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NBC Sports Bay Area's Focus On Live Event Coverage Overshadows Initial Plans For RSN

NBC Sports Bay Area "deserves credit for excellence in live event coverage," but in other ways, the RSN is "simply following in the footsteps of ESPN, which goes contrary to what was promised years ago," according to Steve Berman of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. While there is "some logic in the decisions made" by the RSN, watching the region's "only cable sports channel do the bare minimum is still disappointing." The RSN a few years back "hired insiders, produced original content, and covered multiple championship campaigns." But soon after Comcast "launched stations in the Bay Area and elsewhere, regional sites started popping up all over ESPN.com," including plans for one in the Bay Area. But after Disney "didn’t see the return" they had hoped for from local ESPN sites in L.A., N.Y. and Boston, plans for a Bay Area-centric ESPN hub and others "were shelved." While NBC Sports Bay Area "hasn’t experienced a major layoff" like ESPN has, it is "difficult to envision them expanding." The RSN "could thrive independently, but like ESPN must follow the directives of a parent company." The result has "been a subtle, ESPN-like consolidation process in recent months." The RSN’s lineup is "difficult to differentiate from the programming offered on sports talk radio, only there’s less of it." The RSN "introduced a new discussion show called 'The Happy Hour,' which is essentially a radio show/podcast aired on television." Berman: "There’s nothing wrong with 'The Happy Hour.' My disappointment in NBC Sports Bay Area stems from there being almost nothing else on the station other than the game broadcasts and shows designed to promote ... the game broadcasts." The direction TV execs have chosen "seems lazy, like a surrender of sorts" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 5/22).

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