In Salt Lake City, Scott Pierce reported the NHL on Monday lifted its blackout of Coyotes games on Versus in Utah after Coyotes games on the network and on NHL Center Ice this season were "blacked out." A Center Ice official had argued Utah is "definitely in the Phoenix Coyotes' territory," even though Salt Lake City is 650 miles from Glendale, Ariz. NHL Senior Dir of Media Relations John Dellapina said, "There are some pretty arcane blackout maps throughout the country -- not only with our sport but with others too" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/20).
SHARING IS CARING: In Philadelphia, Bob Fernandez notes Comcast SportsNet Bay Area producing content for the over-the-air NBC affiliate in the Bay Area is the "first case" of Comcast's sports content "replacing a traditional sports report at an NBC broadcast affiliate," and NBCUniversal "will examine whether similar synergies exist in other markets where it owns a local TV station" and an RSN. CSN consultant Tim Fitzpatrick said, "Initially, this is limited to the Bay Area, where there is already a production partnership between the two outlets. We will evaluate ways that outlets in other markets can work together on a case-by-case basis." Fernandez notes the Bay Area partnership is "part of a sweeping review inside NBCUniversal of its operations" since former Comcast exec Steve Burke became NBCU President & CEO (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/21).
BLUE MAN GROUP: Chyron, in an effort to "simplify graphics production," is introducing its BlueNet product, and the company has announced that NHL Network is "deploying BlueNet to streamline graphics creations at its U.S. and Canadian sites." The work flow product "will be used for top league events like the Stanley Cup playoffs and the NHL All-Star Game," as well as NHL Network programming such as "NHL on the Fly" and "NHL Live!" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 4/18 issue).
A GIANT AMONG US: NBCSPORTS.com's Drew Silva reviewed the forthcoming documentary series about the MLB Giants under the header, "Showtime's 'The Franchise' Looks Like A Winner." While a preview of the series about the defending World Series champions is only 30 minutes, "you get the feeling that this series is going to be pretty special." The first episode is scheduled for July 16 (NBCSPORTS.com, 4/20).
