A's are talking to Comcast SportsNet West

by uci anteater on Aug 25, 2008 3:34 PM PDT

I found this article while reading the East Bay Business Times: Oakland A's talking to Comcast about shifting TV rights to Sacramento .

It'll be interesting to see what happens. It'll mean more televised games. I live in Oakland so obviously I do not get Comcast SportsNet West; currently only people in the Sacramento area do. However, if the A's and Earthquakes move to CSN West, Comcast will have to add CSN West for their Bay Area subscribers.

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As long as that channel is added to my programming in the monopolistic San Bruno Cable I will be happy. Well, as long as it is in HD also.

Every day is just a little worse than the previous, that means every day is the worst day of my life.

by shooting4life on Aug 25, 2008 3:38 PM PDT reply actions

Sure, steal Blez's thunder. I guess this is what Lew was talking about.

by theblackpearl on Aug 25, 2008 3:45 PM PDT reply actions

If CSN West is added, then yes, we'll sure as hell get it.

And it will be a huge boone to the A’s not just for the amount of games on TV, but area coverage. Games on Sacramento will FINALLY be on TV, and presumably the South Bay as well.

facepalm.jpg

by Zonis on Aug 25, 2008 4:08 PM PDT reply actions

This makes sense...BUT...

Would there be an issue with channel capacity on the “Extended Basic” tier? Don’t forget that the cable companies are committed to carrying “The MLB Network”, or whatever it’s called, on Extended Basic for most of their customers, as part of last year’s agreement that permits the cable companies to offer Extra Innings. So you would be talking about adding two new sports channels, MLB Network and CSN West, to Extended Basic in the Bay Area. Is there a technological limit to the number of channels that can be offered to non-digital subscribers? I wouldn’t miss The Food Network, Nickelodeon or a bunch of others I can name, but any time you move a channel off a given tier its fans are going to howl.

I do already get CSN West in Oakland but I’m paying extra for digital. The A’s sure as hell won’t agree to move to a channel that’s not available on Extended Basic.

I don’t get CSN West HD, which is probably because their only HD telecasts are Kings games which are blacked out here. CSN West has a pretty decent slate of Northern California college sports such as WCC basketball.

by Soaker on Aug 25, 2008 5:22 PM PDT reply actions

Carriage has to be the sticking point

Throughout the Central Valley CSNW is channel 34, in the Bay Area it’s 400 – digital only. 400 is really just a place holder until better content came along since the Kings were blacked out anyway.

Comcast has conflicting interests here. Usually they’re all for putting one of their properties on the extended basic tier, like Vs., Golf, or the coming MLB network. But now there really isn’t much space left. In the Bay Area there’s on channel that Comcast has no trouble bumping to digital when they need the space: the Hallmark Channel. That slot will go to MLB. Channels above 83 are meant for digital broadcasts. Comcast has already moved over-the-air channels to slots in the digital realm so that when the final digital switch occurs they’re ready. Cable companies have until 2011 to make the switch.

In the end the concern may be moot. Once Comcast starts making their analog-to-digital switch (which won’t be next February) a ton of bandwidth will be freed up for CSNW. The problem is that everyone will need a converter box of some kind or new TV’s. In the meantime there’ll be some juggling. I would not be surprised to see CSNW stay at 400 until that all shakes out. It would be a rather insipid way for Comcast to force customers to get boxes.

by vertig0 on Aug 25, 2008 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, Hallmark was bumped, so Albany channel 66 is clear.

there are also several other channels in the low #’s that can easily be bumped.

facepalm.jpg

by Zonis on Aug 25, 2008 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions

i've been...

wondering when the A’s were going to get on CSN West. There is nothing on that channel at all during the summer.

by chri5 on Aug 25, 2008 6:31 PM PDT reply actions

Nothing?!?

You call minor-league arena football, poker, and Bass fishing nothing?

Not to mention all the advice you can receive around buying great property with no money down…

"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty

by 5Aces on Aug 25, 2008 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions

That's all you need?

Why, I have no money! Lots of it!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 25, 2008 7:00 PM PDT up reply actions

CSN SB

They should take the Sharks with them, and rename the network CSN South Bay.

Sometimes life will strike you out on a curve ball and the only choice you have is to flip off the umpire and walk to first base anyway.

by Threepwood XX on Aug 25, 2008 8:54 PM PDT reply actions

No

Comcast SportsNet was originally the KINGS’ station. I’d love the A’s to be on there because then I can watch more games, but it’d be dumb to name a station South Bay that’s based on a Sacramento-area basketball team.

"A’s baseball….It’s almost better than a stick in the eye." ~ alox

by Gallagher's Watermelons on Aug 26, 2008 9:32 PM PDT up reply actions

I hope they do move it

Trying to find A’s games in Sacramento for me has been next to impossible. I love the idea of moving them to a new network.

by MrMoneyBaller on Aug 25, 2008 9:20 PM PDT reply actions

I just want my A's games

I don’t care what channel shows A’s games, I just want to be able to see them without paying extra.

by Maddendude on Aug 25, 2008 9:56 PM PDT reply actions

agreed a thousand times over

If it’s part of the same cable package that already includes the current comcast sports bay area channel, I’m all for it.

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Aug 26, 2008 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions

This sounds like a brilliant stroke if it enables the A's to get their own

channel not only in Oak-SF but also raises their profile in Sacramento and San Jose. I’d finally understand what Mr. Crowley does other than spearhead anti-marketing efforts. From there they could move into Fresno, Tahoe, Reno, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and anywhere else they’re now blacked out on mlb.com.

Next step a 50,000 watt radio station based in Sacramento — KHTK?

We need to dominate the airwaves in the Western United States!

[Crosby] "Guy that has driven in some big runs for the A's over the years" - Vince Cotroneo

by WaddellCanseco on Aug 26, 2008 2:40 AM PDT reply actions

Pilot of the airwaves here is my request

You don’t really need him so give DFA my best
I’d like to listen to games on the radio and
Mr. Wolff sure sounds like a friend to me.

(someone else take it from here)

Beane's World!! Excellent!!! Rock On, Beane! Rock On, Geren!

by Satchmo22 on Aug 26, 2008 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions

grant napier hates the A's

but I don’t like him so it is ok.

"First Zito and now DJ? The Giants are like A's landfil." - a paraphrase of Since72.
Also, Todd Linden has a .231 lifetime average and a 66 career OPS+, chill Linden fans.

by Athletics fan and runner on Aug 27, 2008 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions

PLEASE let this happen, baseball gods!

I will take back every nasty thing I ever said about the A’s attempts to market their product. From a financial health point of view, this would be bigger than the new ballpark. Plus, this would give them an exit path to Sacramento if the Bay area falls through (he says selfishly).

"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico

by jeepers on Aug 26, 2008 12:15 PM PDT reply actions