Word was something would be announced at the end of this week. Still nothing... anybody have any insight?

http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/cubs-st ... -2015.html

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"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

We all know what's coming.

Between this and Wrigley I'm actually starting to rethink thr harshness with which I attack the doomed Cubs prospects. You all need something to latch onto with Ricketts on a crazed warpath.

Monetize everything we're too stupid to monetize ourselves.

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I wonder if TPG Capital (imagine how evil those guys are) will really be interested in making sure everyone in the CL area can pick up Cubs game from home!

This may eclipse the mess the Dodgers created.

Will be interesting to see what happens now.

Ratings will now be projectable so who gets on board?

Maybe a creative revenue sharing deal with WGN??

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html


Cubs, WLS-Ch. 7 closing in on deal to air 25 games next season
By Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune contact the reporter



Cubs, WLS-Ch. 7 closing in on deal to air 25 games next season.

In a surprise move, the Cubs are about to strike a deal with WLS-Ch.7 to broadcast a portion of the team's schedule through 2019.

The ABC-owned station is expected to carry 25 games per season beginning in April. The station would have its pick of games, which would air in primetime, daytime and weekends. The deal is expected to be finalized within days, according to sources.
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The Cubs opted out of an agreement with Tribune Media's WGN-Ch. 9 last year, freeing up about 70 games on television next season and ostensibly pulling the plug on a relationship that dates to 1948. The move enabled the Cubs to sync up expiring broadcast and cable rights after the 2019 season, when the team will look to launch its regional sports network.

The Cubs earned about $60 million splitting their schedule between CSN Chicago and WGN-TV. The team received about $500,000 per game from CSN and about $250,000 per game from WGN, according to sources. But years of dismal play resulted in low ratings and poor ad sales for WGN-TV, which sources say lost about $200,000 per game last season. In recent negotiations this fall, Tribune Media balked at paying its previous rate, much less an increase sought by the Cubs, according to sources.

The potential deal with a network-owned station is something of a media curveball, with few industry observers pegging WLS-TV as a player in the Cubs' drawn-out drama to find a new TV partner. Where the balance of next season's television schedule ends up remains to be seen, but sources say WGN or CSN may pick up the remaining displaced games.

The team has been exploring moving some portion of the TV schedule over to CSN, in which the Cubs have a stake, according to sources.

Once completed, it would be the first time Cubs games have aired on WLS-Ch.7, and the timing may prove fortuitous for the station, with signings of ace Jon Lester and coveted manager Joe Maddon.

rchannick@tribpub.com

Twitter @RobertChannick

So what about the other 45 games?

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Wow. Didn't see that one coming. Thanks for the share, cp. A lot of Cubs games will not be available for many outside of the city. After January 1, 2015, no sports whatsoever will air on WGN America.

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"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

BS. How does a major network affiliate blow of that programming for a Cubs game. Not.

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Elections have consequences.

Last word reported earlier in the day was that WGN was still trying to get those. Spiegel and Levine talked about that on Spiegel & Mannelly today.

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"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

WLS-7 would get to pick the 25 games. The "primetime" games would probably be Friday or Saturday nights.

Though...I would love to watch folks complain about missing Dancing with the Stars.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

It's very, very rare that an O&O pre-empts network programming. I can't think of any recent examples other than the Yankees and WCBS-TV, and they've been off there for years now.

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waxpaperbeercup retweeted
Cliff Lippert ‏@CliffyIndiana 46m46 minutes ago

Cubs got 250,000 from WGN per game last year. For each of 25 games on WLS they get 750,000 per game. That's 12.5 Mil more on just 25 games.

Al Yellon ‏@bleedcubbieblue 56m56 minutes ago

@Cubs - @ABC7Chicago deal worth $750K per game, about $90m over the 5-year life of the deal, per @darrenrovell
0 replies 1 retweet 0 favorites

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Damn...no wonder they could afford Lester. WLS is paying for him.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Not since 19__ have they been on ch 7....as if it matters to me what station they are on. Would prefer one station so I dont need to go looking for WCIU-2_HD in the upper 700's that I never go into, but its the same play by play guys, so I just dont care

Play ball

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Wow give Crane another extension if they're really getting 90 million for 125 games.

If you add this to the Bud, Under Armour and other recent deals I think Gordons head might explode.....

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Kenny Williams fell for the banana in the tailpipe

Yeah, you could never have expected this....Its UNpossible!

those damn Ricketts have been pulling a shell game on the Cub fans!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I guess this explains why they moved up the timetable and signed a big free agent. Attracting tv contracts?

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yikes ... (last sentence)

http://www.robertfeder.com/2014/12/12/cubs-strike-out-on-abc-7-history/#more-5972

The stunning announcement that Chicago Cubs baseball would be airing next season on WLS-Channel 7 “for the first time in the 68-year television broadcast history” of the team made for a great story Friday.

Except that it isn’t true.

Contrary to the press release issued jointly by the Cubs and the ABC-owned station — and picked up in virtually every news report on the deal — this isn’t the first time the two have been partners.

In 1949, Cubs home games aired on Channel 7 (then under the call letters WENR-TV), with baseball legend Rogers Hornsby as announcer, according to George Castle, a Chicago baseball historian and author of nine books on the Cubs. “Same station, same owner, same channel, different call letters,” Castle said.

“It’s easy to overlook the WENR-TV role with the Cubs,” he said. “It was only one season. WGN-TV (Channel 9) and WBKB-TV (Channel 4) also did the Cubs that year with [Jack] Brickhouse and Whispering Joe Wilson, respectively, at the mic. P.K. Wrigley spent $100,000 of Cubs money to build new broadcast facilities for the three stations in 1949.”

A spokeswoman for ABC 7 attributed the error in the announcement to the Cubs.

“Cubs front office doesn’t know squat about team history,” Castle said. “That’s one of the glaring holes in that franchise.”

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

A team history that we should be sooooo proud of.

Who gives a shit!

JUST WIN BABY

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Castle is a jerk. Who gives a fuck what happened when Eisenhower was President?
Mercy.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

The Cubs front office is laughing at him. Laughing. They laugh at him!

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Castle stays up late at night in his mom's basement searching for incorrect uses of ur, your and you're....what a scandal...

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Kenny Williams fell for the banana in the tailpipe

Cubs signed new TV deal with WGN Chicago. Expected to be for 45 games a year through 2019. Can't find any $ amounts yet.

I knew ABC would not go with the prime time loss of network programming.

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Elections have consequences.

ABC still gets 25 games - that hasn't changed.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Hot off the press. New 5 year deal signed with Cubs and WGN-TV...

http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/70 ... dcast-deal

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"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

Having the Cubs remain on WGN just feels right. Glad it was worked out this way.

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Go Cubs!!!!