013 — Washington at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
2/8/2013 — Anaheim at Dallas, 8:00 p.m.
2/9/2013 — Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 1:00 p.m.
2/9/2013 — Phoenix at San Jose, 4:00 p.m.
2/9/2013 — Toronto at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
2/14/2013 — Washington at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
2/15/2013 — Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
2/16/2013 — Philadelphia at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
2/18/2013 — Nashville at Colorado, 3:00 p.m.
2/18/2013 — Carolina at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
2/21/2013 — Columbus at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
2/22/2013 — San Jose at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
2/23/2013 — New Jersey at Washington, 12:00 p.m.
2/23/2013 — Colorado at Los Angeles, 4:00 p.m.
2/23/2013 — Nashville at Detroit, 7:00 p.m
2/24/2013 — Boston at Florida, 3:00 p.m.
2/28/2013 — Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
3/1/2013 — Columbus at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
3/2/2013 — Ottawa at Philadelphia, 12:00 p.m.
3/2/2013 — Washington at Winnipeg, 3:00 p.m.
3/2/2013 — Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
3/2/2013 — Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
3/3/2013 — St. Louis at Dallas, 3:00 p.m.
3/4/2013 — Nashville at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
3/7/2013 — Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
3/8/2013 — Chicago at Colorado, 9:00 p.m.
3/9/2013 — Philadelphia at Boston, 1:00 p.m.
3/9/2013 — St. Louis at San Jose, 4:00 p.m.
3/9/2013 — Pittsburgh at Toronto, 7:00 p.m.
3/14/2013 — Washington at Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
3/15/2013 — New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
3/16/2013 — NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 1:00 p.m.
3/16/2013 — Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7:00 p.m.0
3/16/2013 — Detroit at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
3/20/2013 — Dallas at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.
3/21/2013 — New Jersey at Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
3/22/2013 — Pittsburgh at NY Islanders, 7:00 p.m.
3/22/2013 — Detroit at Anaheim, 10:00 p.m.
3/23/2013 — Vancouver at Los Angeles, 4:00 p.m.
3/23/2013 — Boston at Toronto, 7:00 p.m.
3/28/2013 — Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8:00 p.m.
3/29/2013 — Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.3/30/2013 — Boston at Philadelphia, 1:00 p.m.
3/30/2013 — NY Rangers at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.
4/4/2013 — New Jersey at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
4/4/2013 — Detroit at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m.
4/5/2013 — NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
4/6/2013 — Edmonton at Los Angeles, 4:00 p.m.
4/6/2013 — NY Rangers at Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
4/6/2013 — Calgary at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
4/7/2013 — Dallas at San Jose, 4:00 p.m.
4/8/2013 — Carolina at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
4/12/2013 — Detroit at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
4/13/2013 — Vancouver at Colorado, 3:00 p.m.
4/13/2013 — Montreal at Toronto, 7:00 p.m.
4/13/2013 — Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
4/18/2013 — Vancouver at Dallas, 8:00 p.m.
4/19/2013 — Pittsburgh at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
4/20/2013 — Florida at New Jersey, 1:00 p.m.
4/20/2013 — Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
4/20/2013 — Detroit at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
4/21/2013 — Florida at Boston, 3:00 p.m.
4/21/2013 — Dallas at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
4/22/2013 — Chicago at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
4/25/2013 — Anaheim at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m.
4/26/2013 — Edmonton at Minnesota, 8:00 p.m.

That will conclude the 2013 NHL TV schedules.

2013 NHL on TSN Schedule

Here’s the NHL on TSN schedule. Games will showcase 42 games including at least one Canadian team in each contest.

We have the schedule for you below.

2013 NHL on TSN Schedule

That will do it.

2013 NHL on NBC Sports Network Schedule

We have the NHL on NBC Sports Network schedule for the truncated 2013 season. Overall, 55 games on NBC Sports Network starting on Sunday, January 19. NBCSN will have games from Sunday through Wednesday with exclusive games on Wednesday nights. Overall, the network will have 26 exclusive windows on 24 nights.

