Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said the team is starting its own YouTube channel as a precursor to the '20 launch of the Marquee Sports Network, noting it is a "chance for us to do long-form programming,” according to Paul Sullivan of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Kenney said that it is "not a replacement for Vine Line," the team’s monthly magazine that was discontinued at the end of '18, but a "video-based version of the print product." Cubs Productions will be "producing features for the YouTube channel as well as non-game programming" for the Marquee Sports Network. Kenney: "The YouTube channel will give them a chance to start stretching their legs a little bit in a more direct-to-consumer way. Obviously the network is the next step." Sullivan notes the Cubs "didn’t put any content on their team channel when MLB ran it." The Cubs are "hoping the YouTube channel will promote the team’s brand in coming years." There will be "no live telecasts of Cubs games on the YouTube channel, though it will have highlights" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/8).
END OF AN ERA: In Chicago, Jeff Agrest notes Tigers-White Sox on Sept. 28 is the "last scheduled game broadcast on WGN." The station has been "carrying Chicago’s pro sports teams since its inception" in '48, beginning with the Cubs. The Hawks, Bulls and White Sox have been "on and off WGN’s air over the years, but all four teams are seemingly going out together." The RSNs, such as NBC Sports Chicago and the Marquee Sports Network, could "sell a number of games to WGN." The Cubs have the "longest history with WGN, the largest fan base of the four teams and a new network to promote." It might be in their "best interest to keep a package of games on WGN to try to convince viewers Marquee is worth the price" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/8).
