In Philadelphia, Mike Sielski wrote the NFL’s decision to flex the Eagles-Seahawks game in Week 15 is an "awful move by the NFL." Sielski wrote you "don’t change the day of a game this late in the season, especially one involving two teams on opposite coasts." It is "more than arrogant" -- it is "Gekko-like in its avarice." It is a "bait-and-switch scheme that takes advantage of too many people without the power or resources to adjust their plans and their lives." It is "daring its players to put their health first and say enough." It is "daring its fans to throw up their hands in frustration and walk away" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/1).
CASHING IN: In Charlotte, Shane Connuck wrote Roger Penske "touted NASCAR’s historic media rights deals" in a press conference on Thursday morning. Penske: "Believe me: If NBC and Fox and the other partners didn’t believe there was value in what they put together, NASCAR wouldn’t have gotten $7.7 billion." Penske: “I have to go along with the experts on that. To me, it’s a great move” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/30). PUCK’s Matthew Belloni wrote NASCAR President Steve Phelps, who closed the new media deals worth $7.7B over seven years, "won the week" (PUCK, 12/4).
TOP CHOICE: In N.Y., Jody Rosen wrote "Sunday Night Football" is the “crown jewel of TV football,” as last year it "registered a 12th consecutive season as prime time's top-rated show." At a time when cultural fragmentation and streaming are “transforming the very idea of TV,” "SNF" is "something like the last consensus choice.” NBC now pays about $2B per year for broadcasting rights with production costs “thought to be” $40-50M annually. NBCUniversal Media Group chair Mark Lazarus said, “Does the ad revenue cover our rights fee? No, but the value to our company ... is real” (N.Y. TIMES, 12/2).
MAKING CHANGES: In San Jose, Michael Nowels noted S.F.-based KNBR-AM "made some significant cuts" Wednesday, laying off "several well-known members of its on-air staff." Murph and Mac Show co-host Paul McCaffrey was one of those cut, as was F.P. Santangelo. KNBR has long been the radio home of the 49ers and Giants games. In recent years KNBR "has lost significant ground to 95.7 FM, which has the rights to Warriors games" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 11/29).
