New Orleans shut out of seeing Game 1?

by James Mirtle on May 31, 2009 6:06 AM CDT Comment 17 comments

Hate to hear stories like this one:

Hey James

I just wanted to let you know that game one has been blacked out here in New Orleans. I just finished mowing my lawn, popped open a beer, and turned on NBC ready to watch Billy Guerin kick some Red Wing ass, as lo-and-behold a telethon is on. I had read on blogs that it was going to be blacked out in Tampa as well. Now, I know that New Orleans isn't exactly a hockey mecca, but come on. There are many transplants (like myself) who are hockey fans here. Hell, two years ago when the Isles, Rangers, Sabres and Devils were all in the playoffs I walked into a bar and it was absolutely packed with us hockey fans. How much of America isn't getting the game? Whose decision is it to black it out? Why in God's name would the NHL want to be carried by a network who doesn't even respect the Stanley Cup Final?

Sorry about the rant, but I'm pissed, and I think that hockey fans should know what's going on.

DanNOLA

Anyone else have a tough time catching the game last night?

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Comments

Sad story. The saddest part might just be that a telethon was on instead of the game…

by Habs on May 31, 2009 8:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Seriously. Raising money for a good cause – where do they get off?

by dzuunmod on May 31, 2009 1:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm in Salt Lake, and the NBC affiliate

showed the telethon instead of the game.

They showed it on the CW affiliate, but I have a couple of friends who set their TiVos to the NBC feed because the satellite guide indicated it would be on NBC.

During the Edmonton/Carolina series a few years ago, we had to listen to Game 6 online because the NBC affiliate was contractually obligated to show a MLS game. It’s a nightmare.

by BoylenOver on May 31, 2009 8:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes, in Indiana

there was a tornado warning throughout the state that overrode the game. Why on earth they didn’t just use the ticker on the bottom of the screen, I don’t know. But I was only able to watch the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes of the game.

softpillowcase

by Selanne on May 31, 2009 9:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I heard that

I was in a live blog at the time, and the Indianans (?) were blasting the television station for going on about the weather for more than an hour instead of using the ticker to update it – or even breaking in quickly, showing the current track of the storm, and then going back. All capital letters and multiple exclamation points – they were very upset.

"A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with." -- Tennessee Williams

by Baroque on May 31, 2009 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Happened in Kentucky too

I only missed the first intermission and about 10 minutes of the second period though.

by Frisby on May 31, 2009 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

wtf? Why was it blacked out? Just because these areas supposedly don’t like hockey? That’s pretty sad.

http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.

by IAmJoe on May 31, 2009 10:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It has nothing to do with hockey. In all these things probably are annual events and those affiliates would have interrupted NBC’s national programing no matter what it was.

I know at least that is the case with Tampa. I’m assuming it is the same in the other markets.

by jkrdevil on May 31, 2009 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s a telethon supporting a children’s hospital and medical care network and it is yearly. Two things people should remember about this: 1. the decision is not made by NBC, it’s made by the local affiliate. This problem could have happened on any of the broadcast networks. 2. this situation was a consequence of the NHL changing its schedule at the virtually last minute(in terms of tv scheduling) in order to avoid the long layoff between the Conference and Stanley Cup Finals. The telethon was scheduled far in advance, is a contractual arrangement, and has time demands which cannot be passed off to another local station.

by Big Picture Guy on May 31, 2009 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This problem could have happened on any of the broadcast networks

Maybe on a general interest broadcaster like NBC, but if the NHL ever managed to get a real TV contract with a sport network, this wouldn’t be a problem.

by Habs on May 31, 2009 8:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, then people would trash the league for the Finals not being on broadcast television — reference the complaints when college football’s BCS went ESPN-only earlier this year. By the way, the NHL never got the playoff airtime from the Worldwide Leader in Poker that they have from Versus the past couple of seasons.

Seriously, this is confirming my belief that the only thing hockey fans love more than hockey coverage is complaining about hockey coverage. There is literally nothing that the league could do that would satisfy you people, short of personally shipping every hockey fan south of the 49th a grey-market Canadian satellite receiver with a fully paid-up subscription.

That 17-year-old Hokie sitting in the rafters in Greensboro didn't see any of this coming.

by JoshCVT on May 31, 2009 8:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.hockeywebcasts.com/

At the moment they don’t have any US sites listed, but that’ll likely change as we get closer to gametime. They are usually always webcasts on JustinTV or UStream.

"Without good hard work, it is impossible to reach the pinnacle of success." - Anatoli Tarasov

by PRC on May 31, 2009 11:16 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

New Orleans NBC Affiliate & Hockey

The New Orleans NBC affiliate has been shutting out hockey for the past few years during th Stanley Cup. I appreciate their commitment to a worthy charitable cause, but their staff is arrogant when dealing with discussions on the timing of the marathon they televise. Good works for good work sake is honorable, good works to meet FCC requirements is deplorable,

The only upside I saw was the Habs were not affected (and may not be anytime soon unless something big happens)!

by Canadiens70471 on May 31, 2009 12:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Regardless of whether or not the game would have been pre-empted do to long standing commitments, the network should warn viewers, especially if they aren’t offering an alternative. Just a quick one liner at the end of sports coverage on the news or at the end of the ads for the game. “Viewers in blah and blah should tune to blah for coverage”

Perhaps I expect to much from my cable overlords.

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com. Endorsed by Mr. K on "CINCODEMYOOR!!!!!"

by CTGray on May 31, 2009 1:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I too live in New Orleans...

and it was freakin’ ridiculous. I don’t know what to say.

by sunnymehta.com on May 31, 2009 3:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Isn't this the weekend for the Children's Miracle Network telethons?

That would explain it. I know in Ottawa, the telethon is on, but it’s on the CTV affiliate.
It would be kind of hard to justify blacking out the telethon in some markets for hockey.
Just saying.

by Exit716 on May 31, 2009 3:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs