ABC Affiliates Decry Migration of Sports to ESPN

[TMC1982]

if you could find the FCC ruling or something in the FTC that actually says that, I would love to read it...what the affiliates are complaining about is that ESPN is getting a piece of the pie that they used to get...it's not about broadcasting sports and reaching the masses, its about money



No...your job is to maximize exposure and profit for the network and if said brand (whatever it is) isn't doing it, then you come up with something else and move forward

Variety shows used to be all over TV and what happened, same thing with those 'Movies of the week'? they died because the desires of the audience changed and it wasn't profitable

well NBC is trying to bring that 'movie of the week' thing back though

I honestly don't know anyone who doesn't have ESPN, its like basic basic basic cable

I'm not denying that it's mostly about money. But look at things from the other perspective. What's not to say that they should be able to make some money too!?

You like to talk about "maximizing exposure", well, that's kind of my initial point regarding the sparse amount of quality sports programming on ABC as of late.

Bringing up variety shows in comparision to where sports are broadcast now a days is totally apples and oranges. Regardless o NBC trying to bring back the movie of the week, it's quite obvious that they they're going to be in last place as long as they take the shortcut route.

 

[BlackLantern]

I'm not denying that it's mostly about money. But look at things from the other perspective. What's not to say that they should be able to make some money too!?

before there was sports on TV, there was just TV....don't act like there aren't other ways for TV stations to make money...they just want easy money

Bringing up variety shows in comparision to where sports are broadcast now a days is totally apples and oranges. Regardless o NBC trying to bring back the movie of the week, it's quite obvious that they they're going to be in last place as long as they take the shortcut route.

I think it's valid....the desires of the viewing audience drive networks...why do you think there are very few family sitcoms anymore when 10-15 years ago they were all over the place??

I think it's the same with sports....people recognize ESPN as a brand name associated with sports now....ABC Sports had its heyday and its now over

 

[TMC1982]

before there was sports on TV, there was just TV....don't act like there aren't other ways for TV stations to make money...they just want easy money




I think it's valid....the desires of the viewing audience drive networks...why do you think there are very few family sitcoms anymore when 10-15 years ago they were all over the place??

I think it's the same with sports....people recognize ESPN as a brand name associated with sports now....ABC Sports had its heyday and its now over

Give me a freaking break! Don't act like if you were in that particular situation, you wouldn't want "easy money" (this is partially why NBC's affiliates' got upset over Jay Leno's ten p.m. show screwing with their local news' ratings, due to being a consistantly week lead-in) too. There's a whole lot more to gain from sports than simply running an infomercial that 1/4 less would watch. I guess CBS, Fox and NBC's affiliates want "easy money" also in relation to sports.

ESPN isn't the end all be all of sports broadcasting. That would be like saying, CNN is the end all be all for news. Or Nickelodeon is the end all be all for children's television programming.

 

[BlackLantern]

I never said it was, its a weird set of circumstances that led to ESPN and ABC being owned by the same company

 

[BlackLantern]

and furthering the death of sports on broadcast TV, at least in a regional sense....the UConn Huskies have partnered with SNY to carry UConn football and basketball