I’ll first post the overall schedule, then various other in-season schedules that NBCSN will offer throughout this Brave New World that the National Hockey League has introduced. I have no idea what I just wrote.

Here’s the NHL on NBC Sports Network schedule.

NBC Sports Network 2012-13 NHL regular-season schedule (all times ET, subject to change):

Date	Away	Home	Time
Sunday, January 20	Chicago	Phoenix	10 p.m.
Monday, January 21	Detroit	Columbus	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 22	Philadelphia	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 23	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 27	Minnesota	St. Louis	8 p.m.
Tuesday, January 29	N.Y. Islanders	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 30	Chicago	Minnesota	8 p.m.
Monday, February 4	Dallas	Colorado	9 p.m.
Tuesday, February 5	Tampa Bay	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 6	Boston	Montreal	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 10	New Jersey	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Monday, February 11	Los Angeles	St. Louis	9 p.m.
Tuesday, February 12	N.Y. Rangers	Boston	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 13	St. Louis	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 17	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	6 p.m.
Tuesday, February 19	San Jose	St. Louis	8 p.m.
Wednesday, February 20	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 20	St. Louis	Colorado	10 p.m.
Sunday, February 24	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Monday, February 25	Dallas	Nashville	8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 26	Boston	N.Y. Islanders	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 27	Washington	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 3	Montreal	Boston	7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 4	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 5	Philadelphia	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 6	Colorado	Chicago	8 p.m.
Sunday, March 10	Buffalo	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 12	Philadelphia	Boston	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 13	Philadelphia	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 17	Buffalo	Washington	7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 18	Philadelphia	Tampa Bay	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 19	Washington	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20	Minnesota	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 24	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 25	Los Angeles	Chicago	8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 26	Philadelphia	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27	Montreal	Boston	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 31	Washington	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Monday, April 1	Colorado	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 2	Buffalo	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 3	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 7	New Jersey	Buffalo	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 9	Chicago	Minnesota	8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 10	Boston	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 11	Pittsburgh	Tampa Bay	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 14	Detroit	Nashville	7:30 p.m.
Monday, April 15	Dallas	Chicago	8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16	NY Rangers	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 17	Buffalo	Boston	7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 18	New Jersey	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 21	St. Louis	Colorado	7:30 p.m.
Monday, April 22	Montreal	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 23	Boston	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 24	Los Angeles	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 25	Pittsburgh	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27	TBD	TBD	7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27	TBD	TBD	10 p.m.

Now to the opening week schedule. NBC will start off with three games covered in two national windows between Saturday, January 19 and Sunday, January 20. The NBC mothership will air the Los Angeles Kings’ banner raising ceremony celebrating last season’s Stanley Cup Championship. Here are the games for Opening Week on NBC Sports Group.

OPENING WEEK: NBC drops the puck on its coverage at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 19 with NHL Live, featuring the Stanley Cup champion L.A. Kings’ banner raising. Following the ceremony, NBC offers regional coverage of the Kings hosting the Chicago Blackhawks (puck drop at 3:25 p.m. ET) and the Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins (3:35 p.m. ET).

On Sun., Jan. 20 at 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC returns with the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Flyers. NBC Sports Network begins its season Sunday night by televising the Phoenix Coyotes at the Chicago Blackhawks at 10 p.m. ET. It continues coverage with a game on three consecutive nights from Monday through Wednesday.

Following is the Opening Week schedule (all times ET):

Date	Away	Home	Time	Network
Sat., January 19	NHL Live	Banner Raising	3:00 p.m.	NBC
Sat., January 19	Chicago	Los Angeles	3:25 p.m.	NBC
Sat., January 19	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia	3:35 p.m.	NBC
Sun., January 20	Philadelphia	Buffalo	12:30 p.m.	NBC
Sun., January 20	Chicago	Phoenix	10 p.m.	NBCSN
Mon., January 21	Detroit	Columbus	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Tues., January 22	Philadelphia	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Wed., January 23	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN

Now to the Hockey Day in America schedule. NBC will air two games nationally in a doubleheader followed by one game on NBCSN.

HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA: In its third year, Hockey Day in America will celebrate America’s passion for hockey on Sunday, February 17, featuring more than nine hours of coverage, including three games and six teams from some of the most avid U.S. hockey markets across both NBC and NBC Sports Network. In addition, coverage will include compelling features that tell the story of America’s passion for hockey.

Coverage begins at Noon ET on NBC with NHL Live. The first two broadcasts on NBC are Pittsburgh at Buffalo at 12:30 p.m. ET and Los Angeles at Chicago at 3:30 p.m. ET. The final game of the celebration is between Washington at the New York Rangers at 6 p.m. ET and airs on NBC Sports Network. (All times ET and subject to change)

Time	Away	Home	Network
Noon	NHL Live		NBC
12:30	Pittsburgh	Buffalo	NBC
3:30	Los Angeles	Chicago	NBC
6:00	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	NBC Sports Network

And finally, here’s the Wednesday night schedule which will focus on division rivalries as the 2013 48 game schedule will not allow for interconference play this season.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS RIVALRY NIGHT: NBC Sports Network’s exclusive Wednesday night coverage will now feature some of the biggest rivalries in the NHL, including Bruins-Canadiens and Flyers-Penguins. The network will air exclusive coverage Wednesday nights giving NHL fans four straight nights of hockey action, Sunday-Wednesday, during most weeks. Rivalry Nights begin Wednesday, January 23 with the Bruins and Rangers facing off in another Boston-New York contest. Following are NBC Sports Network’s 2013 Rivalry Nights:

Date	Away	Home	Time
January 23	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
January 30	Chicago	Minnesota	8 p.m.
February 6	Boston	Montreal	7:30 p.m.
February 13	St. Louis	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
February 20	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
February 20	St. Louis	Colorado	10 p.m.
February 27	Washington	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.
March 6	Colorado	Chicago	8 p.m.
March 13	Philadelphia	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.
March 20	Minnesota	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
March 27	Montreal	Boston	7:30 p.m.
April 3	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
April 10	Boston	New Jersey	7:30 p.m.
April 17	Buffalo	Boston	7:30 p.m.
April 24	Los Angeles	Detroit	7:30 p.m.

And NBC will introduce a pregame show this season, NHL Live that will originate from the new NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, CT.

NBC SPORTS GROUP OPENS STATE-OF-THE ART STUDIOS: NHL studio programming throughout the 2013 season will originate from the NBC Sports Group’s new, state-of-the-art International Broadcast Center located in Stamford, Conn. The first studio programming will air on NBC on Saturday, Jan. 19, prior to the two regional games.

NHL Live is NBC Sports Network’s live pre- and post-show with highlights and analysis of NHL matchups before and after every game. It traditionally airs a half-hour prior to live-event coverage. NHL Overtime airs Monday-Wednesday nights after NHL telecasts. It examines all NHL games played that night with news, highlights, and analysis.

That’s going to do it.

CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada 2013 Schedule

Here’s the press release from CBC which celebrates the 60th season of North America’s longest running sports series on television, Hockey Night in Canada. On Saturday, January 19, CBC will have a season opening tripleheader which will include Ottawa at Winnipeg at 3 p.m. ET and then Toronto at Montreal at 7 p.m. which will be followed by Anaheim at Vancouver for the nightcap.

We have the press release followed by the Hockey Night in Canada schedule.

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA RETURNS FOR ITS 60TH SEASON ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 19

The puck drops on the new season with Ottawa @ Winnipeg (3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT) followed by Toronto @ Montreal (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) and Anaheim @ Vancouver (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA is ready to hit the ice for its 60^th season beginning Saturday, January 19 with 49 games on the schedule. CBC gives viewers the best seat in the house to catch the best games, marquee players and is the exclusive home of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Canadians have missed their game, and we’ve missed bringing it to them. We look forward to the return of the teams and the players, and CBC will be there as they drop the puck,” said Kirstine Stewart, Executive Vice President, English Services, CBC.

