The Email I sent to Comcast Sportsnet

by MavetheGreat on Oct 15, 2008 12:36 PM PDT Comment 31 comments

Maybe most of you have seen my comment under the Ryan White article.

Here is a link to that comment where you can find contact information for CSN.

Below is the message I sent to them.

Dear CSN,

Please forward this to parties responsible for the negotiations with cable providers regarding your station.

To whom it may concern,

A lifelong Portland resident and Blazer fan, I am as proud as punch of our city and our club. The Blazers resurgence has been a rainbow in the dark storm of our current economy. You can’t live in this city and not see enthusiasm and giddiness that has swirled around the upcoming season. In a time of depression and weariness, we needed something to get excited about and we have it.

Unfortunately, there has been an ugly sore marring the beauty of the Blazers pending season. Comcast and many cable providers have been unable to come to an agreement with terms of the CSN station. Blame has been passed both ways, and the sides have appeared to dig trenches and refuse to give ground. There has been a lot of money spent on bickering, name-calling, and ads to pass the buck. I’m not interested in that game anymore. It’s time for the parties to take a look around and see the situation for what it is. Ugly. Nasty. Distracting.

I’m not going to write to you about what I would say to the providers, that’s between them and me. I will say, that many of the small providers probably aren’t in a great position financially in this market, and can’t afford what you’re asking. Therefore, it’s time for Comcast to man up. At the cost of losing a bit of profit margin, it’s time for Comcast to realize how important Portland’s lone professional sports franchise is to the city and give it to them. Spin it like a charity move if you want, butter it up and get some good PR, Comcast could use it. How much money are you willing to spend on advertisements that blame others before its greater than what you would make getting your way? It’s time to do the right thing Comcast.

Sincerely

(My Name, which is a secret)

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Great thoughts Mave

Not rude or immature, not demanding, not whining, and not narrow-minded at all, I like the way you phrased your sentences and if there are any open-minded people at CSN, this email will make an impact, thank you

by Kelsoballa on Oct 15, 2008 12:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I might have added

that Blazer games not being available is a black mark for Comcast. Even in situations where the local provider, not Comcast, is being unreasonable, I would guess most folks blame Comcast.

"Personally, I'd rather give an elephant a prostate exam on Chili Day." --Dave on rooting for the Lakers or Celtics

by MiledAnimal on Oct 15, 2008 12:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Aha!!!

He withholds his name…proof that he is, in fact, Kevin Prichard!!!!

J’accuse!!

by DonkeyShins on Oct 15, 2008 1:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Here is what I put in the junk drawer

FYI…..Comcast inks 2 deals with smaller cable providers in the area

"I figured out how to get the canoe down the mountain, but I will need a snow blower and all your butter"-Michael Kelso

by 92wastheyear on Oct 15, 2008 1:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

But Comcast would just like to use us to put more pressure on the cable providers. I don’t have all the facts, but I suspect its not the providers who are at fault (as Sean suggested in your link).

BTW is that Toby in your profile pic?

by MavetheGreat on Oct 15, 2008 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't do the link cause it's blocked at work

But it is a picture of my daughter’s bunny….I advised her that she had to be careful because bunnies are notorious for jumping on little kid’s faces and biting them on the eye…..she didn’t believe me.

As for the Comcast thing I think this shows that they probably do have the correct pricing structure set now …because you are right…smaller providers would be the ones who would have the hardest time absorbing the cost of the programming and they seem to have been able to justify the cost in this case(s). I am still curious to see when the 1st of the big three (Charter, Direct TV, or Dish network) will sign up. I really think that when one goes…..the other 2 will follow shortly

"I figured out how to get the canoe down the mountain, but I will need a snow blower and all your butter"-Michael Kelso

by 92wastheyear on Oct 15, 2008 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hit them where it hurts !

