ON SPORTS MEDIA
TV leaves Marlins stranded on road
Posted on Fri, Jun. 13, 2008
By BARRY JACKSON
Asking and answering:
• So why aren't the Marlins televising two road games in the next five days -- Saturday at Tampa Bay and Tuesday at Seattle? Shouldn't all the road games be on TV?
That would be ideal, but unrealistic (or in Saturday's case, not even possible). Cathy Weeden, general manager of FSN and Sun Sports, said her networks skip 12 games a year because if they televised every game, ``things start getting diluted from what is available from an advertiser standpoint.''
Unfortunately, seven of the 12 will be on the road. The Marlins-Rays game Saturday was excluded because the 6:10 p.m. start falls within Fox's exclusive Saturday window (4-7 p.m.), during which no other broadcasts are allowed.
Although FSN will televise the Monday and Wednesday games in Seattle -- Florida's first visit to the Pacific Northwest -- the Tuesday game was omitted because late-night starts typically don't generate big ratings. And the June 26 home game with Tampa was left out because 12:10 p.m. games on a Thursday don't attract big numbers, either. Meanwhile, FSN added the Saturday, June 28, night game against Arizona to replace a rained-out Marlins-at-Reds game.
• What is up with Ed Kaplan?
Dropped by WQAM in October, Kaplan said he would consider local offers to do a talk show, but he is happy playing tennis, betting on horses and traveling.
''I'm enjoying my retirement,'' he said. ``There's a reasonable chance I may not be broadcasting again, and I don't really miss it. I haven't had to deal with the nonsense surrounding the NFL Draft and the Jason Taylor saga. I'm shocked after being a sports fanatic that I don't watch nearly as many games as I used to.''
Kaplan said he has received ``three or four unsolicited inquiries from stations out of town but I don't want to leave South Florida.''
• What is the early view on WQAM's revamped Dolphins show?
Very encouraging. WQAM made the right move not only by cutting it to an hour, but also selecting Kim Bokamper as host. Bokamper has a keen eye for evaluating players -- last summer, when others were predicting seventh-rounder Abraham Wright would become a standout, Bokamper said he wouldn't amount to anything here (Wright was cut last month).
The guest list has improved, with coach Tony Sparano and general manager Jeff Ireland agreeing to do weekly segments through at least June.
• Which does MiamiFort Lauderdale have more of, sports-talk stations or major pro teams?
Beginning Monday, the answer will be the former, when WOCN-1450 AM becomes the market's fifth sports station. But unlike the others, this one will broadcast in Spanish, as the 26th ESPN Deportes affiliate nationwide.
• How would you assess ABC's coverage of the NBA Finals?
Although its studio show doesn't measure up to TNT's, ABC has assembled its best game-announcing talent since reacquiring NBA rights in 2002. And that is largely because of Jeff Van Gundy, who mixes dead-on analysis with quirky observations, humor (self-deprecating and otherwise) and cutting candor.
Van Gundy seems to take great pleasure in amusing viewers who once thought he had personality-deficit disorder (he obviously doesn't). ''I'm paying the same for a haircut as the guy with a full head of hair -- that's wrong on so many levels!'' he mused during Game 3.
Later, he unleashed an entertaining rant about how unnecessary it is for players to pound their chest after baskets. Still, Van Gundy knows when to be serious -- and his observations about strategy are consistently cogent and concise.
• What will Channel 4 do now that Jim Berry is moving to news?
WFOR will use a two-person staff, with Bokamper anchoring Monday through Thursday, Prim Siripitat on Friday and Saturday and the two sharing anchor duties Sunday. That means among the four news divisions locally, only WSVN-7 will have three full-time sportscasters ( Andrea Brody freelances for NBC 6).
Nationally, TV stations are devoting fewer resources -- and time -- to sports. Channel 10, which once had the market's most thorough weeknight sportscast, now barely has time for three or four sports stories a night at 11:30. And with time so limited, it is a waste for NBC 6 to air a short nightly auto-sponsored segment on days remaining until the Olympics.
• Where could retiring New York Giants star Michael Strahan surface?
Fox has a strong interest. CBS also has been mentioned -- though the network said its roster its full. The best offseason NFL TV moves so far: Fox hiring Brian Billick as an analyst and NFL Network dumping Bryant ''I really did call Tony Romo Rick Romo'' Gumbel as play-by-play man ( Tom Hammond is among several candidates to replace him).
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