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Local Stations cutting Sports?

PTBoardOp94

PTBoardOp94

Two of my local broadcast affiliates have cut their weekend sportscasts for the time being. I believe in both cases, the weekend sports anchor left and the station elected not to hire a replacement until local sports picks back up.

I'm guessing this is not a unique phenomenon to my market, but I haven't heard much about it in the trades.

Have broadcasters in your market cut back on their sports segments?
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
Two of my local broadcast affiliates have cut their weekend sportscasts for the time being. I believe in both cases, the weekend sports anchor left and the station elected not to hire a replacement until local sports picks back up.

I'm guessing this is not a unique phenomenon to my market, but I haven't heard much about it in the trades.

Have broadcasters in your market cut back on their sports segments?
Click to expand...

what market is the market you are in, it's possible you live in a small or medium market where resources are lower.
 
This has been happening in markets for years and years now. As early as the mid 2000s. My local NBC in Charleston was going with one sportscaster for a good while (at least 2-3 years). The sportscaster would often do news reporting multiple days a week. They have 2 now, but they go through them so quickly (usually a year or so and they move on to another market, while the other 2 stations have much more stability).
 
Will_H_69_9 said:
It's possible you live in a small or medium market where resources are lower.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm in a smaller market with no professional or major college teams. Ergo, there is nothing sports related happening for months now, since the schools and colleges shut down in mid-March.

Part of the reason for my inquiry was to see if the same thing had happened in other smaller markets like Macon, GA; Huntsville, AL; or Duluth, MN.
 
CTListener said:
Isn't this thread about local television, not radio?
Click to expand...

Yes, I didn't notice that when I made my post. I know of no TV station that has eliminated local sports, although they've cut the staff. I know a lot of TV stations that run a Sunday night sports wrap-up show. Those shows have continued in all the markets I know, because they're sponsored, and because there's still local sports information even though no games are being played.
 
Wood TV in Grand Rapids doesn't air Sports Overtime on Sundays since there has been no sports since mid-March just go to syndie at 11:30PM.
 
TheBigA said:
Yes, I didn't notice that when I made my post. I know of no TV station that has eliminated local sports, although they've cut the staff. I know a lot of TV stations that run a Sunday night sports wrap-up show. Those shows have continued in all the markets I know, because they're sponsored, and because there's still local sports information even though no games are being played.
Click to expand...

For several weeks, WPVI in Philly replaced the Sunday night sports show with a “stay at home” stories program. Feel-good type reports during the height of the lockdown orders in the region.
 
WBTV doesn’t air regular sportscasts during the week and never replaced Delano Little after he retired and Ashley Strohlein after she left for rival WCNC to take Kelsey Riggs’ spot when she left for the ACC Network. I don’t think Ashley even had a noncompete. Which, I don’t know if Ashley would’ve left if they were going to fill her position. They only have Nate Wimberly now. Football Friday Night, once an hour which delayed Letterman and Colbert, is now just 15 minutes starting at 11:20.

All this was long before the pandemic by the way.
 
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