And I was able to watch the spring training game televised a couple weeks back on CSNCA. Hopefully that will carry over for regular season games…

…really not that far from Oakland.

—The local cable company (Charter) carries CSN Bay Area but not CSN California, and AFAIK has no plans to add the channel. The cable service is late 80’s primitive anyway and I did not consider getting cable service.

—DirecTV (which I subscribe to) and Dish both carry CSN California but apparently will black out the regular season games until a rights fee agreement is reached with Comcast.

—MLB.TV blacks out the games throughout the A’s territory.

So I have no way of accessing the telecasts unless I cheat…accessing MLB.TV through proxies, or using the “alox method” of telling DirecTV that the service address is in Seattle or wherever.

[shrugs]

If the season starts without any agreement, I’ll send some letters to Ken Pries (A’s VP of Communications and Broadcasting) letting him know that an important part of the fan base feels very underserved by their new agreement with CSN California. I know that the A’s aren’t directly a part of the dispute, but perhaps they can jawbone their broadcasting partner, Comcast, a bit and apply pressure to reach an agreement.

It’s important to register complaints with DirecTV and Dish, but trying to actually engage in communication with them is futile. No one has gotten much more than a form-letter response on this subject. Compared to those companies the A’s are more like a small business, and at least you will get a response from someone who can fog a mirror. I think politely putting a little pressure on the A’s to broker a resolution is the way to go.

Meanwhile, I have subscribed to EI on DirecTV and I guess I’ll become an expert on the Angels, Mariners and Rangers (except, heaven forbid, when they’re playing the A’s). If the impasse drags on for a couple months I’ll look at that alox solution, but I’m not bothering with that just yet.

A’s could have trouble getting on DirecTV
By John Ryan

Mercury News

Posted: 02/23/2009 09:31:15 PM PST

Six weeks from opening day, the A’s have a potentially major off-field issue they have no power to solve.

As of now, nobody can say for certain that the A’s 145 televised regular-season games will be available to hundreds of thousands of DirecTV subscribers in the Bay Area. DirecTV could negotiate a deal to carry the games on Comcast SportsNet California. But that’s hardly a lock amid tense negotiations between CSN and DirecTV over millions of dollars in rights fees.

Earlier this month, the A’s announced a switch from CSN Bay Area to Sacramento-based CSN California, promoting it as a bright new era in which they will have more games televised than ever before (and 75 in high-definition). But DirecTV officials indicated that although they carry CSN California on Channel 698, they haven’t agreed to carry the games.

CSN vice president of public relations Tim Fitzpatrick said, “We are making the games available for distribution to their customers. There’s nothing on our end that prohibits DirecTV from carrying the games. We can’t make them carry those games, but there’s nothing on our end that prevents them.”

DirecTV’s director of public relations, Robert Mercer, says CSN has not made an offer regarding A’s games. In fact, Mercer says CSN hasn’t even officially notified DirecTV of the A’s move.

“If that’s their plan and they provide us with official notification, we’ll certainly talk to them about it,” he said.

So the sides can’t agree on whether they’re talking. And the A’s are a small bargaining chip in a huge battle over rights fees for CSN Bay Area, the essential station for sports fans.

Ken Pries, the A’s vice president of broadcasting, remains optimistic.

“I have total trust in what Comcast is doing, and I believe that there is a little bit of gamesmanship going on between both parties right now because they are in negotiations,” he said. “This is part of normal negotiations. Things get a little difficult before a decision is made.”

DirecTV’s contract with CSN Bay Area ended Dec. 31. DirecTV has sent notice of its intent to file for binding arbitration with the Federal Communications Commission over Comcast’s demand for a 40 percent rate increase.

Neither side would disclose financial details or its subscriber numbers. But Derek Baine, an analyst at research firm SNL Kagan, estimates that DirecTV was paying $1.91 per month per subscriber for CSNBA. A 40 percent increase would represent an additional $9.17 per year.

If the Bay Area matches DirecTV’s national 15 percent market share, that would be 360,000 of 2.4 million Bay Area households.

On the back of this napkin, Comcast wants $3.3 million more of DirecTV’s money.

