The re-emergence of the "anti-superstation forces" in
baseball is examined in this morning's N.Y. TIMES. Richard
Sandomir reports the Marlins recently sent a "letter of warning"
to other NL owners threatening that they will do "what they deem
necessary to protect their home game telecast in their home
territory." That could mean the Marlins barring superstations
TBS, WGN, and WWOR from broadcasting games from Joe Robbie
Stadium, but "such a drastic measure would likely be met with
like restrictions by the three teams." In '91, the Marlins and
"other dissident teams" warned the joint TV agreement would
expire in '94, which allowed teams to broadcast each other's
games and called for each team to give 25% of cable TV revenue
into a shared pool. Now, after failed attempts at a new revenue-
sharing plan, Sandomir reports the Marlins "have revisited the
issue and believe that if the agreement were informally extended
because of the ongoing labor dispute, it's kaput now." The
Marlins likely would want an end to superstations -- which
Sandomir notes probably will not happen. Bryan Burns, MLB's
former head of broadcasting and now at ESPN: "It's simple
fairness. Any team should not have the advantage of having its
games broadcast nationally while other teams don't." Acting
Commissioner Bud Selig: "The whole question of a TV agreement is
being worked on. I don't want to say anything else" (N.Y. TIMES,
2/27).
