FSN shake-up opens door for Comcast?
If you happen to be in the market for a sports network in New England, FSN New England, a remnant of the failed Fox Sports Network that once tried to challenge ESPN for national cable sports supremacy, suddenly looks attractive.
When the paperwork was finalized on this week's corporate restructuring at
Now, Fox Sports Net no longer owns even a part of the network that bears its name in New England, even though the network still carries FSN's national programming.
Theoretically, it could be business as usual, with Cablevision contining to operate FSN, but it would seem a better fit for Comcast, the big player in this market, to buy out its partner. Comcast has the resources and interest to infuse new life into FSN, whose local properties remain the Celtics and "New England Sports Tonight," but which has aired mostly low-rated Fox Sports Net programming since FSN canceled its national and regional sports news operations in July 2002.
Comcast has built a coalition of its own regional sports networks around the country. CN8, the Philadelphia- and Boston-based Eastern regional network, is the model for these. Why would Comcast want to take over FSN? It has a business model, the capital, and programming plans to rejuvenate regional sports networks. In Philadelphia, it owns the Flyers and 76ers, the arena, the Regional Sports Network, and is the region's primary cable carrier. Plus the network has the TV rights to the Phillies. It would be interesting to see what the company could build in New England using the Celtics as a basic block.
Comcast is growing and all signs point to continued growth. Meanwhile, FSN is treading water. It has its long-term rights deal with the Celtics in place but Cablevision, which still is in charge, has limited means and interest to develop more local programming. And local programming is everything to a regional sports network.
So what does all this speculation mean? Perhaps nothing. Cablevision could continue doing business as usual at FSN. But New England viewers, and the management and staff at FSN are capable of producing better. Fox Sports chairman David Hill always maintains "sports is tribal." And Comcast is the big local tribe.
All of which points to a Comcast takeover bid.
Rawson on track
Track and field broadcaster Larry Rawson tracks numbers for a living in his real job working in the New York financial world. There, a 70 percent increase in six years is big news. "Well, that's what our track ratings have done on ESPN2," he said this week. Rawson, called "the voice of the Boston Marathon" by the BAA's Jack Fleming, will be working the US Indoor Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center for ESPN this weekend. Rawson, with play-by-play man Dwight Stones and reporter Leslie Maxie, will be on the air live Sunday (ESPN, 3-5 p.m.). Track may not get a lot of national respect but, as Rawson noted, "We've done well enough to be on live in the late afternoon instead of on tape at 11 p.m. That's because of the viewership." The show Sunday will mix in taped results of tomorrow's 12 finals with live events. "The Lewis Center is a TV-friendly venue," said Rawson . . . With OLN taking over national coverage of the Marathon this April, Rawson is hoping he can keep alive his streak -- "it's more than a quarter-century" -- of broadcasting the race.
Ortiz vs. Ortiz?
Sox slugger David Ortiz joins host Tom Caron and Globe baseball writers Gordon Edes and Chris Snow on tonight's prerecorded "Sportsplus" (NESN, 6:30 and 10:30 p.m.). Ortiz is due to be live (competing with himself?) on FSN's "New England Sports Tonight" at 6:30 . . . Boston College sports get a nice stretch on TV this weekend. UNH-BC hockey is on NESN tonight at 7 with Dave Shea and Andy Brickley in the booth and Corey Masse reporting. Tomorrow, Channel 5 has Seton Hall-BC men's basketball at noon with Bob Picozzi and Ron Perry at the mike. At 7 p.m., ESPN2 has the No. 11 UConn women at No. 24 BC, with Pam Ward and Nancy Lieberman calling the action. Monday, Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery have BC-Pitt (ESPN, 7 p.m.) . . . Lock of the Week: The Red Sox will win the World Series tomorrow (NESN, 7 p.m.). It's the reairing of Game 4 vs. the Cardinals. Spring training games begin Thursday against the Twins (NESN, 7 p.m.) . . . Mike Eruzione can't stop talking about the 25th anniversary of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" US hockey team. He'll be with WB56's Karen Marinella on "One on One" at 10:30 tonight. And he'll join Bill Kipouras and Paul Halloran on North Shore Radio (104.9-FM) tomorrow at 7 a.m.
Bill Griffith's e-mail address is griffith@globe.com
