Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley said that his company, the largest owner of U.S. TV stations, would "need to team up with a private equity firm to bid" for all of the 22 RSNs that Walt Disney is "selling as part" of its $71B Fox deal. Ripley said the RSNs are a "very interesting fit" and listed numerous potential cost savings. However, he added the RSNs "are quite large." He said that his company would "need a partner to afford them all" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/2).
FEELING THE HEAT: New Heat TV analyst John Crotty said his debut game Sept. 30 was a "very different" experience. Crotty: "I come from having done radio for almost 14 years and doing studio TV for six. But it's a different skill set, because you have to know your place. You've got to look at the time, the tempo and the transition of when to get in and when to get out." In Ft. Lauderdale, Ira Winderman writes it is a "somewhat uneasy transition, having nothing to do with the affable Crotty, but rather the longevity and colorful personality" that former analyst Tony Fiorentino "previously had brought to the broadcasts." Crotty said, "I thought the chemistry with Eric and I was really smooth. We didn't step on each other and it's hard to do that when you first start doing this with somebody" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 10/4).
BEAR MARKET: Chicago-based media sports reporter Robert Feder noted WSCR-AM "finished first at night ratings from mid-August to mid-September," and it was "thanks largely to Cubs broadcasts." The station posted its "highest audience share" since October '17. White Sox broadcasts on WGN-AM "weren't nearly so helpful" to the station, which posted "only a modest increase" (ROBERTFEDER.com, 10/2).
