Two Years Ago On Rays Index
The Archives April 9th. 2010, 4:15pmTwo years ago on Rays Index we were perplexed by the inclusion of southwest Alabama as part of the Rays territorial rights.
SW Alabama Is Rays’ Country! Wait. What? [Rays Index]
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Speaking of broadcasting rights, I’m in the Bermuda Triangle of broadcast rights. There are two Fox Sports affiliates here in the Charlotte market: FSSouth, FSCarolinas (which seems to only exist to show Hurricanes and Bobcats games when something else is on FSSouth — as I’m writing this, nothing is being shown on that station, but it says the ‘Canes game is upcoming), then two Sun Sports-type affiliates that show Fox broadcasting: SportSouth and MASN.
Between all of those networks, MLB has deemed this market to cover these teams: Braves, Reds, Nats, and O’s. So last year when I subscribed to MLB.tv last year and had Time Warner Cable, I couldn’t watch any of the Rays/O’s games online because of the home broadcast rights, and TWC and MASN have been in a feud four about five years, so no-go on that. Now that I switched to DirecTV and bought MLB.tv again with some Christmas money, I’m in absolute heaven. Not only did I get to see the first series on my TV, they’re running a free preview of MLB Extra Innings, and I saw last night’s game on TV too. (Woo!)
But what absolutely irks me is how the Yankees are allowed to broadcast their games on the radio in Tampa. How does that not violate broadcasting rights?! That *other* radio station in Tampa will forever be station non grata to me as long as they pander to Steinbrenner. (Sorry, Cork, I know you were on that station, but that’s no knock on you.) If I were the Rays, I would be demanding either a termination to that deal, or a mondo share of the cut of the advertising revenue. I wonder if there’s a deal in place between the Rays and the league over this. All the time I lived in Tampa, and this was never fully explained.
And if you’ve read to this point, you’re as nerdy as I am about this sort of stuff. lol