The Lions and WXYZ-ABC a few weeks ago "exercised an opt-out clause in their contract," and now, the Lions "are in the process of determining which local station will receive their new broadcast contract" for preseason telecasts, according to Josh Katzenstein of the DETROIT NEWS. The split was first reported by Crain's Detroit Business, but Lions Dir of Corporate Communications Ben Manges on Friday "did not provide a reason for why the two sides 'mutually' terminated the contract." Katzenstein noted the Lions' partnership with WXYZ "began with a one-year contract" in '11. The Lions "are negotiating with multiple stations" to replace WXYZ (DETROIT NEWS, 4/11).
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES: Lions President Tom Lewand said that the club is "looking into ways to upgrade the fan experience" at Ford Field by adding some amenities that "are now available at newer stadiums." Lewand: "I think you'll start to see Ford Field 2.0 as it starts to unfold a little bit. You're going to see some additions this year in certain areas of the stadium that will be some behind the scenes, some in front of the scenes that we'll be able to make announcements about here in the next few months." The NEWS' Katzenstein wrote Ford Field could "improve the availability of wireless internet in the stadium." Currently, Wi-Fi is "only available to Verizon customers, and many fans have expressed problems with the service in the stadium" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/11).