CBC hosts the biggest hockey night of the week where appointment viewing and fan engagement take center stage. This season’s schedule includes 10 Original Six pairings and rivalry games featuring Toronto/Montreal, Edmonton/Calgary, Ottawa/Toronto, and Montreal/Boston. Eighteen all-Canadian match-ups also highlight the schedule including three that anchor a full day of coverage on Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada on February 9.

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA’s season gets underway with Ottawa @ Winnipeg at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT). CBC will have simultaneous live coverage of select moments from the official Stanley Cup banner raising in Los Angeles between 3-3:30 p.m. ET (12-12:30pm PT). Coverage continues with a CBC-exclusive concert event live from Montreal as Scotiabank Hockey Tonight returns at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT), followed by Toronto @ Montreal at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Wrapping up the night is Anaheim @ Vancouver at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).

Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi presented by Chevrolet returns every Saturday night with double-header action.

“We’re thrilled to be able to share the tradition of Hockey Night in Canada with the nation once again this year,” said Jeffrey Orridge, Executive Director, Sports Properties, CBC.

Hockey Day in Canada is back for its 13^th year. Ron Maclean and Don Cherry celebrate the Day from Peterborough, Ontario, when all seven Canadian teams will be in action. The Under the Lock Hockey Tournament on the Trent Canal and the OHL game between the Peterborough Petes game and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds will provide the background for the day. Lloydminster, AB/SK will host the five-day celebration in 2014.

“This will be Hockey Night in Canada’s 60^th season and we can’t wait to celebrate with our viewers in interactive and engaging ways,” said Julie Bristow, Executive Director, Studio and Unscripted Programming, English Services, CBC.

Fans can connect with CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA online, through Twitter (#HockeyNight) and Facebook and with the Hockey Night in Canada app for iOS and Windows 8.

Further details of CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA’s programming elements and celebrations surrounding the 60^th season will be announced in the coming days.

After the break, I’ll have the schedule for you.

(continue reading…)

2013 NHL on NBC Schedule

I’ll have the official release from NBC on Sunday, but here’s the 2013 NHL on NBC regular season schedule. Next weekend, NBC will air two games on Opening Weekend on Saturday, January 19 and Sunday, January 20. NBC will regionalize two games on Saturday, Pittsburgh-Philadelphia and Chicago-Los Angeles and then during its usual 12:30 p.m. Sunday window, just one game, Philadelphia at Buffalo.

Overall, the NHL on NBC will have 14 national windows. Take a look at what we have for you below.

January 19 — Pittsburgh at Philadelphia or Chicago at Los Angeles, 3 p.m. ET

January 20 — Philadelphia at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m. ET

February 3 – Pittsburgh at Washington, 12:30 p.m. ET

Febuary 10 — Los Angeles AT Detroit, 12:30 p.m. ET

HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA
February 17 — Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m. ET, Los Angeles at Chicago, 3:30 p.m. ET

March 3 — Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m. ET

March 10 — New York Rangers at Washington, 12:30 p.m. ET

March 17 — Boston at Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m. ET

March 31 — Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m. ET

April 7 — St. Louis at Detroit, 12:30 p.m. ET

April 14 — Chicago at St. Louis, 12:30 p.m. ET

April 21 — St. Louis at Colorado or New Jersey at NY Rangers, TBD*

April 27 — New Jersey at NY Rangers or Los Angeles at San Jose, TBD*

* – Flex game (game not selected for NBC will be aired on NBC Sports Network)

#hockeyisback

Damned straight it is. Now no more labor strife, okay? Great video from NHL.com.

The network schedules are coming up.

Oh My! It’s The Return of The Linkage!

It’s been way too long since you’ve seen linkage on this site. This has been the main mission of Fang’s Bites since the beginning, but too often, I get roped into doing family stuff and it prevents me from getting on here until late.

I hope to rectify that. So without further delay, here’s the linkage.

I’ll begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who looks at tonight’s ESPN production of the BCS National Championship Game and he breaks news that former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine will co-host a daily NBC Sports Radio show.

From The Sherman Report, Ed Sherman talks with ESPN’s Brent Musburger about retirement.

