The criticism continues of The Baseball Network's
regionalized playoff coverage -- Divisional and League
Championship playoff games all played simultaneously with fans
seeing only one. In Boston, Jack Craig -- who calls the setup
the "final insult of The Baseball Network" --reports that in the
time since the strike "a few owners inquired about cable, but the
top network carriers, NBC and ABC, nixed the idea, not wanting
their advertising rates skewed by far cheaper spots available on
cable." One cable exec who spoke with acting MLB Commissioner
Bud Selig on the possibility of putting some games on cable "came
away with a better understanding on how the PR disaster has come
to be. He said Selig did not comprehend the long reach major
cable channels have with sports fans" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/26).
AD SALES: TBN has sold about 75-80% of commercial time for
its playoff broadcasts, according to a number of ad agency execs
cited by INSIDE MEDIA. One newcomer to TBN is McDonald's (INSIDE
MEDIA, 9/20-10/3 issue).
THE PLACE TO GO? CBS Radio will broadcast games
simultaneously -- four games during the Divisional Playoffs and
two games during the LCS (CBS Radio).