Ever since the beginning of the BLACKOUT last
year, I have not patronized any of COINCAST Sports
NW advertisers. Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart, Taco Bell,
Gieco Insurance, etc. I have called the corporate
offices repeatedly and as I am extremely stubborn,
I have not done business with any of these companies.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Oct 15, 2008 1:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

thats dedication

if only we all had the restraint that you have.

by Philthyanimal on Oct 15, 2008 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

2 bucks doesnt seem much to ask

hell you pay 10 dollars for a movie these days that lasts 2 hours. 2 bucks for a month worth of games seems worth it to me. if people are willing to spend 150+ for league pass, why cant the providers stop arguing about how much it costs and let the free market decide if they want to pay the 2 dollars or not?

by Philthyanimal on Oct 15, 2008 3:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

No kidding.

"People? You man Sheeple."

by Mike-Fu on Oct 15, 2008 3:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's the right approach

But there are probably politics involved (and business decisions)…the providers are in the business of sports as part of their programming (with sports and movies as the big tickets) and do not want to succumb to what may be an unreasonable request for exclusive rights to the programing content..I’m no expert, for sure, but businesses usually never want to relinquish their flexibility unless they have no other options….

by 67 on Oct 15, 2008 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

$2

I agree that a $2 month increase wouldn’t probably matter to the end consumer, and the big providers probably have some flexibility as well.

However the small providers which service the smaller markets, Eugene, Bend, Medford, truly can’t afford to lose customers, and are put in a quandry. They are working with extremely tight margins (especially these days), many of them can’t afford websites, and they probably have only a handful of employees. They have to decide whether they would lose more customers raising their rates or not showing CSN. An unpleasant choice. Contrast that with Comcast offering the channel at a reasonable rate requiring no price hikes, they would instead be offering a new channel for nothing which would make their customers happy.

by MavetheGreat on Oct 15, 2008 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

$2 a month = $24 dollars/year

and adds 50+ PTB Games.

I would take that & UO in a heart beat and I’m an Beaver Fan and a PSU/PCC (included) student for 40+ years.

"You're really making me feel good about myself, little man," says Oden as he starts dancing after scoring a goal. "You better come harder than that."

by BlueBooYay on Oct 15, 2008 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not likely if every person in the city had to pay the $10 for a few to go to the movie

That seems to be the sticking point with Comcast. They have moved from demanding every person to now demanding every premium subscriber and their price acording to Bend Broadband is $1.50 which they will not negotiate. I am fine with a $1.50 increase. But BB has not yet agreed…..

The thing I think is mostly a puzzle for valley folks is how much the rest of Oregon feel isolated from the power centers. If you took a plebiscite of Eastern and Central Oregon I am pretty sure it would vote to become a separate state by a huge margin. Only UO and OSU and the Blazers draw us together. Having valley folks get Blazers while most of the rest of Oregon suck wind is more divisive than just peeved over missing the games. I would be happy if the Blazers petitioned the NBA to remove remove all but a 75 mile radius from their broadcast zone. That way we can get Blazer games on NBA league pass. This way we miss everything.

when you’ve been in a dry land even a little dew looks inviting —Dave
"When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn." - Tom Landry

by lee3022 on Oct 16, 2008 12:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right

I would do it in a heartbeat too.

My point wasn’t about end consumers, especially ones like us that are so into sports they read online blogs, it was about the “mom and pop” cable providers in the small markets of the northwest.

by MavetheGreat on Oct 15, 2008 5:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

this was supposed to be a response to BlueBooYay

by MavetheGreat on Oct 15, 2008 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

NBA blackouts

is there any chance the nba would make exceptions to their blackout radius to accommodate the fans? the nba has had a lot of black eyes lately with scandals and this may be a good move for them to earn the respect of fans. its not the perfect solution, but if they were shrink the blackout radius, those that are outside of comcasts territory could then view the games on League pass. thats not gonna solve everyones problem, but it will solve it for a large amount of people. it only leaves those who can’t get satellite, or those who live in the metro area that don’t want to switch to comcast.

by Philthyanimal on Oct 15, 2008 7:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am not going to spring for League pass