John Ourand of Sports Business Journal says thanks to its parent company buying into YES Network, Fox Sports will have the rights to as many as 18 New York Yankees games for its national MLB broadcasts (for now, subscription required).

Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Daily writes that DirecTV is dropping NASCAR Hot Pass due to the high cost and low demand.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell reports that the “Catholic 7″, the breakaway basketball schools from the Big East, is negotiating a megabucks deal with Fox Sports.

Nathan Savin Scott of USA Today lists the best sports commercials of 2012.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says tonight’s BCS Championship Game could set an all-time viewership record for ESPN and cable TV.

The extremely warped Anthony Crupi (he’ll even admit this) of Adweek writes that the NFL’s regular season ratings were down slightly from last year, but it delivers an audience unlike any other programming.

Friend of Fang’s Bites Michael McCarthy at Advertising Age notes that college football is close to passing baseball as the nation’s second most popular sport.

Natalie Zmuda of Ad Age says Pepsi wants to make you, yes you, part of its Super Bowl ad.

Mark J. Miller at BrandChannel notes how a Nike ad campaign helped to nudge the NHL into ending its lockout.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine wonders if the ratings will return for the NHL now that its lockout has been resolved.

SBNation’s Steve Lepore reports that Michelle Beadle’s new show, The Crossover, will replace NBC Sports Talk later this month.

David Rogers over at Awful Announcing scolds NHL Network for not covering one second of the end of the lockout.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Wheat Hotchkiss (I like this name) delves into ESPN’s production of the BCS National Championship Game in South Flordia.

EPL Talk reviews Fox’s first-ever broadcast of an FA Cup game.

Will Leitch at Sports on Earth says NBC Sports Network’s ratings may be low, but at least it’s trying to be the anti-ESPN.

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe writes about Bobby Valentine’s new foray into daily sports radio.

Brian Stelter at the New York Times says rising sports fees are causing cable providers to drop lower performing channels.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post needs to stop watching television.

Newsday’s Neil Best says there’s too much sports television and radio for the average fan to keep track of. Well put, Neil.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Golf Channel has had to adjust its schedule for the weather-delayed Tournament of Champions.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says CBS Sports Radio has a home in the Hudson Valley.

Keith Groller with the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with an Eastern Pennsylvania native who’s been covering Notre Dame for the last six years.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun feels CBS did not get the job done covering yesterday’s Colts-Ravens game.

David says yesterday’s Colts-Ravens game received the highest rating in the Charm City since last year’s Super Bowl.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has the national media reaction to DC NFL Team head coach Mike Shanahan’s decision to keep quarterback Robert Griffin III on the field despite him seemingly being hurt until an injury that ended his game.

Dan says a local sports radio morning show now gets an opportunity on TV.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times has the winners and losers in the NHL Lockout.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has some info from ESPN on tonight’s BCS National Championship Game.

Mike Herndon of the Birmingham (AL) News says ESPN could not have asked for a better matchup in the BCS National Championship Game.

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News looks into the behind-the-scenes for ESPN’s telecast of Alabama-Notre Dame.

David Barron with the Houston Chronicle says Saturday’s Bengals-Texans local rating matched last year’s Wild Card playoff game number.

David writes that former Houston Astros broadcaster Alan Ashby will return to the team as its TV analyst on Comcast SportsNet.

WDIV-TV in Detroit had the suspended Rob Parker from ESPN’s First Take in his first TV interview since he was taken off the air for his comments on DC NFL Team QB Robert Griffin III (starts at 6:15). h/t to Richard Deitsch for the link.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says a Rocky Mountain region sportscaster has plenty of memories that include the Broncos.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times writes that the NFL’s ratings have slipped a bit from last season, but they still remain king of all television.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned from the weekend.

Tom also has the SoCal sports calendar for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail asks with the NHL Lockout over, what’s in it for the fans?

Sports Media Watch notes that the overnight rating for the Cincinnati-Houston NFL Wild Card Game on NBC was up from last year.

SMW says NBC’s nightcap of Vikings-Packers was down slightly from last year.

SMW tells us that Seattle-Washington had the third highest overnight for an NFL Wild Card game since 1999.

