Why is A's-WhiteSox game on WGN blacked out in SF Bay Area?

1369 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Unknown, Jul 8, 2008

hiker

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2008

DirecTV has the gamed blacked out here on WGN and no local station is carrying it. Coming through fine here on Comcast cable (SD only). Game is being played in Chicago not here.

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HouseBowlrz

· #2 · Jul 6, 2008

hiker said:
DirecTV has the gamed blacked out here on WGN and no local station is carrying it. Coming through fine here on Comcast cable (SD only). Game is being played in Chicago not here.

As it's available on your local Comcast, any other feeds will be blacked out.

I feel your pain here in Washington ... only a handful of Nationals games are in HD but everything else gets blacked out so MASN has exclusive local broadcast rights.

my 0.02

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hiker

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 6, 2008

But why does Comcast apparently have an exclusive on this? How did DirecTV allow us to be blacked out? Seems like cable has an unfair advantage. I was hoping to cancel Comcast soon when PBS-HD comes. I could understand if it were a locally played game and the whole Bay Area was blacked out but not an away game like this one.

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PaulieORF

· #4 · Jul 6, 2008

hiker said:
But why does Comcast apparently have an exclusive on this? How did DirecTV allow us to be blacked out? Seems like cable has an unfair advantage. I was hoping to cancel Comcast soon when PBS-HD comes. I could understand if it were a locally played game and the whole Bay Area was blacked out but not an away game like this one.

What channel is the game being carried on via cable?

EDIT: I did a little research and see that it's on WGN via cable in your area on channel 30. This game is also not being carried by one of your local stations nor CSN Bay Area. I'm guessing that Comcast has an agreement with the A's to allow their games to not be blacked out on cable in your area if a local broadcaster isn't carrying it. This seemst o be a special consideration, whereas with DirecTV is going by the general rules that most other teams enforce, which is an out of market broadcast of a local game must be blacked out in order to protect the broadcast rights of the local channel carrying it, which in your case is none.

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hiker

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 6, 2008

PaulieORF said:
What channel is the game being carried on via cable?

EDIT: I did a little research and see that it's on WGN via cable in your area on channel 30. This game is also not being carried by one of your local stations nor CSN Bay Area. I'm guessing that Comcast has an agreement with the A's to allow their games to not be blacked out on cable in your area if a local broadcaster isn't carrying it. This seemst o be a special consideration, whereas with DirecTV is going by the general rules that most other teams enforce, which is an out of market broadcast of a local game must be blacked out in order to protect the broadcast rights of the local channel carrying it, which in your case is none.

OK, thanks. Now that the game's over, I wished it was blacked out, A's lost.

I don't have MLB-EI this year, and I recall from last year that none of the WGN games were part of EI. At least the tennis match was good. Now on to the Gaints game and RedSox Yanks up later.

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socal404

· #6 · Jul 7, 2008

It's the 'ole exclusivity rule. You can only receive that game on your local channel in the bay area, since it's an A's game. You can't get the Chicago feed of that game. I'm guessing that the Comcast Bay Area telecast is in SD only. I have the same problem here in LA. Today's Dodger/Giants game was being broadcast on FSN Prime Ticket, but only in SD. The bay area telecast was in HD, but I couldn't get it. This is an MLB thing and not Directv.:eek2:

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Eksynyt

· #7 · Jul 8, 2008

socal404 said:
It's the 'ole exclusivity rule. You can only receive that game on your local channel in the bay area, since it's an A's game. You can't get the Chicago feed of that game. I'm guessing that the Comcast Bay Area telecast is in SD only. I have the same problem here in LA. Today's Dodger/Giants game was being broadcast on FSN Prime Ticket, but only in SD. The bay area telecast was in HD, but I couldn't get it. This is an MLB thing and not Directv.:eek2:

Actually the game was not televised at all in the Bay Area so there is no way that anybody in the Bay Area can see it on D*. What's even stupider is the Giants and Athletics claim Eugene, Oregon in their territory so the same rules are enforced up here even though I am 600 miles from both teams.

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dgordo

· #8 · Jul 8, 2008

I have never heard of a game on WGN being blacked out, I was under the impression that WGN had national broadcast rights.

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Eksynyt

· #9 · Jul 8, 2008

What's weird is I know that when the Mariners played the White Sox that the game was not blacked out on WGN so it is inconsistent.

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socal404

· #10 · Jul 8, 2008

Eksynyt said:
Actually the game was not televised at all in the Bay Area so there is no way that anybody in the Bay Area can see it on D*. What's even stupider is the Giants and Athletics claim Eugene, Oregon in their territory so the same rules are enforced up here even though I am 600 miles from both teams.

Doesn't matter whether the game was being broadcast. The A's have the rights to that game in the bay area whether the game is being broadcast or not. So, it shouldn't be any surprise that the Chicago broadcast was blacked out.

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Unknown

· #11 · Jul 8, 2008

i have never in my life time seen WGN get blackout of a game. when the Twins play in Chicago or here and the Twins are on FSN North or local and the Sox are on WGN. both feed are on. WGN is or was not blackout.

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