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RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
sinklair
Posts: 2197
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Wed Nov 04, 2020 6:33 pm

Fox Sports Detroit and other regional sports networks recently acquired by Sinclair Broadcasting — parent company of 25-66 — continue to financially cripple local TV stations.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/b ... story.html

So what is Sinclair’s (public facing) reaction? Chris Ripley: there’s nothing to see here...

At the station level, we’ll face even more budget cuts as a results of Sinclair’s idiotic management that includes expansion efforts during a pandemic where we’ve seen a dramatic drop-off in advertising revenue, along with playing hardball with digital distribution networks like Hulu resulting in loss of retransmission revenue streams.

When we are asked to make more sacrifices, I’d suggest the first people to lose their jobs this round be ineffective managers like the ASSistant GM/Promotions Director, the In Over Her Head News Director, the Director of Declining Sales, the HR Director/Party Planner, Regional Manager Lame Michaelsen and whoever continues to hire Fox News flunkees like Eric Bolling and James Rosen.



Realist
Posts: 976
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by Realist » Wed Nov 04, 2020 9:21 pm

PLEASE - let them re-assess this purchase and sell these sports networks!



sinklair
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Wed Nov 04, 2020 10:35 pm

Realist: that’s likely not going to happen. Sinclair is literally banking on sports betting to save its financial a**. In the meantime, Fox Sports Detroit and its local stations will bear the brunt of budget cuts.

https://www.yogonet.com/international/n ... operations
Last edited by sinklair on Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:45 am, edited 1 time in total.



DAC
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 5:43 pm

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by DAC » Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:16 am

It was impossible to know that this would be crippling at the time of the purchase. I was kind of hoping that Comcast would take more of them, because I like the NBC branding. I like the FOX branding also --- so does anyone know what kind of agreement Sinclair has with FOX to use the "Fox Sports" branding, and how long it's expected to last? It's an interesting part of the purchase that I haven't seen discussed.



sinklair
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:50 am

Sinclair would like to have a new branding to cover all the different sports properties they’ve purchased in the last couple of years. No word yet on what name or timeline for that consolidation. They currently own the Fox Sports regional sports nets, the Cubs and Yankees, Stadium.

Let’s just hope the sports guys are better at branding than the news guys who came up with Mid-Michigan NOW!



sinklair
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Sat Nov 07, 2020 10:57 am

After laying off 25% of its workforce in the fall, ESPN now is cutting another 300 people snd not filling 200 open positions. Bob Ley is ripping apart ESPN/Disney for their greed (rightfully so).

https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-bob-ley-s ... 19961.html

Watch even bigger corporate hog Sinclair do the same for Fox Sports Detroit and it’s other properties — cut costs to increase profit margins, drag down the on air product and fill time with more low budget Ring of Honor wrestling repeats.



MasterB
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Location: Kalamazoo

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by MasterB » Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:25 am

Kinda surprised they haven't done it yet with Ring Of Honor repeats they do seem to air a lot of the MMA from the UK/Europe to fill time in primetime. I think they should air more Pistons & Redwings classic games I want to see the Pistons VS Bulls from the late '80s & early '90s you don't see that style of play anymore when the Bad Boys played.


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

DAC
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 5:43 pm

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by DAC » Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:59 am

sinklair wrote:
Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:50 am
Sinclair would like to have a new branding to cover all the different sports properties they’ve purchased in the last couple of years. No word yet on what name or timeline for that consolidation. They currently own the Fox Sports regional sports nets, the Cubs and Yankees, Stadium.

Let’s just hope the sports guys are better at branding than the news guys who came up with Mid-Michigan NOW!
UpNorthLive isn't any better. 7&4 in Northern Michigan have begun the transition from having "UpNorthLive" only associated with the newscast to rebranding the station(s) as simply "Up North Live," with less and less mentions of the old "TV 7 & 4" moniker, while also disowning NBC in all forms branding. 29 & 8 do not appear to be changing too much as of yet. Incidentally, does anyone know why "Fox 32" changed into "Local 32?" Nothing about the Northern Michigan stations are "local." The average newscast covers SO much area that most of the non-national reporting is only local for a tiny sliver of the audience. Seems questionable to me.