And for Indy-Baltimore on CBS, the overnight number was very good.

And that’s going to be it for now.

The NHL is Back. What Next?

Nobody won. Really, nobody. The fans lost because they were left hanging and lost a half-season including the Winter Classic at the Big House in Michigan. NBC Sports Network whose ratings fell into abyss with no NHL games from October through now has been “The Biggest Loser” through all this.

Regional sports networks across the country, dependent on NHL games for live programming, have been stuck trying to fill large holes with repeats of past sporting events or in some extreme cases, movies.

So now that the NHL is coming back as early as January 15 and no later than January 19, let’s go over the winners and losers from the NHL Lockout.

WINNERS

No one. Nobody won. Fans. Players. Owners. Sponsors. TV partners. The League. All lost.

LOSERS

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman: The NHL has lost 10% of the games in his disastrous tenure due to lockout. No league has lost more games due to labor disputes during the time he’s been in office. And the NHL is the lone league of the major four leagues to have canceled an entire season.

NBC Sports Network: It didn’t have live NHL games for four months and its ratings suffered. With Michelle Beadle’s new show premiering this month and a new NFL documentary about to begin, the network needs that consistent live programming to promote them. The NHL will help in that process.

Regional Sports Networks: Local rightsholders such as NESN, Sun Sports, Comcast SportsNet and Fox Sports Net all depend on the NHL for as many as 80 live games per season. Without live games, they had to scramble for other programming. NESN kept airing the Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup run, but that only goes so far. The RSN’s are happy to see the NHL returning.

Sponsors: Based on the momentum the NHL had built over the last few years including a new long-term TV contract with NBC that began last season, sponsors had begun to drift to the league. As the lockout progressed, sponsors put pressure on the league to get back on the ice.

Local businesses and Employees:Restaurants, bars and shops that depend on hockey crowds for business at night lost four months to the lockout and that’s money that they’ll never get back. Buffalo, Nashville and other hockey-only markets are happy to see the NHL knowing that they’ll have 24-25 dates. But will the fans be back? And if you want to see how losing hockey can affect local businesses, here’s a flashback from WFSB’s Dennis House on how the Hartford Whalers’ departure affected Connecticut and one particular restaurant.

NHL Network: Bad job by the NHL Network for not even bringing back its studio shows to update fans on the lockout. As the news of the lockout was being settled, NHL Network remained in taped programming. They didn’t even simulcast TSN from Canada. Disservice to the fans. NFL Network and NBA TV both covered the ends of their lockouts in 2011, yet NHL Network can’t even provide lip service other than a crawl? C’mon, man! C’mon, NHL Network!

So where do we go from here? There are several things the NHL can do to get back in the fans’ good graces. One, make the Center Ice pay out-of-market package free for the entire season. Also, GameCenter which is the online version of Center Ice should be greatly discounted or made free for the season as well.

When the season opens, whether it’s on January 15 or January 19, NBC Sports Group should be given an opening night doubleheader which should include the banner raising ceremony for the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings.

If the NHL opens on January 19 which falls on a Saturday, NBC should be given an afternoon doubleheader at noon and 3 p.m. ET while NBC Sports Network should be given games at night.

As far as the Canadian TV partners, expect CBC to given the Opening Night doubleheader no matter what day the NHL will open the season. TSN should get plenty of games for opening week as well.

And we’ll keep an eye on the ratings for any residual effects from the lockout. Both the NFL and NBA did not suffer any collateral damage from the lockout seeing record ratings. We’ll see if the NHL is warmly welcomed back or given the cold shoulder by fans.

To prepare you for the NHL, I’ll provide you this compilation of NESN’s Jack Edwards calling Boston Bruins action over the years.

And for Western New York, here’s the Best of Buffalo Sabres legendary voice Rick Jeanneret.

One more for good measure. TSN provides the Top Ten calls for legendary Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange. I wish we had “And you can scratch my back with a hacksaw!”

That is all.

The Big Dozen Sports Media Stories of 2012

Time for the look back at the Year in Sports Media in 2012. Lots of great stuff. The year has been very interesting and we have seen a lot of things.

Just doing a Top Ten is never enough for the Year in Review. It’s always an even dozen with some honorable mentions mixed in.

Let’s go over what were the Sports Media Stories of 2012.

12. Embrace Debate Leads To Rob Parker Suspension

One of the silliest stories in 2012 was ESPN’s commitment to debate programming. Two shows were revamped to accommodate more debate among ESPN personalities, First Take and Numbers Never Lie. Due to outrageous statements made on First Take, mostly by Skip Bayless, the show received lots of attention and increased ratings. But the pressure to stand out may have caught up with Rob Parker who questioned whether DC NFL Team quarterback Robert Griffin III’s authenticity.

It led to Parker’s suspension and allegedly more oversight over the shows. We’ll see if it leads to some more control and fewer outrageous statements.

11. Steve Sabol (1942-2012)

One of the pioneers in sports television passed away in 2012. Steve Sabol’s impact on the National Football League’s popularity through NFL Films cannot be measured. With his father Ed, the Sabols brought fans closer to the game by thinking outside the box. Games weren’t just regular contests, they became movies with Hollywood production values and full orchestrations. Instead of showing games from high in the stadium, NFL Films went to field level and made extreme closeups of the players. In addition, Ed and Steve introduced slow motion photography to sports.

In 2011, Ed Sabol was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It would behoove voters to induct Steve sometime soon to join his dad.

10. Big Media Taps Into New Media

2012 saw Turner Sports purchased the much-criticized and now-improving Bleacher Report, USA Today buying Big Lead Sports and NBC Sports aligned itself with Yahoo! Sports. This is more than getting pageviews and improving comScores, this is about expanding portfolios and attracting younger audiences. According to comScore, Yahoo! has been the most popular sports news site for several years outpacing ESPN.com. Bleacher Report may get criticized for its multiple and questionable slideshows, but its hiring of some respected editors and writers have increased the quality of the site to the point where Turner Sports purchased the site for beaucoup bucks. And I have to make this disclaimer, Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned blog that is affiliated with USA Today Media Group. We will see more purchases in 2013.

9. NASCAR Renews with Fox

Fox Sports was the first of NASCAR’s TV partners to renew its ties with the sport taking the first half of the Sprint Cup season. For an estimated pricetag of over $2.4 billion through 2022, Fox remains with NASCAR in a relationship that dates back to 2002. Fox is expected to put some of its races on its new all-sports channel, but we’ll get to that later. And expect live on-streaming in this new contract. However, NASCAR’s ratings are a question-mark, but bidding for the second half in 2013 is expected to bring even more money. It’s all going to be quite an interesting year for NASCAR.

8. NBC Steals English Premier League and Formula One From Fox

October turned out to be a good month for NBC Sports Group as far as acquisitions were concerned. It first obtained the rights to Formula 1 as Fox gave just a nominal bid. Then a couple of weeks later, it emerged as the frontrunner to the English Premier League and then won out over a concerted combined bid from ESPN/Fox. While NBC Sports Network won’t be known as a college sports destination or for MLB, perhaps it can become an international sports channel with the EPL, Formula 1 and Olympic Sports. NBC Sports Network will have some sports to watch year-round with the English Premier League, Formula 1, MLS and the NHL (when it finally returns).

7. NFL Network Picks Up Its Last Two Holdouts

Since 2010, NFL Network has been gaining momentum in picking up carriage agreements with the major cable providers. It finally was able to sign deals in 2012 with its last two remaining holdouts, first Cablevision in August and then the very last one, Time Warner Cable in September. Thanks to the increased audience, NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football package had record ratings for its new 13 game schedule. It was a struggle for NFL Network to get all eight major cable and satellite providers on board, but after eight years, it finally got it done.

6. MLB New TV Contracts For A Lot of $$$

It started in August when ESPN renewed rights for its three nights of baseball games, a return to postseason and an increased amount of games for a total of $5.6 billion over eight years. Then in October, MLB announced deals with Fox and Turner for a combined $6.8 billion through 2021, providing them with TV Everywhere rights, postseason deals and a package of regular season games. For Fox, it allows the network to put games on its anticipated all-sports cable channel, but again, more on that later.

