Fox Sports Net: Success or Failure?

[ShawnHill]

I'm not talking about the radio or the over-the-air portion of Fox Sports, strictly the cable division. They're been around for seven or eight years now (the individual regional nets have been around longer), and it should be enough time to tell whether Fox Sports Net is either a success or a failure at this point. To me, in the beginning, with the national news program and some of the highlight and magazine shows they had, they had a good thing going. Then, all of a sudden, since they couldn't compete with the juggernaut that is the Entertainment & Sports Programming Network and its sister networks, FSN gave us crap like Best Damn, Sports Geniuses, etc. Plus, you add in the "identity crisis" for their regional nets (for example--Fox Sports West to Fox Sports Net West to simply Fox Sports Net [no on-air regional ID] to now FSN West). What do you think?

 

[josephandrews]

> I'm not talking about the radio or the over-the-air portion
> of Fox Sports, strictly the cable division. They're been
> around for seven or eight years now (the individual regional
> nets have been around longer), and it should be enough time
> to tell whether Fox Sports Net is either a success or a
> failure at this point. To me, in the beginning, with the
> national news program and some of the highlight and magazine
> shows they had, they had a good thing going. Then, all of a
> sudden, since they couldn't compete with the juggernaut that
> is the Entertainment & Sports Programming Network and its
> sister networks, FSN gave us crap like Best Damn, Sports
> Geniuses, etc. Plus, you add in the "identity crisis" for
> their regional nets (for example--Fox Sports West to Fox
> Sports Net West to simply Fox Sports Net [no on-air regional
> ID] to now FSN West). What do you think?
>
What a great great question Shawn...I'll have to think about that one.

 

[Pratte4Life]

One reason I like FOX

Is their regional sportscasts at 10 p.m. or so.

Here- we get FOX Sports Pittsburgh- and that offers in depth coverage of the local teams- which is what I care about.

I don't want to have to watch 10 NBA highlights until I get to the hockey highlights-

X Games coverage

A profile on the Poker player who got some Vegas high roller to win him big bucks before losing his own life to drugs

Reggie White telling me how the Confederate Flag shook him when he went to a NASCAR race-

Which is all stuff ESPN tries to do.


True, Best Damn is an embarassment and I am sick of watching some sort of show about sports lists with B level comics on commenting about the '85 Bears or something.

But those are examples of FOX trying to be ESPN.

The best thing FOX Sports could do is quit trying to be ESPN. They don't do it all the time but they do it enough that they have trouble creating their own identity.

Focus on the local coverage- the hour long profiles on athletes are great- and I love the fact they will hire models as a sportscasters.

Let's face it- ESPN isn't going to hire Nanci Donellan to read the scores on Sportscenter for obvious reasons. Might as well applaud FOX for not having pretenses.

 

[jetfli]

> I'm not talking about the radio or the over-the-air portion
> of Fox Sports, strictly the cable division.

> What do you think?

I think, why are we discussing this on a radio board?

But since we are, the answer is, as long as it's making a healthy ROI for its ownership, then it's a success. I can't answer that question because I'm not privy to their books.

But if you want to know if I like it, then the answer is NO. I only have watched it for my local team's NHL games or if I'm in need of a score from the crawl and ESPN and ESPN2 are on commercial breaks. I find the remainder of their programming, especially their flagship shows, almost as annoying as the radio programming that bears their branding. For me, FSN is just one more reason why cable or satellite channels should be served up ala carte. I hate being forced to pay for something I don't want, just to get what I do want.

 

[vanearlwrong]

Re: One reason I like FOX

> Is their regional sportscasts at 10 p.m. or so.
>
> Here- we get FOX Sports Pittsburgh- and that offers in depth
> coverage of the local teams- which is what I care about.
>
> I don't want to have to watch 10 NBA highlights until I get
> to the hockey highlights-
>
> X Games coverage
>
> A profile on the Poker player who got some Vegas high roller
> to win him big bucks before losing his own life to drugs
>
> Reggie White telling me how the Confederate Flag shook him
> when he went to a NASCAR race-
>
> Which is all stuff ESPN tries to do.
>
>
> True, Best Damn is an embarassment and I am sick of watching
> some sort of show about sports lists with B level comics on
> commenting about the '85 Bears or something.
>
> But those are examples of FOX trying to be ESPN.
>
> The best thing FOX Sports could do is quit trying to be
> ESPN. They don't do it all the time but they do it enough
> that they have trouble creating their own identity.
>
> Focus on the local coverage- the hour long profiles on
> athletes are great- and I love the fact they will hire
> models as a sportscasters.
>
> Let's face it- ESPN isn't going to hire Nanci Donellan to
> read the scores on Sportscenter for obvious reasons. Might
> as well applaud FOX for not having pretenses.
>


