New Multi-year deal keeps some games on local over-the-air TV and also includes streaming There was no doubt the Chicago Sky’s first-ever WNBA Championship would send the value of their media rights soaring, by achieving something no other pro Chicago team (with the possible exception of the White Sox) is in the position to do for the foreseeable future. […]
Also: Bless The Harts canceled; Boost 97.5 arrives while Clubsteppin’ closes; Bally Sports Net debuts to mixed reviews [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 15 to remove some incorrect information regarding Clubsteppin’ 95.1 FM. T Dog Media apologizes for the errors. -T.H.] As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court voted Thursday to uphold the FCC’s 2017 ownership rules, eliminating […]
Replaces Len Kasper for Marquee Sports Network I have yet to write the annual “things to look for” items in the new year article, and one of them was who was going to be named the Chicago Cubs’ new play-by-play man to replace Len Kasper? Well, the question was answered on Monday – and it’s a Boog. Marquee announced the […]
Also: Fox News wins election night; NBA season to start Dec. 22 IHeartMedia’s WLIT launched its Holly Jolly format (or Christmas music as everyone else calls it) starting at 4 p.m. Friday, and is likely to last through the end of the year. This is the 20th year WLIT has turned its playlist to a Christmas Jukebox, playing Mariah Carey’s […]
Adding Bears is a victory for start-up RSN The Marquee Sports Network announced Tuesday a new agreement with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, who’ll provide the fledgling regional sports network a studio show and a condensed version of the previous week’s game. Starting Wednesday night, Marquee will air Bear Essentials in prime-time followed by a two-hour replay of the Bears […]
Part of larger deal involving Sinclair Broadcast Group. If you are a Cubs fan, and a Comcast subscriber, you might want to send the peeps at Sinclair Broadcasting Group a thank you card. Yeah, yeah I know. In a deal announced literally hours before the first pitch Friday night at Wrigley Field against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs’ new Marquee […]
Wow, indeed: deal with chief competitor puts heat on Comcast/Xfinity In a deal that could put pressure on Comcast, Wide Open West – basically known as WOW, reached an agreement Wednesday to carry the Chicago Cubs’ new regional sports network beginning March 13. What makes this deal important is WOW covers much of Chicago’s South Side with Comcast as […]
Very few people in the Chicago area weren’t able to see the premiere of the new RSN – even if a deal was struck with their provider It’s time to play Monday night quarterback and assess the launch of Marquee Sports Network, the new joint venture between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcasting. And of course, it didn’t go very well. […]
But here’s the rub: it’s only going to air monthly Hulu becomes latest operator to sign deal with Marquee In an odd move, the Cubs’ new Marquee network is planning to launch a new talk show featuring former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. Speaking to reporters at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. on Saturday, Dempster said his new show would not […]
New RSN drops details; Xfinity still not on board The Cubs and Marquee Sports Network finally (finally!) unveiled details about the new network to fans Saturday at the annual Cubs Convention in downtown Chicago. Programming on the channel consists of the obvious fare you would find on similar regional sports network channels: Cubs pre-game and post game shows and Cubs […]
What’s on the media agenda in the first year of the new decade The new decade brings us things to look forward to in the world of media. So here’s are the ten things to keep your eye on in Chicago and in general for 2020. We’ll check back in at the end of the year to see how we […]
Also: Big 3 add overnight news repeats; Fox renews three daytime shows; Disney + signs ten million users; two prime-shows pink-slipped We have an update on the latest with the Cubs’ new Marquee Network and Dish…and I’m guessing those negotiations aren’t going well. In an interview with the Tribune’s Eric Zorn (a rather pointed opinion piece urging Dish not to […]
Sinclair strikes deal to bring Cubs channel in 2020 We are now at a point where Cubs games are being shown in Des Moines but not in the Chicago area itself on cable. Thankfully, Marquee isn’t launching until February. As first reported by the Chicago Tribune Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair announced a carriage deal with cable provider Mediacom. […]
Predictable as a plot to a bad TV show, President Trump comes to town, bashes our city, picks up campaign cash, and leaves. We saw a weekend where Chicagoans were fed up with a prolonged teacher’s strike and the inept play of the once-hot Chicago Bears, particularly when it came to Mitch Trubisky and head coach Matt Nagy. And President […]
With team set to move back to Soldier Field, there are no plans to alter deal with streaming service With the Chicago Fire heading back to Soldier Field for the 2020 season, there is new optimism over the soccer club. But one thing that isn’t changing next year is the television deal. In an article in Saturday’s Chicago Sun-Times, the […]