5. CBS & NBC Announce New Sports Radio Networks

2012 brought two new national networks to the sports talk radio scene. Within two days of each other, NBC Sports Radio and CBS Sports Radio were announced by both companies and with respective partners Dial Global and Cumulus Radio. NBC Sports Radio has been airing limited weekend programming since September, however, CBS Sports Radio chose to wait until this month to begin full operation with a 24/7 lineup. Both have a long way to go to match the firepower and the reputation of ESPN Radio that has been on the scene since the early 1990′s, however, CBS has hired familiar names like Jim Rome, Doug Gottlieb, John Feinstein, Scott Ferrall and Dana Jacobson. NBC will wait until the NCAA Final Four to finalize its weekday lineup. No matter the case, ESPN Radio finds itself with some formidable competition to join Yahoo! Sports Radio and Fox Sports Radio for listeners.

4. ESPN Free Agency

We had some big names leave the ESPN nest, Erin Andrews, Steve Berthiaume, Michelle Beadle, Cindy Brunson, Doug Gottlieb, Dana Jacobson, Michael Yam to name a few, but many stayed including Scott Van Pelt. This seemed to be quite the year for free agency for ESPN. In some cases, the network chose not to renew and wave goodbye to those departing, others decided not to return for other opportunities while in others, ESPN went out of its way to make sure its desired talent stayed. For the first time, ESPN was transparent in making statements about its free agency signings or departures. In the past, it had issued terse statements when media inquiries were made.

3. Fox Spending Spree

As the year-end was approaching, Fox Sports through its parent, News Corp., went on a spending spree unlike any other in sports media. It not only set up an all-sports cable channel for operation in 2013 (again, more on this later), but it bought into the YES Network which will eventually lead into a majority share of the New York Yankees regional sports network and fully purchased Sports Time Ohio for the Cleveland MLB Team. In addition, Fox is reportedly close to signing a long-term deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for its media rights. News Corp. had money to spend with the company splitting off its publishing holdings into a separate company and of course, the proverbial fiscal cliff where tax credits were about to change. Will we see more of Fox’s financial muscle in 2013? I think that’s a safe bet.

2. The Emergence of Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2

While NBC Sports Network was attempting to bid for major sports properties, Fox Sports was quietly forming its cable sports strategy for 2013 and beyond. We began hearing rumblings about Fox rebranding Speed into an all-sports channel that would be named “Fox Sports 1″ then at the end of the year, the company’s Fuel channel would also be rebranded as “Fox Sports 2″.

In its new contracts with MLB, NASCAR, the Pac-12, UFC and other sports properties it signed in 2012, Fox had a provision to put games and events on Fox Sports 1. As part of its new contract with Major League Baseball, Fox Sports can place 40 regular season games on cable as well as several postseason games. We should expect a number of NASCAR Sprint Cup races on FS1 and most likely see some UFC events as well.

The strategy is in place. Let’s see how it’s enacted in 2013 and beyond.

1. NBC’s Olympics Both Fail and Succeed

Up until the London Olympics begin in late July, NBCUniversal had been downplaying both ratings and financial expectations stating that it expected to lose money and the ratings for a tape delayed event would not be as good as in 2008 when events were carried live from Communist China. Somewhere along the way, something happened. NBC broke even financially on the Olympics and they became the most watched event in US television history. That was the successful part.

The failure was the tape delayed aspect when many viewers wanted to watch events live. The #NBCFAIL hashtag on Twitter quickly spread like wildfire during the first weekend of the Olympics. In addition, online streaming was sluggish and haggard. But even with the delays and streaming problems, Americans still watched in droves. When the games were said and done, NBCUniversal could pat itself on the back.

Honorable Mentions:

Struggles of new regional sports networks to gain carriage agreements.
NHL Does Well; But Shoots Itself in the Foot with the Lockout
Tim Tebow Overload
ESPN Continues Dominance in College Sports