Both sides are being a tad disingenuous. DirecTV says it has received no official notice, but news articles from January quote DirecTV executives saying CSN Bay Area is asking for a 40 percent hike while reducing its programming by a third. They cite the station’s plans to move the A’s and eventually the Sharks to CSN California. Also, DirecTV last week suggested it would black out the games in accordance with rules about out-of-market regional sports network; Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said Monday that territorial rights are based on where the team is located, not the station, and DirecTV is free to show the games.

CSN’s Fitzpatrick wouldn’t give details when asked what “making the games available” means — whether there are rights fees or other strings attached. Company officials also insist CSN is a separate entity and negotiates without regard to parent company Comcast’s competitive position. That makes sense — to anyone who also believes Wall Street bonuses are OK because they come from the revenue pool and not the bailout pool.

These standoffs often end at the last minute. But sometimes, they don’t end.

Perhaps the most relevant example is in Portland, where Comcast bought a station and re-branded it as CSN Northwest two years ago. The channel — the home of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers — remains unavailable on DirecTV.

If both sides are willing to use the immensely popular Blazers as a pawn, they wouldn’t be scared about doing it to the low-profile A’s.

Extra Innings, so you can’t even purchase the season plan, and now they won’t reach an agreement with CSNCA.

How is it that the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS can get a deal worked out to be on CSNCA on DTV and Dish but the Oakland A’s of Major League Baseball cannot?

My friend wrote to Ken Pries today and recieved this response:
  
Thanks for your email. Right now Comcast SportsNet California and our games are being shown on DirecTV Channel 698. In fact, I watched our first telecast on March 14th on DirecTV. It is on a higher tier which as you mentioned is an additional $12.00/month. Currently Comcast SportsNet is negotiating with DirecTV to move channel 698 to a lower tier and they tell me that they are trying to get that done as soon as possible. Our next telecast will be next Thursday night, April 2nd vs the Giants in SF. Please tune in and watch the game.
  
Be assured that I am in contact with Comcast SportsNet on a daily basis and I’m being told that they are having daily conference calls with their headquarters in Philadelphia to talk about this specific issue.
  
Thanks again for your interest and your patience.
  
Sincerely,
  
Ken Pries
VP Broadcasting & Communication
Oakland A’s
(510) 563-2261

Because DTV is not saying the same thing the A’s are right now.

Comcast says there is no A’s contract with Dish:

Thank you for your email. The A’s passed on your inquiry to us. We have moved the A’s to their own network on Comcast SportsNet California so A’s fans can enjoy more A’s coverage than when the A’s and Giants were both together on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. A’s fans this season will see 145 A’s games, the most ever televised in the team’s history, nearly two times as many games in HD, and the most extensive pre- and post-game coverage available anywhere.
We are in discussions with Dish Network with the goal that Dish will continue to provide uninterrupted delivery of our A’s coverage as they have in the past so fans can enjoy the many improvements we are making in our coverage. It is our hope that Dish Network will make the A’s on Comcast SportsNet California available to their customers, though the decision to carry the A’s on Comcast SportsNet California is ultimately one that only Dish Network can implement. You may wish to contact Dish Network directly to let them know you want to see Comcast SportsNet California’s A’s coverage on your Dish lineup by emailing feedback@customermail.dishnetwork.com. The latest information about the
availability of Comcast SportsNet California by TV provider is available on www.csncalifornia.com.
Thank you for contacting Comcast SportsNet with your input.
Sincerely,
Marisa Veroneau
Comcast SportsNet

…though the A’s seem to think the only problem is with DirecTV, not Dish:

Thank you for your email in regards to our games on Dish Network. Please go to this link and look at the channel locations for Comcast SportsNet California:
http://bayarea.comcastsportsnet.com/programming/csn-california-channel-locations/
The confusion that we are having is with DirecTV not Dish. If you have Dish you should be fine. It is currently on channel 409.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Ken

At least the opening night game on Monday will be on ESPN in HD. That is, unless even that is going to be blacked out for those of us who LIVE IN OAKLAND….pardon me for yelling, but this is getting ridiculous.

From the Slusser article:

“Comcast is offering affiliates the first 25 games of the season free.”

At least this should buy us some time until they get their **** together.