Brian Morris writes:
>If whoever gets the $$$ for the Beanpot telecast (member schools, the Gahden?)
>think they can hold up Channel 38 for more $$$--well let's hope they have
>several refills left on their Prozac prescription.  I doubt that 38 is that
>deeply wedded to telecasting the event.  It's based more on tradition, and a
>kind of service to loyal hockey fans, than on monster ratings.  I doubt that
>the Beanpot telecast could even beat Star Trek re-runs in the local Nielsens.
 
The game doesn't get "monster" ratings, but you might be surprised -
it is actually one of the higher rated sports events in the Boston
area the week that it is on, especially if it is an attractive matchup
(i.e., BU-Harvard a couple of years ago).  I wish I had actual numbers
to quote from.  It certainly would blow the heck out of Star Trek.
 
Still, that is not enough for the schools to demand a lot of money for
it IMO, because WSBK would also get good ratings with the Movie Loft.
WSBK could easily tell them to take their game and get lost.
 
That brings up another problem I thought of with the game moving to
ch 68: poor broadcast quality.  WSBK and NESN share equipment for the
Bruins, Red Sox, college hockey, etc.  Ch 50 (Lowell) and ch 9 (UNH)
just do not have equipment that is able to give us as clear of a
picture.  I do not expect it to be any different with ch 68.  If a BU
game is only on 68, then that's ok, I'll watch it over nothing else.
But if the Beanpot is shown in poor quality or even anything less than
what NESN/WSBK give us...
 
Tony suggested that people might demand their cable company carry 68
if 68 has the Beanpot.  First, I believe the latest Cable Act requires
cable companies to carry all over-the-air stations within a certain
area, so people in Boston and surrounding communities must have 68 on
their cable already, I'd think.  That means in order to increase its
broadcast area, 68 would have to improve its signal or convince
companies outside that federally mandated radius to carry their
programming.  The Beanpot seems to have appeal to people far beyond
what ch 68 can even dream of at this point, which is why moving it
from WSBK to 68 is a backwards step.  Let 68 establish itself first.
At worst case, you are still going to cover much of North America with
a game on WSBK.  And one event probably won't get a significant number
of people to request 68 from their cable - I picture a guy in
Providence calling, a guy in Newburyport, a guy in Derry...scattered
areas of interest.
 
>Certainly for
>the Capital District hockey core, the Beanpot is a virtual "must see".  In
>fact my wife always asks what day is the Beanpot final in February when
>planning he February calendar, since she knows that night is sancrosanct.
 
For the last 8 years, the first two Mondays in February have been
circled on my calendar.  I'm taking night grad classes at BU (in my
attempt to cover all Eastern DivI hockey schools) and when I get the
list of spring semester classes, I start by crossing off Monday night. :-)
(Thursday night too - Final Four semifinals.)
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93
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