As for the RSN branding, what could Sinclair come up with that would be more valuable than a recognizable, nationally exposed brand such as Fox or NBC? I've heard "Diamond Sports" being tossed around here and there, but that seems like a H*** step down to me, considering that the average viewer doesn't know (or care) who owns the network, but like the familiarity of the presentation/branding.



YpsiGuy
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Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by YpsiGuy » Tue Nov 10, 2020 12:51 am

How’s that sports network dispute going with Dish, Sinclair?

The company is full of idiots. Sinklair you got that right.



sinklair
Posts: 2197
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:18 am

Ypsi: you hit the nail on the head. Sinclair continues to piss off the heads of cable, satellite, streaming and online distribution channels by demanding large fee increases. Those fee increases are either passed on to customers or result in blackouts (like we’re seeing currently.). In the end, the Sinclair corporate Death Star is hurting the viewers that we rely upon for viewership/ratings. Some of our sales team can’t even approach certain advertisers because of Sinclair’s reputation and the biased corporate must-run stories that the new GM and the In Over Her Head News Director run in our newscasts and the poorly produced conservative talk shows like Full Measure and America This Week that clog up our airwaves. It’s the same at nearly every Sinclair station across the country — which is why it owns largely last place TV stations. The only Sinclair stations that have any ratings success are because Sinclair bought them that way and local managers have been successful at running the local stations with minimal corporate interference. That’s not the case here in Flint (or any Sinclair station in Michigan.). The FCC needs to break up SBG.

DAC: The sports head at Sinclair’s corporate HQ are just getting ramped up. Expect a name change and different direction. RIP Fox Sports Detroit. Yet another example of Sinclair taking a well run company and driving it into the ground with its one sized fits all approach.

As far as Traverse City, Sinclair is getting rid of all its network branding in markets like Flint and Traverse City. In TC, it believes its online branding is stronger than the mixed network and station numbers. Sounds a lot like the old (failed) Barrington playbook. Sinclair believes with its size it can walk away from networks, its programming fees, and is setting itself up to become an independent network with conservative syndicated programming. God help us all.



AuburnViewer
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Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 6:25 pm

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by AuburnViewer » Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:31 pm

Get used to watching your favorite MLB teams on Bally Sports.

Sinclair Broadcasting is reportedly addressing its financial woes by selling naming rights to the 21 Fox Sports networks it obtained from Disney to Bally’s Corp., creating the Bally Sports network.

https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/11/18/g ... YAXfcyu84Q



sinklair
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Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:28 am

$85-million for naming rights...

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2020/ ... ith-casino

Sinclair could do a lot with that money. They could hire more workers for understaffed and underpaid newsrooms that have dealt with layoffs and pay freezes... they could help out the freelancers at the sports nets like Fox Sports Detroit (Bally Sports Detroit?) that have lost jobs and work due to the pandemic. But Sinclair won’t do the right thing. They never do. Instead of doing right by its employees, they’ll likely just line the pockets of David Smith, Chris Ripley and the lily-white corporate management team.



sinklair
Posts: 2197
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Sat Dec 12, 2020 4:44 am

I’m pretty sure Sinclair has hired The Grinch to run FSD...

https://detroitsportsnation.com/how-can ... 20/240840/

It’s amazing the greed that Sinclair exhibits. They are willing to put profits over viewer loyalty. Sinclair is hoping that viewers will force platforms like Dish and Hulu to pay more for retransmission rights or risk viewers willing to leave for Sinclair owned streaming platforms where the Corporate Death Star can charge more for rights to watch their hometown team’s games.

Yes there are costs for companies that need to be recouped to pay for broadcast rights, etc. and Sinclair has a right to be profitable. But this is pure, unadulterated greed. And to see “Hammer” tow the company line is so disappointing.



sinklair
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by sinklair » Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:50 am

Sinclair’s CFO essentially says to sports viewers upset over the carriage dispute to go F themselves, that Sinclair isn’t going to negotiate in good faith to get these RSN channels back on cable and streaming services.

https://thestreamable.com/news/sinclair ... youtube-tv



organman95
Posts: 582
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:49 pm

Re: RSNs dragging down 25-66’s parent company

Post by organman95 » Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:11 pm

The problem is we have a company that is dangerously close to an all-out monopoly. Until the FCC and FTC really step in, nothing will stop or get better.



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