Comcast SportsNet Northwest, the Trail Blazers' "primary broadcast partner," today will announce it will be "available over Charter Communications for the first time starting Sept. 17," according to Allan Brettman of the Portland OREGONIAN. Charter is the "dominant cable-TV provider on much of the Oregon coast." Fans have to pay for "premium cable packages in those areas" to get the channel, and satellite providers and other cable companies "still remain blacked out from the network." The Blazers in '07 signed a 10-year deal with CSN, and team President Chris McGowan said that club officials "have heard often from fans impacted by the blackout." Brettman reports the Blazers were "not a participant in talks leading to this or any of the Comcast SportsNet agreements with other cable companies." McGowan: "They drive the ship on that and fortunately they got this done and we're happy." The carriage agreement comes two days after Moda Health signed a 10-year deal for naming rights to the former Rose Garden, but McGowan indicated that the "timing was unrelated" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/15).
