wallybarthman Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 I'm watching MSG's Ranger's Pre-Game show and being reminded of how much we miss Empire Sports Network. I know why the Sabres jumped in with MSG when Empire went under, but the coverage of Western New York sports is terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 well, so are the teams... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted December 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 well, so are the teams... touche.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Yes, WNY needs a sports network. Unfortunately the market isn't large enough or lucrative enough to profitably support one. If one could be produced profitably I am sure MSG (or some other entrepreneur) would have done it by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabel79 Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 it does irritate me, however, that the Sabres dove right in with MSG. The reasons for it are perfectly understandable, but the Sabres organization doing business with, and in one instance, openly ###### out for (the MSG dispute w/ Dish Network) Cablevision, just gives me the jibblies. MSG has no interest in promoting the Sabres product, and is run by the same titans of industry currently bringing championship upon championship the the Rangers and Knicks.... Perhaps they could have looked into a deal w/ YES or SNY, either of which has just about the same level of market saturation in WNY, neither of which is owned by the owner of a rival NHL franchise, and which may have been a better deal for the franchise and fans alike. Not that I have any idea whether a better deal is even possible at this point; but seriously, MSG is a subsidiary of the devil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 When Pegula buys the Sabres, and then the Bills, he could easily create a WNY Sports network. Maybe lobby to get some Amerks or Bandits games on TV, as well as local college sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 When Pegula buys the Sabres, and then the Bills, he could easily create a WNY Sports network. Maybe lobby to get some Amerks or Bandits games on TV, as well as local college sports. And we can call it Empire Sports Network :rolleyes: . I would love to see a WNY focused network maybe fox sports wny can be created. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattPie Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 And we can call it Empire Sports Network :rolleyes: . I would love to see a WNY focused network maybe fox sports wny can be created. Please no. The aesthetics of the Fox Sports coverage bother me. (Oops, I just just reading the logo sketch thread) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweeper Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I don't see why Bisons games couldn't be easily aired during the summer. especially with Time Warner's offices right there, they could easily run a fiber optic line and air home HD broadcasts just like the Sabres. I read somewhere a while ago that a station needs somewhere around 200 live broadcasts a year for the idea to be feasible. I suppose people have to want to watch those broadcasts as well (which is probably the problem..), but this area could easily fill the schedule between the Sabres, Bisons, Bandits, and college sports. I miss the Sabres rebroadcasts the next morning sometimes also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth73 Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 FOX Sports WNY would be awesome.....if and when any of our teams are relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I don't see why Bisons games couldn't be easily aired during the summer. especially with Time Warner's offices right there, they could easily run a fiber optic line and air home HD broadcasts just like the Sabres. I read somewhere a while ago that a station needs somewhere around 200 live broadcasts a year for the idea to be feasible. I suppose people have to want to watch those broadcasts as well (which is probably the problem..), but this area could easily fill the schedule between the Sabres, Bisons, Bandits, and college sports. I miss the Sabres rebroadcasts the next morning sometimes also. The bigger problem is the (likely) lack of advertising revenue. You are talking about a network that would service a metro area of around 1 million people. On a great night maybe 200,000 of those folks will tune into that network. On a more typical night you can drop a zero from that number at least. The advertising revenue for a broadcast with that few veiwers won't support the overhead and production costs. That is why there isn't a regional sports network around here anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADMOFO518 Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 the upside to having the sabres on MSG is that the sabres games reach a much wider audience than with ESN. especially in the easter part of ny, like out here in albany there is surprisingly a loyal fanbase out this way that never really got reached before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 The bigger problem is the (likely) lack of advertising revenue. You are talking about a network that would service a metro area of around 1 million people. On a great night maybe 200,000 of those folks will tune into that network. On a more typical night you can drop a zero from that number at least. The advertising revenue for a broadcast with that few veiwers won't support the overhead and production costs. That is why there isn't a regional sports network around here anymore. No, there isn't a regional sports network in WNY anymore because Adelphia scuttled the one that was there. There was a legitimate offer to buy Empire from Adelphia but they preferred to kill it. I'd agree w/ you that it looks like the costs to recreate a sports network in WNY is prohibitive; but the infrastructure had been in place. The decision to pull the plug on Empire was a ###### one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repster Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I'm watching MSG's Ranger's Pre-Game show and being reminded of how much we miss Empire Sports Network. I know why the Sabres jumped in with MSG when Empire went under, but the coverage of Western New York sports is terrible. Looks like there's a couple Sabres MSG-B HD games on NHL Center Ice this month on cable (based on the in Demand schedule). I was surprised to see the Devils MSG+ broadcast in HD on my cable-based Centre Ice here up here north of the border on Saturday. Hopefully more will follow in the months to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Dwight Drane Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I don't know what you are all squaking about. Ed Kilgore is the only source of information I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 No, there isn't a regional sports network in WNY anymore because Adelphia scuttled the one that was there. There was a legitimate offer to buy Empire from Adelphia but they preferred to kill it. I'd agree w/ you that it looks like the costs to recreate a sports network in WNY is prohibitive; but the infrastructure had been in place. The decision to pull the plug on Empire was a ###### one. I guess I worded that poorly. I meant that noone has attempted to create a *new* regional sports network after ESN died because the lack of advertising revenue in this market would make it damned difficult to be profitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 I don't know what you are all squaking about. Ed Kilgore is the only source of information I need. There are probably three of us here that remember when Ed Kilgore started he was as bald as a turtle. Always wondered how he did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 There are probably three of us here that remember when Ed Kilgore started he was as bald as a turtle. Always wondered how he did it. Bowling for Dollars. Ed was the ball. I kind of remember a combover at one point, then he had a scalp full. Speaking of that, they just showed Donald Trump in Bob Kraft's box, and his hair actually moved in the wind. I mean, the whole thing lifted right up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Bowling for Dollars. Ed was the ball. I kind of remember a combover at one point, then he had a scalp full. Speaking of that, they just showed Donald Trump in Bob Kraft's box, and his hair actually moved in the wind. I mean, the whole thing lifted right up! Wow.. Bowling for Dollars.... That sure shows your age... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted December 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Just a few comments SNY was formed after the Sabres and MSG linked up. YES already has a winter team and would probably have little interest in the Sabres. The problem with all three is they are entirely focused on the Tri-state area. SNY is the only one with any upstate interest at all, thanks in part to the fact that they only have one major team (the Mets) so they have an agreement with the Big East. What will be interesting is when 2016 comes along to see if Time Warner will try and bid for the Sabres and put them on Time Warner Cable Sports. That would give Time Warner a marquee product and make TWCS a prime network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerme1 Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Wow.. Bowling for Dollars.... That sure shows your age... I believe Dialing for Dollars was first. But then I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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