CW Could be on the Move in Phoenix as Soon as Next Week

[powergate92]

Meanwhile in Detroit where Scripps picked up The CW on WMYD as part of their deal with Nexstar to move The CW off KASW in Phoenix, WMYD will be preempting The CW prime time programming most of the week to broadcast NBA Detroit Pistons and NHL Detroit Red Wings games.

 

[DarrenVision]

Meanwhile in Detroit where Scripps picked up The CW on WMYD as part of their deal with Nexstar to move The CW off KASW in Phoenix, WMYD will be preempting The CW prime time programming most of the week to broadcast NBA Detroit Pistons and NHL Detroit Red Wings games.

Why not let Graham buy WADL instead.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Coyotes are done: Arizona Coyotes players told team is moving to Utah

 

[Sammi Brie]

Whatever the case is, this is a bad look for Scripps. They jumped in head first on a franchise whose future in Phoenix was in doubt when they signed the contract. Now, they're going to have an independent station which lost carriage on Dish and is still (for some unknown reason) up in the diginet tier on Cox.

They are going to be in the thick of a pretty deep race to be the rightsholder in Utah. Scripps did to KUPX what it did to KASW. Smith Entertainment Group will want to replicate what it has done with the Jazz returning to KJZZ, and pretty much every major Salt Lake station owner will be in play (Sinclair with KMYU, KSL with its deep digital presence, Scripps with KUPX, and even Nexstar with KUCW).

 

[EricStein]

They are going to be in the thick of a pretty deep race to be the rightsholder in Utah. Scripps did to KUPX what it did to KASW. Smith Entertainment Group will want to replicate what it has done with the Jazz returning to KJZZ, and pretty much every major Salt Lake station owner will be in play (Sinclair with KMYU, KSL with its deep digital presence, Scripps with KUPX, and even Nexstar with KUCW).

Good point. The big question still is what does Scripps do with KASW? I know the D-backs want to run games on the station, but MLB is probably keeping them from doing so. Piping in Vegas Golden Knights hockey isn't a good look for the station. Yes, Nexstar runs KAZT at this moment, but KASW has the superior over the air signal in Phoenix proper, so I'm still not counting out a return to CW as a possibility.

 

[DarrenVision]

They are going to be in the thick of a pretty deep race to be the rightsholder in Utah. Scripps did to KUPX what it did to KASW. Smith Entertainment Group will want to replicate what it has done with the Jazz returning to KJZZ, and pretty much every major Salt Lake station owner will be in play (Sinclair with KMYU, KSL with its deep digital presence, Scripps with KUPX, and even Nexstar with KUCW).

U forgot Gray with a new license as part of a swap with Marquee Broadcasting

 

[powergate92]

They are going to be in the thick of a pretty deep race to be the rightsholder in Utah. Scripps did to KUPX what it did to KASW. Smith Entertainment Group will want to replicate what it has done with the Jazz returning to KJZZ, and pretty much every major Salt Lake station owner will be in play (Sinclair with KMYU, KSL with its deep digital presence, Scripps with KUPX, and even Nexstar with KUCW).

Good point. The big question still is what does Scripps do with KASW? I know the D-backs want to run games on the station, but MLB is probably keeping them from doing so. Piping in Vegas Golden Knights hockey isn't a good look for the station. Yes, Nexstar runs KAZT at this moment, but KASW has the superior over the air signal in Phoenix proper, so I'm still not counting out a return to CW as a possibility.

I would assume since technically it is the same franchise, and Scripps agreement with the franchise covers Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, the agreement with Scripps would transfer with the franchise.

 

[Mediafrog+]

I would assume since technically it is the same franchise, and Scripps agreement with the franchise covers Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, the agreement with Scripps would transfer with the franchise.

We'll have to see the specifics of the sale. There has been some chatter that there will be a Cleveland Browns type of deal, with the current Coyotes franchise declared inactive until revived in the future. The current players would be transferred to SLC with the Utah NHL team considered a "new" franchise. Similar thing went on retroactively in the NBA with the Hornets/Pelicans/Bobcats shuffle and rebranding, and presumably in the future with the expected Seattle Supersonics 2.0.

Or maybe it will just be a straight franchise move. Who knows.

Speculation that the AHL Tucson Roadrunners will move to Tempe as a placeholder in the meantime. Would be Roadrunners 7.0 in the Phoenix area (WHL/WHA/CHL/PHL/IHL/ECHL/AHL).

 

[KeithE4]

I would assume since technically it is the same franchise, and Scripps agreement with the franchise covers Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, the agreement with Scripps would transfer with the franchise.

In Utah and maybe New Mexico, but after next Wednesday, the Coyotes will be an irrelevancy in Arizona. And if Alex Meruelo thinks he can get an expansion franchise now that his credibility is totally shot, I have oceanfront property in Ajo to sell him.

I'm willing to bet that his lip service effort to get that land by the 101 for an arena will quietly get dropped before the auction on June 27. He's lied about this entire effort from the start. He's not stupid. He knew full well that Snobsdale will never allow hockey in or near their city. The hockey fan base is blue collar and not wealthy enough. They've made that clear since they rejected the old Los Arcos Mall site. He could easily go back to Mesa, where there is plenty of room and a ready fan base, but We The Mesa Taxpayers won't pay for his arena any more than the voters of Tempe wanted to.

 

[powergate92]

In Utah and maybe New Mexico, but after next Wednesday, the Coyotes will be an irrelevancy in Arizona. And if Alex Meruelo thinks he can get an expansion franchise now that his credibility is totally shot, I have oceanfront property in Ajo to sell him.

I'm willing to bet that his lip service effort to get that land by the 101 for an arena will quietly get dropped before the auction on June 27. He's lied about this entire effort from the start. He's not stupid. He knew full well that Snobsdale will never allow hockey in or near their city. The hockey fan base is blue collar and not wealthy enough. They've made that clear since they rejected the old Los Arcos Mall site. He could easily go back to Mesa, where there is plenty of room and a ready fan base, but We The Mesa Taxpayers won't pay for his arena any more than the voters of Tempe wanted to.

Technically he already had to spend a lot many just to get the land to the point we are at now, so I doubt that he would spend that much money just to drop out of the auction. Also, the land is in Phoenix and Scottsdale has no say. Also according to the Arizona Republic "Each of the four council members said they were concerned about the potential issues Ortega raised, but none felt the current plan was detailed enough to warrant all-out opposition at this point. They pointed out that Scottsdale has no control over the project and said they could work with Phoenix, the Coyotes and the state to mitigate any issues."

https://www.azcentral.com/story/new...roject-heres-what-officials-said/73281711007/

Reports I read have said that Meruelo will get a 5 year exclusive window to get an expansion team for Arizona if certain conditions are met such as getting the arena built.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that Meruelo will continue to own the AHL Tucson Roadrunners and will be moving that team to Mullutt Arena. I would not be surprised if the Roadrunners are renamed the Arizona Coyotes temporarily until the expansion team happens.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779019200604033063

 

[Mediafrog+]

Meanwhile, it is being reported that Meruelo will continue to own the AHL Tucson Roadrunners and will be moving that team to Mullutt Arena. I would not be surprised if the Roadrunners are renamed the Arizona Coyotes temporarily until the expansion team happens.

I had thought about that specific branding possibility. Also the ECHL Utah Grizzlies will almost certainly be displaced by the NHL team; perhaps they move to Tucson and assume the Roadrunners identity if the AHL team goes to Tempe.