It's "hard to imagine" that the D'Backs, who are tied
for first-place in the NL West, "would have to worry about
marketing," but Phoenix "is no ordinary market," according
to Joel Millman of the WALL STREET JOURNAL, who notes that
with 3.5 million HHs, it's MLB's "fourth-smallest TV
market." To be a "financial success," the team "must draw
out-of-state fans." Millman: "The problem: the state
closest to the ballpark is Sonora, Mexico, four hours away
by car and cut off from live broadcasts of Diamondbacks'
games because the team can't make a local TV buy." Int'l TV
rights are the property of MLB, which will get about $5M
this season on licensing deals with Mexico-based Grupo
Televisa SA and ESPN's Spanish-language channels, owned by
Walt Disney Co. and News Corp. The deals "cover the
showing" of D'Backs games in Mexico, but "only at the
discretion" of Grupo Televisa, ESPN and Fox. Millman writes
that "informal requests" by the D'Backs to "amend the rule
banning" live broadcasts of games to Sonora "have been
raised" with the commissioner's office "to no avail." MLB
Dir of Int'l TV Sales Paul Archey: "We like the arrangement
we have now." But a "partial solution may be at hand," as
the team "is in talks" with Cox Communications to sell
rights to its games for Spanish transmission on a Cox cable
service in Phoenix. According to people "familiar with the
deal," Cox "is being asked to pay around" $750,000 for
rights to 75 games, which, when added to their fees from
radio, "would push" the D'Backs' revenue from Spanish-
language rights over $1M next year (WALL ST JOURNAL, 7/27).
GETTING TO FIRST BASE: The D'Backs' signing of 1B
Erubiel Durazo -- who was born in Hermosillo, Sonora's
capital -- "is a big part" of the D'Backs marketing effort
to Latinos. Team execs say that Latino fans buy almost 20%
of the D'Backs tickets, with about half of those sales
"originating" in Mexico. Millman adds that the D'Backs
"plan to open" a team-merchandise shop and a ticket outlet
in Hermosillo next month (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/27).
