MLB Team Media Notes

New York Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Tossing Out Cablevision Suit Against Mets

A New York state appeals court has upheld a lower court’s dismissal of Cablevision’s lawsuit against the Mets that “sought to delay the launch” of SportsNet N.Y., the team’s new RSN. Cablevision, which has televised Mets games since ’96, sued for breach-of-contract in ’04 after the Mets joined Time Warner and Comcast to start the RSN. The Mets paid $54M to MSG and Fox in June ’04 to end its contract after the ’05 season. The suit “sought to block the Mets from negotiating a new deal until Nov. 1, 2005, after the Cablevision agreement was to expire.” But the appeals panel said that the $54M “allowed the Mets to walk away ‘free and clear’” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/5).

NATS: In DC, Barry Svrluga reports the Nationals are “close to finalizing a multiyear deal to broadcast their games on the newly created Washington Post Radio station,” which will launch in March. The station will be broadcast on WTOP-AM and WTOP-FM and will be owned by Bonneville Int’l. Last season, “most Nationals games were simulcast on two Bonneville-owned stations,” WFED-AM and WWZZ-FM, with day games carried on WFED. Meanwhile, the Nationals broadcasting team “will be at least partly different,” as radio analyst Dave Shea was told that “he wouldn’t be asked back.” TV analyst Ron Darling also does not “expect to be back with the Nationals” this season, and said reports out of N.Y. that he is close to signing on to broadcast Mets games are “very, very premature” (WASHINGTON POST, 1/5).

RED SOX: NESN is taking all Red Sox games in-house and will deliver exclusive coverage of all locally televised Red Sox games in Boston next season. For the past three years, even though NESN has produced all the team’s telecasts, except for national games on Fox and ESPN, WSBK-UPN put 27-30 games on in the Boston DMA. Also, NESN will become the first RSN to produce every game in HD (NESN).