NFL Media Notes: NFL Net Begins Season Still In Carriage Disputes

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell participated in an online chat at NFL.com Tuesday in which he addressed a question about the dispute between the NFL and Time Warner Cable around carriage of NFL Network. Goodell said, “We are extremely disappointed … that Time Warner is unwilling to reach an agreement to carry the NFL Network on terms that are fair and reasonable and consistent with other distributors. … We are surprised that Time Warner continues to reject our offers and deny the fans the only network dedicated entirely to football as well as the exciting new NFL RedZone channel” (NFL.com, 9/8). Meanwhile, NFL Net said in a statement it does not expect to reach a carriage deal with Bright House Networks in Central Florida "any time soon or prior to the start of the NFL Network's regular season games." Bright House VP/Public Affairs Sara Brady: "We just think it's an excessive amount of money to pay for eight out-of-market games." Brady added that if Bright House were to carry the network, the company "thinks it belongs in a sports tier" (Etan Horowitz, ORLANDO SENTINEL, 9/10).

FREE TICKET TO RIDE: CABLEFAX DAILY reports DirecTV Sunday "will run its 1st ever free NFL Sunday Ticket preview" as part of a new campaign for the service. Pali Research analyst Rich Greenfield: "While DirecTV would clearly like to increase the total distribution of Sunday Ticket above its current 2 [million] subs, we believe a key focus of the newly launched ad campaign is to drive uptake of Superfan, which is currently taken by 700K-800K of the 2 [million] Sunday Tix DirecTV subs" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 9/10).

PERFECT TEAM MATES? In DC, Leonard Shapiro reported WRC-NBC’s Lindsay Czarniak and CSN Mid-Atlantic's Kelli Johnson “were required to wear official Redskins shirts” while serving as sideline reporters during the preseason. Shapiro: “In order to maintain journalistic integrity and any semblance of credibility, team-logoed apparel should be buried in mothballs and never displayed again. … It’s an odious choice that should have been challenged at the highest levels of both organizations, official station/cable network or not” (WASHINGTON POST, 9/9).

ENGLISH BEAT: BBC Radio 5 Live has added a weekly NFL program, 5 Live NFL, which will be hosted by Arlo White Sundays from 9:00pm-12:30am local time. Analysts Neil Reynolds and Greg Brady will join White for the show, which features live game commentaries, news and interviews. Radio 5 Live Commissioning Editor Jonathan Wall said that it is the "first weekly live NFL programme on British radio" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 9/9).

FOUR SCORE: In Minneapolis, Zulgad & Scoggins reported Fox is planning to send Vikings-Browns, the first start for QB Brett Favre with his new team, to 40% of the country during the 1:00pm ET window “after initially planning to have it go to 15[%]” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/9).

PEOPLE & PERSONALITIES: John Madden returned for his sixth season as a commentator on Sirius NFL Radio's "The Sirius Blitz" hosted by Adam Schein today, and Madden will appear on the show every Friday. His analysis will replay Sunday mornings during "The Sirius NFL Tailgate Show" (Sirius XM)....Former NFLer Ted Johnson will join NESN as a regular contributor to the "NESN SportsDesk" this season. Johnson will team with ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss on Saturdays for a look at the coming week's Patriots game followed by a Sunday or Monday appearance to analyze what happened in that week's game (NESN).