Actually, as bad as Fox Sports Net is, they'e not trying to be like ESPN.
Best Damn was around long before ESPN tried to go more entertainment. Isn't that dreadful Cold Pizza show just a lame morning version of Best Damn?
And if Fox was that bad, why would ESPN hire: Michael Irvin after Fox saved him, John Kruk for baseball tonite, Stephen A. Smith(best damn) and other guys who were on Fox? They even hired that wimp Kevin Frazer from Fox, but after he tried too hard to be more jive that Stuart Scott, they ran him off to Entertainment Tonite?
Now that Mark Shapiro has finished off his ESPN re-configuration with that amazing "ESPN Hollywood" farce, look for Shapiro's boys to bite the dust soon.
Rome is burning is only on because Shapiro loves Rome. His ratings stink and he'll be done whenever his contract is up.

 

[dougllio]

Re: One reason I like FOX

> Actually, as bad as Fox Sports Net is, they'e not trying to
> be like ESPN.
> Best Damn was around long before ESPN tried to go more
> entertainment. Isn't that dreadful Cold Pizza show just a
> lame morning version of Best Damn?
> And if Fox was that bad, why would ESPN hire: Michael Irvin
> after Fox saved him, John Kruk for baseball tonite, Stephen
> A. Smith(best damn) and other guys who were on Fox? They
> even hired that wimp Kevin Frazer from Fox, but after he
> tried too hard to be more jive that Stuart Scott, they ran
> him off to Entertainment Tonite?
> Now that Mark Shapiro has finished off his ESPN
> re-configuration with that amazing "ESPN Hollywood" farce,
> look for Shapiro's boys to bite the dust soon.
> Rome is burning is only on because Shapiro loves Rome. His
> ratings stink and he'll be done whenever his contract is up.

What? Kevin Frazier was the same at ESPN as he was doing the National Sports Report with VEW. Same catch phrases and same delivery.<P ID="signature">______________
Blogging with the best</P>

 

[ShawnHill]

> > I'm not talking about the radio or the over-the-air
> portion
> > of Fox Sports, strictly the cable division.
>
> > What do you think?
>
> I think, why are we discussing this on a radio board?
>
> But since we are, the answer is, as long as it's making a
> healthy ROI for its ownership, then it's a success. I can't
> answer that question because I'm not privy to their books.
>
> But if you want to know if I like it, then the answer is NO.
> I only have watched it for my local team's NHL games or if
> I'm in need of a score from the crawl and ESPN and ESPN2 are
> on commercial breaks. I find the remainder of their
> programming, especially their flagship shows, almost as
> annoying as the radio programming that bears their branding.
> For me, FSN is just one more reason why cable or satellite
> channels should be served up ala carte. I hate being forced
> to pay for something I don't want, just to get what I do
> want.
>
I actually wanted put it on the National TV board, but I though this forum would be a bit better, beside sometimes, there's some sports TV discussed on this board anyways. As for the business side of it, I'm pretty sure that the cable side of the sports division makes a great profit for Fox. I'm pretty much talking moew about the quality of its programming. In my opinion, the regional programming is pretty good and serves its purpose--more in-depth coverage of the local teams that wouldn't see anywhere else. Another aspect of this subject is the fact that so many teams (like the Yankees and Mets) and cable operators (Comcast being the main example) want to start their own networks and not wanting to line-up with FSN. From a business standpoint, if you have the clout (see the above teams), it's a good and smart decision, but I'm wondering is FSN alienating (for a lack a better term) teams over their coverage and other programming?

 

[OldAkronite]

Re: One reason I like FOX

> Is their regional sportscasts at 10 p.m. or so.
>
> Here- we get FOX Sports Pittsburgh- and that offers in depth
> coverage of the local teams- which is what I care about.

Here in Northeast Ohio, FSN stinks. It has no significant local programming or coverage that is not directly tied to game broadcasts. They do a rather lame Indians pre-game show (30 minutes) and post-game show (roughly the same), and a lame pre-game show for the Cavaliers. That's it.

Back in the day, the former SportsChannel Ohio had a local sports show with veteran radio talk host Les Levine...FSN chased it off to Cablevision's local access channel, and it's on that system today (as Adelphia).

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

 

[studiotwenty]

Re: One reason I like FOX

FSN is still in growing pains, as Ohio, New England, Chicago, Florida and Bay Area (all former SportsChannel networks) are still under the operation of Liberty Media. The same goes for Sunshine here in FLorida, but recently the two recognized each other as the Marlins game, normally on FSN aired on Sunshine.

