It's officially a tug of war
The Patriots have wonderful local TV arrangements, with longstanding relationships in place with both Channel 4 and Channel 5. However, should the team advance to next week's AFC Championship game and, beyond that, to the Super Bowl, it would have to designate one of those stations as the "Patriots' Official Station" for the Super Bowl.
For the Patriots' last two Super Bowl trips, in 1997 and 2002, Channel 5 had the designation. This year, with CBS televising the Super Bowl and Boston/New England being the network's biggest local market with a team in the playoffs, network-owned affiliate Channel 4 is making a big run at taking that label away.
To the fan, it's no big deal, but it means at lot for a station. There's a lot at stake, prestige-wise. For station management, it means access to official functions. For the advertising department, it adds to the cache of Patriots-related spots. For the broadcasters, it means being allowed to set up at and go on the air from the team's hotel. Each outlet can make a strong case for selection.
Channel 5:
Carries the team's preseason games. This season, Don Criqui, Randy Cross, and Channel 5 sports anchor Mike Lynch worked the games.
Has behind-the-scenes access at Gillette Stadium on game days and during the week in order to produce the weekly "Patriots All-Access" show, which normally airs twice each Saturday.
Simulcasts ESPN's "Sunday Night Football" when the Patriots are playing. The station has produced higher ratings than ESPN on those nights.
Carries "Monday Night Football," as the local ABC affiliate, and produces a pregame show whenever the Patriots play on a Sunday or Monday night.
Channel 4:
Produces a weekly pregame show, "Patriots Game Day," that airs Sunday mornings prior to CBS's noon "The NFL Today" pregame show.
Presents, along with sister station Channel 38, a postgame show, "5th Quarter," with an ever-growing constituency.
Both stations have seen great ratings for their Patriots-related programming. If the team goes to the AFC Championship game, Channel 4's allotted local spots during the CBS telecast will command a six-figure premium.
So how will the "official station" decision play out?
It won't be based on which station's programming or on-air personnel the team prefers.
It will come down to money.
"It sounds crass. No, it is crass. But it probably will come down to which station's parent company will let it spend the most for the rights," said Patriots vice chairman Jonathan Kraft.
The decision probably has been made already, though not announced for fear of jinxing tomorrow night's divisional playoff against the Titans.
After all, there's programming to produce, ratings to reap, and money to be made.
An air attack
Meanwhile, Patriots specials abound in the buildup to tomorrow night. Channel 4, which carries the game, has "Patriots Game Day" tomorrow at 7 p.m., leading into the CBS pregame show, "The NFL Today." After the game is "5th Quarter," with Bob Lobel, Steve Burton, Bob Neumeier, and assorted guests . . . Channel 5 will do its weekly "Patriots All Access" live tomorrow from 7-8 p.m., with Lynch going one on one with Ty Law, a live segment with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, an inside look at coaches' meetings by Ed Harding, plus contributions from staffer Mike Dowling and guests Steve Nelson and Tim Fox . . . Tonight, Channel 7 has "Clash with the Titans," with segments on players Tedy Bruschi and Channel 7 regular Christian Fauria, plus guests Fred Smerlas, Fox, and the Globe's Ron Borges joining sports staffers Joe Amorosino, Wendi Nix, and Gary Gillis . . . FSNE has "New England Tailgate" tonight at 7, and guests on "New England Sports Tonight" will be former Patriots Pete Brock (6:30 edition) and Scott Zolak (10). The show's co-hosts, Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson, will host an FSNE tailgate reception at Gillette Stadium tomorrow, beginning at 4 p.m. . . . NECN will do a special edition of "Sports LateNight" following the game, with Mike Giardi and Nelson in studio with Mark Ockerbloom and Chris Collins contributing from the stadium . . . Channel 56 will air "Patriots Football Weekly" Sunday night at 10:30, going head to head with "Sports Sunday" on Channel 25.
A good skate
If the Patriots weren't in the playoffs, much of the above space would have been devoted to skating guru Dick Button. If you're under 20, think of Button as the "real" Simon Cowell, assuming that the TV wiseacre had won a couple of Entertainer of the Year awards in a 25-year performing career, then done high-quality critiquing of real events for another 40 years. You know that didn't happen, but Button has done that and more. If Button is working at an event -- and he's on air for all 11 hours of this weekend's US Figure Skating Championships from Atlanta -- his presence and commentary alone make the event worth watching. The man has never devalued his worth in a career that represents five world championships, two Olympic gold medals, plus 42 years of distinguished skating analysis for ABC. He's mellowed somewhat following a hard-fought recovery from a serious head injury sustained in a fall while training for an exhibition scheduled for the 2001 US Championships in Boston, but remains a Lion in Winter and one of his sport's treasured figures. ESPN2 has the women's and men's short programs tonight at 10. Then coverage switches to ABC (Ch. 5) tomorrow from 4-6 p.m. (men's free skate, dance finals) and 8-11 (women's and pairs finals). Two segments of tomorrow night's show make it especially worthwhile (tape it if you're watching Patriots-Titans): (1) a Button-narrated nine-minute review of 40 years of ABC skating coverage and (2) a segment with NBA graybeard Karl Malone encouraging Michelle Kwan to aim for another Olympics. Button was self-reflective after finishing work on the historic segment: "When I got through, I realized I'd gotten such fun out of criticizing people. I was especially critical of the talented ones and more kind to the ones who weren't so talented. It was especially difficult to pull 40 years together, let alone the 25 years of participating before that. The piece shows the development and change in the sport. It's changed enormously and stayed the same enormously." Expect more of the same commentary this weekend, and treasure it. When Button hangs up his skates, there never will be another like him . . . This week, ESPN launched ESPN Deportes, its Spanish-language 24-hour channel. A special one-hour edition of "Deportes SportsCenter" will air Sunday at 11 p.m. on ESPN. Otherwise, the new channel is on, but -- like so many startups -- is not available in this market.
Bill Griffith's e-mail address is griffith@globe.com
