For some time now, I have come up to air on the idea that the Buffalo Sabres, and the brain trust and money men behind the blue and gold need to come up with a way to bring back a regional sports network, similar to what we had with Adelphia Cable and the Empire Sports Network.
I no longer have that feeling, and really hope that the Buffalo Sabres, and now Buffalo Bills, being owned by the same people now, shy away from such a move, which would be bad for the regional sports picture.
It was easy for Empire to be popular back in the day, especially when the Buffalo Sabres were owned by Adelphia Cable – that was your television option in the 716.
It was part of your standard package of television, no additional charges and fees necessary.
That has been the biggest issue for Buffalo Sabres fans today – who carries MSG? I remember my own personal battle with Time Warner Cable when they got into a battle over price with MSG – and the channel was removed from my lineup.
This isn’t designed to be a lets bash Time Warner Cable – but their customer service departments handling of that situation was just about the first major strike in me removing TWC from my house and going with another carrier. Do I stand the risk of having to deal with the same situation again with my current carrier – yes I do. There is no telling when MSG – or even my current carrier, with no regard to their customers, will enter into hostile negotiations that will break my favorite programming from my television.
Where does that put a regional sports channel? Will it be available over the air? Will my carrier provide it to me, but only as an additional cost because they are only providing it as a courtesy to a very small sampling of their customers? Depending on the cost, I would pay it – but they would probably try and bundle it up with their other regional sports channels and I would end up paying for 20+ channels when I only really want one.
Of course there is time for all of this to run its course, and it could be a moot point, as the Buffalo News finally reports on something more concrete than rumors, there is a substantial dollar amount the team stands to make by staying with MSG:
"The Sabres deal with MSG has two more seasons to run. According to sources, the team will get a $10 million rights fee in the contract’s final season and keep all advertising revenue, which could approach another $3-$5 million annually. MSG gets its money from subscriber fees from cable, satellite services and FiOS. The Sabres are the most attractive sports popularity for MSG subscribers here and in Rochester."
The Pegula’s don’t need the money, Terry has come out and said if he wants more he will drill for more gas – but if it isn’t about money, then why raise ticket prices to keep the team viable in the eyes of the league revenue sharing? There is a major difference between not needing any more money and not turning your sports franchises into a money suck that will drain your assets. Right’s fees can go a long way in padding a teams coffers and making the business more viable.
Maybe then they could afford to pay guys to come back for a banner raising ceremony instead of just leaving a guy out on the ice looking lost and confused.
The Pegula’s are a very determined people, when they set out to do something (buy the Sabres, buy the Bills, start their own television network) they hire people to make sure that the plan goes smooth and they get what they want.
What does a regional sports channel have to offer? Is there enough sports to keep a regional channel afloat? There most certainly is.
- Buffalo Sabres
- Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo Bisons
- Buffalo Bandits
- High School Sports
- Collegiate Sports
- Local Amateur Sports
- Local “pro” sports
Hell, you could even throw a decent beer league hockey game on local television and make some of the better teams local celebrities. Sports fans are so in love with the Pegula’s for saving their beloved pro franchises that you could create a Pegula Cup – and get together the league champions from around the 716 to battle in an annual tournament. (If this ever happens I want royalties because I came up with the idea).
You don’t think guys that play for these local championships would come up with some additional money to play in a tournament that is going to get them on local television and possibly on the local news more than just some Facebook pictures?
The content for a regional sports network is there. The need for competition in local media is present, there is no print source competition for the Buffalo News, WGR pretty much stands unrivaled if you want sports talk. How many complaints do you hear about their biases?
Look at the blogosphere, the one place where there might just be the most competition now. What makes this site stand out from others who are hoping to achieve the same exact thing – well the fact that our opinions are our own, and we try to write what we can to keep people interested in coming back.
In other words, I am all for the creation of a regional sports channel, if it doesn’t mean I have to pay more for services I don’t need – and if it brings about a nice change of pace in the local media coverage of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills.
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