I like FSN for its play by play packages, including Fox College Sports which run College Football from 12noon, often ending with the Hawaii games at home at Midnight eastern....They cover Big 12, Pac 10, some small college midwestern and eastern football and hoops as well, not to mention college hockey.

Is it ESPN? No. I don't watch "BDSSP", nor do I watch the SmarmCenter on SPN. (If you think thats strange, ESPN has taken over TSN Canada (with CTV)..seeing some of the Canadians try and act "Yankee Smug" is funny. They clearly are uncomfortable with the image.....

 

[Pratte4Life]

Yankee Smug-

You hit it right on the head! Couldn't have said it better myself!


ESPN is all style over substance. While I understand you don't want just a straight read of scores- there's something about ESPN in terms of their delivery that is a total turnoff.

 

[schmave]

FSN in the rest of Ohio

OA:

FSN is even worse in southwest Ohio, where all they have is the Reds and don't get any other programming the rest of the state can see. FSN Ohio was OK when it had the regional sports report and also when "More Sports and Les Levine" was on in the mid-1990s, as well as the SportsWriters on TV and other Midwest programming. It's just awful now.

> Here in Northeast Ohio, FSN stinks. It has no significant
> local programming or coverage that is not directly tied to
> game broadcasts. They do a rather lame Indians pre-game
> show (30 minutes) and post-game show (roughly the same), and
> a lame pre-game show for the Cavaliers. That's it.
>
> Back in the day, the former SportsChannel Ohio had a local
> sports show with veteran radio talk host Les Levine...FSN
> chased it off to Cablevision's local access channel, and
> it's on that system today (as Adelphia).
>
> -OA

 

[OldAkronite]

FSN Stinks All Over Ohio

> FSN is even worse in southwest Ohio, where all they have is
> the Reds and don't get any other programming the rest of the
> state can see. FSN Ohio was OK when it had the regional
> sports report and also when "More Sports and Les Levine" was
> on in the mid-1990s, as well as the SportsWriters on TV and
> other Midwest programming. It's just awful now.

It's comforting to see that we aren't alone in FSN Ohio stinkage here in the Cleveland market.

What I can't get - why didn't FSN hang onto Les' show when they inherited it from SportsChannel? He was obviously able to keep it going (via Cablevision, now Adelphia). It would have been at least SOME effort to program FSN Ohio locally.

Adelphia, of course, is being swallowed in Northeast Ohio in the next few months by Time Warner. TWC has a history of local programming, and is supposedly interested in keeping Les' show around...presumably on TWC position 23, where the WKYC-produced Akron/Canton newscast ended up.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

 

[eggsdannythomas]

Good topic, and this board IS a better place to discuss it rather than the National TV board.

In Chicago, FSN lost all it's local teams to Comcast. Liberty owns FSN Chicago, not Fox. I have DirecTV (owned by Fox) and dont get the local FSN, because in Chicago it's become irrelevant since they lost the Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks and scrubbs, they only show the national stuff that we dont like.

Except for Summer Sanders -- she should be on 24 hours a day, I'd eat her like a lollipop!

I will say that they are smart for having Pro-wrestling on there, ESPN are snobs about wrestling (but poker and pool are o.k., and how about their movies: TILT and the Dale Earnhardt story?).

FSN: Failure, I think they have given up.

Knowing that Comcast and even the teams are doing their own deals, they should have concentrated on the national stuff and tried being a hipper ESPN.

Once they lose the rest of the local contracts to the Cable Companies and the individual teams, and the license expires on the FSN brand for the locals not owned by FOX look for them to be gone. Or at least resurface in a different incarnation -- I bet it's already in the works.

 

[penandpad]

Re: One reason I like FOX

> FSN is still in growing pains, as Ohio, New England,
> Chicago, Florida and Bay Area (all former SportsChannel
> networks) are still under the operation of Liberty Media.
> The same goes for Sunshine here in FLorida, but recently the
> two recognized each other as the Marlins game, normally on
> FSN aired on Sunshine.

Fox recently purchased FSN Florida and now FSN Florida and Sun Sports are managed by the same folks.

 

[Jets885sports]

Re: One reason I like FOX

> Fox recently purchased FSN Florida and now FSN Florida and
> Sun Sports are managed by the same folks.
>
Don't forget about SportSouth. FSN South is solid but it doesn't have a Nashville schedule on my digital cable's listings (which is stupid seeing as though I'm In Lebanon, TN not the Atlanta flagship). BTW, There's a SportSouth logo on the wall of the stadium in the movie Major League: Back to the Minors. Thought I was going back in time.

War the return of Serie A soccer of FSN, as well as Ultimate Fan League.

Late