Till I read the fine print about blackouts,I have heard ugly stories about games blacked out down here 250 miles away but every year its a slightly different okedoke and I will do my home work before they see my coin.

by southern oregon on Oct 15, 2008 9:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Each sattelite has a SPOT

or footprint. In 06-07 I specifically asked DTV
about the blackout range. Then it was 150 miles,
due to the sales of tickets to see them live.
Unfortunatly, since CSNW bought the exclusive
rights, if you are in the Oregon/So. Washington
sattelite footprint, you can’t get the Blazers on
Laegue Pass. Trust me. DTV stole my $ 50.00
deposit last year after I automatically resubscribed
for the 07-08 season. The first game vs. the Spurs
was on NBATV on League Pass and the rest: This
game is not available in your area.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Oct 16, 2008 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

All games were available last year

on League pass via Directv in the Roseburg area.

by crakarjack on Oct 16, 2008 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That dosen't make sense.

If COINCAST SportsNW owns the exclusive rights
to the cable games and has not made a deal
with either sattelite companies, how could Roseburg
get the Blazer games on League Pass ?
I think you are a COINCAST plant.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Oct 16, 2008 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It would be true

if Roseburg is outside the blackout area

by MavetheGreat on Oct 16, 2008 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hes talking about league pass...not CSN

as long as he doesnt live in the blackout zone he can view it thru league pass and not thru csn. Why would comcast plant people on blazers edge to spout out lies anyway? chances are if you can get comcast, you would either do it or not, but you wouldnt change your mind based on what some guy said on a blog.

by Philthyanimal on Oct 17, 2008 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blackout

I have no idea how to make that happen, but League Pass blackouts seem like they violate anti-trust laws don’t they? Consumers should have the freedom to choose who to subscribe to.

by MavetheGreat on Oct 15, 2008 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

not necessarily

cable companies and other utilities are allowed monopolies of the areas they serve, bc of the high costs in setting up the network/infrastructure. its sort of like if you purchased a mc donalds restaurant….you are guaranteed that there will be no other mc donalds stores within a certain radius of your store.

by Philthyanimal on Oct 15, 2008 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But the blackout was instituted to protect broadcast stations who had to purchase their air rights from the government

That is ancient and no longer applicable. And those original rules did not apply beyond the broadcast area of about 50 miles. the NBA abuses this. For those folks in Sunset area I was part of the original company providing cable. The cost to set up the satellite equipment and string the cable was tiny and the first year’s revenues more than paid for it. That company existed a short time and sold out to a bigger cable operator who still made tons of money.

when you’ve been in a dry land even a little dew looks inviting —Dave
"When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn." - Tom Landry

by lee3022 on Oct 16, 2008 1:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

NBA League Pass is not a cable company

Allowing subscriptions for certain channels doesn’t violate that monopoly, in fact you could theoretically watch League Pass through Comcast. What we’re seeing is a monopoly of certain broadcasts, not cable companies or utilities.

by MavetheGreat on Oct 16, 2008 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have a question regarding this

So a bar that I go to has direct tv. They just got the extra channel today through comcast to watch all the games and were told they get ALL Blazer games. Are they going to be blacked out too? The whole thing confuses me.

When asked about his thoughts during the Olympic games about playing against Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, Rudy responded "My first thought was respect. My second thought was to kick their ass".

Man I love him.

by twiggs on Oct 16, 2008 2:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I doubt it

If the channel was purchased from Comcast, it shouldn’t be blacked out. The channels that are blacked out are NBA League Pass channels not subscribed to through Comcast.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong on this.

by MavetheGreat on Oct 16, 2008 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ahh, ok good.

I was worried that comcast was ~~screwing~~ giving me false hope. I have Comcast, but sometimes I just like going to the bar to watch games. Cool.

When asked about his thoughts during the Olympic games about playing against Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, Rudy responded "My first thought was respect. My second thought was to kick their ass".

Man I love him.

by twiggs on Oct 16, 2008 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs