Diamond Sports, owner of Bally Sports, filed a rejection of the Coyotes broadcast agreement tonight effective October 1.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Bally Sports Dropping Coyotes Effective October 1
- Thread starter powergate92
- Start date
According to this article, Bally Sports Arizona is shutting down: Diamond Ditches the NHL's 'Coyotes,' Pulls Plug on Bally Sports Arizona
So who picks up the 'Yotes? Gray has enough on its plate with the Suns and Mercury, and the D'backs are up in the air after this season, unless they continue to let MLB produce their games. It comes down to Fox or Scripps. No way does Tegna get involved, being committed to NBC and with no second station.
The NHL season starts next week. The Coyotes have to find a new station quick or be relegated to oblivion. Out of sight, out of mind.
So who picks up the 'Yotes? Gray has enough on its plate with the Suns and Mercury, and the D'backs are up in the air after this season, unless they continue to let MLB produce their games. It comes down to Fox or Scripps. No way does Tegna get involved, being committed to NBC and with no second station.
The NHL season starts next week. The Coyotes have to find a new station quick or be relegated to oblivion. Out of sight, out of mind.
Yeah, in one of the pages I didn't screenshot, the motion says "As the final step in exiting the Bally Sports Arizona RSN, the Debtors have concluded that the Coyotes Agreement is not necessary to the Debtors’ business and is unlikely to provide a net benefit to the Debtors or their estates."
Also sounds like Coyotes and NHL already have a plan in place: "The Coyotes have consented to this relief, and the Debtors understand that the Coyotes and the NHL have transition plans in place to facilitate the continued distribution of Coyotes games to fans."
Just like the Diamondbacks, they might not be able to announce who the new broadcaster is until the judge signs the order. "The Debtors request emergency consideration of the request set forth herein on or before October 10, 2023, pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 9013 and Local Rule 9013-1. The Coyotes regular season games begin on October 13, 2023. The Debtors and the Coyotes have agreed on the relief requested in this Motion, and having the rejection order entered on or before October 13, 2023 is necessary to give the Coyotes certainty on the termination of their go-forward relationship with the Debtors and to enable the Coyotes to facilitate an appropriate transition to avoid disruption to fans."
The Coyotes have been dancing on the edge of oblivion ever since they arrived in Arizona in 1996.😬😖
Endless arena issues, bankruptcy, unstable ownership groups. Gotta feel for hockey fans in the Valley of the Sun, especially when another desert team (Vegas Golden Knights) has been a huge success.
Unfortunately, that is 100% correct, and the blame starts with Jerry Colangelo and his ego. He brought the then-Winnipeg Jets here, signed them to play at what was then America West Arena, but had a falling out with the owners. It's gone downhill ever since.
The new owner says he's committed to Phoenix, and has made an offer for land in Mesa. But right now, the priority is to sign a TV outlet for the Coyotes, and do it yesterday.
KUTP is a good fit, especially after getting rid of popular syndicated reruns. But, does Fox want to invest in the station? Scripps would work too, but only if they could get the games aired on KPPX (I imagine they're fine with the syndicated reruns they have and even The CW on KASW).
Wait: isn't there another station which has market wide cable/satellite and also OTA coverage, and is locally owned (so they have to jump through less corporate hoops than Fox/Scripps)?
I think Scripps is most likely as they already have broadcast agreement with Coyotes owned AHL team Tucson RoadRunners on KWBA. Plus they have the recent broadcast agreement with the Vegas Golden Knights. In an interview with SBJ the other day NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman actually used the the Golden Knights as an example while talking about what would happen if Diamond defaults on payments. "A number of our clubs, particularly clubs where their contracts were expiring, have made alternate deals. So in the first instance, we're supporting the clubs. We have a backup plan, which will enable any club to distribute its games if it chooses to do it, by that way. But you're seeing a number of clubs, Vegas being good example, going 'back to the future,' which is what I call over-the-air. So in the first instance, it's up to the clubs to decide what they want to do in the local market. But we have backup resources so that nobody will get caught short."
