Even though the Flyers will make three preseason games
available on basic cable, the team "does not rule out" having the
club's regular-season games on PRISM this season, according to
Bill Fleischman of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. Flyers COO Ron
Ryan told Fleischman that a one-year deal with PRISM is still
possible before the start of the regular season October 5, but
that the club is "prepared to proceed without PRISM." Ryan:
"We're ready to produce our own games. ... This [the preseason]
is an opportunity to establish where we're going to go if we do
the games ourselves." Ryan added cable services will not pay
rights fees for the preseason games and any advertising revenue
goes to the Flyers. But, if the club produces the games
themselves during the regular season, cable operators will have
the chance to keep "portions" of ad revenue (PHILADELPHIA DAILY
NEWS, 9/20).
D'RAYS TV: The Devil Rays signed TV deals with WWWB, a WB
affil, to carry 50 games and WTSP-CBS to broadcast a minimum of
15 games when the club begins play in '98. 64 games will also
air on SportsChannel. Rays Managing General Partner Vince
Naimoli: "We decided the best route to go was to have an
independent over-the-air channel and a network channel." The
club has not chosen a flagship radio station yet, however, WFLA-
AM has a marketing agreement with the team (Rick Harmon, TAMPA
TRIBUNE, 9/20).
NO PADRE: In San Diego, Fritz Quindt questions why the
Dodgers-Padres game wasn't on local TV yesterday, as both
carriers Prime Sports and KFMB "pointed fingers at each other.
... Both agreed Prime contractually had rights to the game but
decided not to televise it (fearing low ratings)" (SAN DIEGO
UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/20).
