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Football fans that are hoping to catch history Saturday when the Patriots face the Giants are in luck. The game was originally scheduled to be broadcast on the NFL Network with local broadcast rights on New York's, nay, Secaucus's WWOR. The NFL has decided that New England's quest for the first undefeated regular-season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins will now be broadcast on CBS and NBC in addition to the NFL Network, WWOR and WCBV in Boston.
The NFL and the two networks reached an agreement yesterday after Congressional pressure from representatives in the affected areas. The NFL Network is currently available for 43 million households nationwide, but is not carried by the cable networks Time Warner, Cablevision or Charter, which obviously cuts down on the network's potential audience. When games are broadcast on cable (either ESPN or the NFL Network), the NFL requires that the game is broadcast on a local station in the each team's primary market.
It will be the first time a NFL game is broadcast on more than one network since Super Bowl I in 1967 when CBS and NBC produced their own versions of the game. Both networks, for better or worse (probably worse according to some reviews of Bryant Gumbel), will carry the NFL Network's production this time around.
WWOR, which was to have exclusive local rights in the New York-New Jersey area was unhappy with the NFL: "The NFL is in clear violation of their agreement with WWOR/My9. We fully expect the league to honor their commitment to My9 as the exclusive free over the air broadcaster for Saturday's telecast of the New England Patriots at New York Giants game." Good luck there, WWOR.
At least all those Giants season ticket holders that are selling their tickets will have some more options to watch the game now. The game starts at 8 p.m. Saturday on CBS, NBC, WWOR (My9 will have pre-game coverage starting at 7 p.m.), or the NFL Network. Feel free to take your pick.
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channel 9 is still around?
Over the air TV broadcasting is still around?
We need to stop the endless addition of sports channels to basic cable. Why do we have to pay for the NFL Channel when it is inevitably added to our cable systems? Does the NFL need even more money? The NFL is a monopoly and so are the cable companies - duopoly if we count the satellite providers which also force the same packages of channels on us. Then our governments add insult to injury by building the teams their stadiums with tax dollars or allowing the teams to issue tax free bonds.
#2
The cable companies are actually losing some subscribers to OTA HDTV.
The truly great thing about this happenstance is that the entire country -- at least the part that watches the NFL -- will finally get to see what an unmitigated disaster Bryant Gumbel is as a play-by-play announcer. If he doesn't sink the NFL Network, nothing will. Seriously, the guy doesn't even know the basic terminology of the game, and he is so arrogant he doesn't care.
I wish WOR would rebroadcast Steampipe Alley instead.
NFL Netdoesn'twork!
hahahahahah
WOR should run some old Joe Franklin and Morton Downey Jr counter programming.
The funny thing is that the NFL Network has some pretty good programming for football junkies. I think football generates enough news, and revenue, to warrant a channel.
Bryant Gumbel is the worst thing on the channel. He's even worse than Marshall Faulk.
WWOR was at its best when it had Joe Franklin, Morton Downey, Jr. and of course Howard Stern, produced by Bongo Boy Dan himself!
More from Minor League 9...
More from Minor League 9...
Wow, I haven't thought about Morton Downey Jr. in YEARS.
(That Howard Stern Channel 9 show was perhaps the best thing ever broadcast on television. It didn't last very long but I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.)
As a die-hard Giants fan for over 30 years I truly hope that the Giants treat this week as their bye week and play NONE of their starters. Who gives a damn if the Patriots go 16-0? The Giants have to go on the road a week later for a playoff game in Tampa. They should be doing everything they can to prepare for that game and not give a second thought to this week's game. I don't care if the whole universe is watching.
NFL Network is good for bars, and that's about it.
Over the air TV Broadcasting is a lot cheaper than cable!
How about some Richard Bey? I could use my fix of Ms. Thunderthighs and Mr. Puniverse contests.