SBJ Unpacks: Gary Bettman sounds off ahead of NHL season
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
Like I said, KASW probably would make more money with its syndicated rerun lineup than running Coyotes hockey. But, if Scripps has a clause with INYO (like a quasi-LMA) to pre-empt ION on KPPX for the Coyotes, it may be an option.I think Scripps is most likely as they already have broadcast agreement with Coyotes owned AHL team Tucson RoadRunners on KWBA. Plus they have the recent broadcast agreement with the Vegas Golden Knights. In an interview with SBJ the other day NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman actually used the the Golden Knights as an example while talking about what would happen if Diamond defaults on payments. "A number of our clubs, particularly clubs where their contracts were expiring, have made alternate deals. So in the first instance, we're supporting the clubs. We have a backup plan, which will enable any club to distribute its games if it chooses to do it, by that way. But you're seeing a number of clubs, Vegas being good example, going 'back to the future,' which is what I call over-the-air. So in the first instance, it's up to the clubs to decide what they want to do in the local market. But we have backup resources so that nobody will get caught short."
SBJ Unpacks: Gary Bettman sounds off ahead of NHL season
Last edited:
The judge has signed the court order rejecting Diamond's Coyotes broadcast agreement. Which means the Coyotes are now free to sign and announce a new broadcast agreement with a new broadcaster.
ABC15/Scripps just announced that Antenna TV 15.2 will be the new home of the Coyotes. The subchannel is not in HD, I wonder if that will change?
www.abc15.com
This seems to be a trend with NHL franchises signing with Scripps.
ABC15 and Scripps Sports become official broadcast partner of the Arizona Coyotes
Let’s go ‘Yotes! ABC15 Arizona, in association with Scripps Sports, is the new official broadcast partner of the Arizona Coyotes!
www.abc15.com
This seems to be a trend with NHL franchises signing with Scripps.
Per the last sentence of the linked article, Bally Sports Arizona is no more. Diamond Sports shut it down yesterday (Can anyone verify? I can't).
Diamond drops the NHL's Coyotes and pulls the plug on Bally Sports Arizona - Trend Trackers
As expected, bankrupt regional sports network operator Diamond Sports Group is exiting the NHL's Arizona Coyotes and shutting down another network, Bally
trendtrackers.biz.id
Now, on to the whole HD question. Hockey is unwatchable on TV without it. Given the KNXV MUX already has one 720p stream (15.1) and a 1080i stream (61.1), can they make 15.2 720p without hurting the PQ of other channels (unless they drop Laff or make the QVC streams MPEG4)? Or, do they buy a limping LPTV just like Gray did?
Disagree. Hockey, and most fast moving "ball" sports are definitely better in HD (as is virtually everything else except your local news anchor's face) but hockey has been watched by many people for many years without it. Newbie viewers might have an issue due to their relative inability to predict where the puck is going next but veteran watchers shouldn't have a problem.
I asked Anita Helt and was told two things of note:
* They're actively working on switching the subchannels to HD.
* It was not possible to use the CW channels because they would have resulted in more preemptions than allowed in the network affiliation agreement.
* They're actively working on switching the subchannels to HD.
* It was not possible to use the CW channels because they would have resulted in more preemptions than allowed in the network affiliation agreement.
Still on Cox channel 34 airing boxing as I write this.Per the last sentence of the linked article, Bally Sports Arizona is no more. Diamond Sports shut it down yesterday (Can anyone verify? I can't).
Diamond drops the NHL's Coyotes and pulls the plug on Bally Sports Arizona - Trend Trackers
As expected, bankrupt regional sports network operator Diamond Sports Group is exiting the NHL's Arizona Coyotes and shutting down another network, Ballytrendtrackers.biz.id
It will be there until Brad Cesmat's time buy runs out!
Three words: Glowing blue puck. That was a laughingstock when Fox tried it in the late '90s. Hockey is far better on HD, no matter how many years one has been watching it on TV.
I remember Peter Puck on NBC back in the 70's as well.
- Status