WGN No More?

[Kid]

For some reason, MLB.TV doesn't have the Marquee feed for today's game.

[rok]

Noticed that too. Also find it strange that I can watch the game with no blackout restrictions on MLB.tv.

[Kid]

I don't think they have blackouts for spring training.

[jstraw]

 

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My interest in the Cubs and MLB is at its lowest ebb in years, and this isn't helping.

I mean it doesn’t really affect you or me at all. Games, including the Cubs broadcast version, are going to be available for us through MLB.TV same as always.  I watched a few innings of the Marquee broadcast last night on MLB.TV. 

 

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"This" refers to Marquee bullshit, like making a crappy baseball decision for the sake of the Marquee...and anything to do with Ryan Dempster.

[funkster]

My interest in the Cubs and MLB is at its lowest ebb in years, and this isn't helping.

Im in the exact same spot.

[rok]

This article probably won't change any of those feelings, but at least the programming picture is getting clearer.



https://www.multichannel.com/news/marque...-the-plate

"There is also some lingering resentment towards Sinclair, which was criticized last year when it tried to take over WGNs owner, Tribune Media, because of its political positions and how it operates. They did not endear themselves in any way to Chicago," Feder said.



"On top of that, the top managers of Marquee are from out of town. They're making these decisions on a product that is supposed to appeal to Chicagoans, but theyre flying blind," Feder said.



Feder credited Marquee for hiring Bob Vorwald, who had been executive producer of WGN Sports, as one move that would make Cubs fans comfortable when they tune in to the new network.



McCarthy said that hiring Vorwald was part of Marquee's effort to be sensitive to the folklore and long history of the Cubs on TV.



"I think we will more than replace what folks are used to watching on other television outlets here in Chicago," he added. "Even at the Cubs convention, after the owner was booed, when the roster of former Cubs that would be appearing on the network were announced, there was nothing but cheers from the fans, he said. They were asking How do I get this channel, which is what we were hoping to hear."



McCarthy said he watched the Cubs in New York on the WGN Superstation. And when he arrived in Chicago, he lived in an apartment just beyond Wrigleys bleachers to soak up the atmosphere. "One of the most dramatic things I've been able to do is take someone in the stadium when its empty in the winter. People got emotional, because it feels like youre going back in time," he said.



Murray Hits Leadoff



On Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. CT, Cubs fan Bill Murray was set to lead off for the network as it signs on with Marquee Debut, a one-hour show introducing the channel. The Cubs first exhibition game was to start at 2 p.m. but was pushed back at the last minute. That first day Marquee was to air a documentary on Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks.



During the season, each game will be preceded by Cubs Live and followed by Cubs Postgame Live.



The networks programming will include a local Chicago sports talk show produced by Stadium, a service partly owned by Sinclair, and Follow the Money, a gambling show from Las Vegas produced by VISN.



The schedule will be filled out with documentaries, player profiles and game replays, plus other programming from Stadium and the Fox Sports Regional Networks, now owned by Sinclair.



Marquee will also air a package of Cubs minor league games that will feature farm teams in Des Moines, Iowa, and South Bend, Indiana, markets where the network is looking for distribution.



McCarthy said Marquee has won over sponsors. Those with high profiles in Wrigley Field and on TV remain on board, including the local Toyota dealers group, AB InBev, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Wintrust Bank. "Those folks didnt lose interest," he said. In many cases they doubled down. "They appreciated that there's one place to buy Cubs telecasts. That wasn't the case the last few years."



"Marquee has also formed a unique relationship with the local plumbers union," McCarthy said. "They were very interested in having a presence within Cubs telecasts and they stepped up," he said.



After its up and running the network also plans a robust outreach to the community. "We look forward to learning more about how we can best deploy our services to help folks in Chicagoland," McCarthy said. McCarthy was in Mesa, Arizona, where the Cubs have spring training, early last week, returning for some last-minute tweaks to the graphics they would use for Cactus League games from Sloan Park.



Members of the staff - more than 60 people have been hired - are still getting to know each other and finding a working rhythm for things, like how often the network should be posting on social media.



"We're learning as we go, but the basics, like the truck and the signal and the announcers, we've been prepping for a while and were ready, so it will be fun," McCarthy said.

[mrfelina]

Those of us who have Direct TV can't get the channel-- due to problems on their end I'm told.

[Butcher]

Its still mind blowing to me that theyre in this position. How long have they known this day was coming? Theyve had years to prepare for this and get it up and running. Instead they procrastinated and theyre trying to cram for the test the night before. Its so weird.

[funkster]

It's amazing that large segments of the fan base are very likely going to be unable to watch their first games this season.

[rok]

This would not be an issue if MLB would just allow the Cubs to sell subscriptions to Marquee in-market without a cable bundle. So much for returning the local TV rights back to teams.

[Kid]

This would not be an issue if MLB would just allow the Cubs to sell subscriptions to Marquee in-market without a cable bundle. So much for returning the local TV rights back to teams.

 

I'm not aware of any prohibition on doing so.  In fact, it looks like MLB now allows team to do just that.  But every team's local rights are held by or in conjunction with a TV partner that wants to sell the channel to cable providers.  The money isn't in selling subscriptions just to people that want to buy them.  The money is in getting everyone with a cable subscription in the market to have to pay for the channel, regardless of whether they watch it.

 

There's also an experience problem with a streaming-only solution.  A lot of people don't have and aren't familiar with set-top streaming boxes like Apple TV or Roku and people don't want to hear that they are going to have to watch on their phones.

 

Also, I'm very confident that the bitching would be even greater if the Cubs required fans to directly pay the team in order to be able to watch games.  People complained when the Cubs moved a portion of games from free TV WGN to cable.  It would be even louder if your cable subscription didn't get you the games and instead the Cubs were charging fans directly.

[jstraw]

Who is the local broadcast partner for the Cubs?

[rok]

I'm aware of the fact that MLB transferred the local streaming rights back to teams, but there still appear to be other hurdles. That was the point of my comment. There isn't a local broadcast/cable partner though, so I'm not sure what the argument is other than just trying to sneak high RSN fees onto cable bills while cord-cutting continues at a high clip.

[Kid]

Who is the local broadcast partner for the Cubs?

 

Sinclair

[Kid]

But more to the point, whether it was when they were with Comcast/NBC, or now that they co-own the station with Sinclair, there's still much more money in forcing the channel onto the bill of every cable household in the market, rather than selling streaming rights only to those who want it and are willing to pay extra for it.