By now you know that Tribune Broadcasting, parent company of WGN's CW9 & WGN America, is still in the midst of a bitter dispute over retransmission fees. SHARK Sports has learned that WCIU 26, the Weigel Broadcasting-owned independent known as The U, will swing the bit for DIRECTV customers that likely won't be able to see the Cubs/Nationals' opener Thursday afternoon. Longtime Chicago media columnist Rob Feder has the following:

http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/ ... pening-day

So what you are saying is that by living out of state I will not be seeing the opener?

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Is this SHARK Sports? I came looking for breaking news. Where is it? Is it here?

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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

If U have DIRECTV, U are probably screwed unless U buy the "MLB Extra Innings" pack, UMN. See what I did there?

SHARK, did you lose your remote 5 years ago and the channel was on 26?

Well, I know Judge Marilyn Milian from "The People's Court" & "Judge Mathis" aren't pleased...

What?

You Rock SHARK

Well, their court shows are pre-empted by this news that The U will simulcast Thursday's Cubs/Nationals' home opener at Wrigley Field in addition to WGN as previously scheduled...At least those that still have Channel 9, Chicago's CW anyway...

It's SHARK's world...we're all just living in it...

http://procatinator.com/?cat=60

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"There is a high statistical probability of death by gunshot. A punch to the face is also likely."

Not so fast: WGN denies deal to simulcast Cubs’ opener
Posted in Chicago Media blog by Robert Feder on Apr 3, 2012 at 6:30pm

Like everything else involved in the Tribune Co. dispute with DirecTV, today’s story turns out to have another surprising twist.

Hours after a top executive of Weigel Broadcasting announced a deal to simulcast Thursday’s home opener from Wrigley Field between the Cubs and the Washington Nationals on WCIU-Channel 26, bosses of Tribune-owned WGN-Channel 9 say it ain’t so.

After waiting all day for a comment from Marty Wilke, vice president and general manager of WGN, I was sent the following statement from a station spokesperson shortly after 6pm:

“We recognize the importance of Opening Day to Chicago Cub fans, including those who are DirecTV subscribers. We’ve been exploring ways to offer DirecTV subscribers an opportunity to see the game, from viewing parties to ticket give-aways to discount coupons for over-the-air TV antennas. WGN-TV has no agreement with any other local station to broadcast the home opener and reports that we do are inaccurate.”

Neal Sabin, president of content and networks for Weigel, who was quoted as the source of the original story about the agreement, said he regretted releasing the information before an agreement had been finalized.

The reversal was reminiscent of reports last Saturday that a agreement had been reached between Tribune Co. and DirecTV, only to be followed hours later by news that there was no agreement after all.

This is absolutely, positively embarrassing, and not just for me reporting what I thought was good news in a story that's beyond ridiculous involving Tribune Broadcasting & DIRECTV.

Don't feel bad, you really didn't report it. Feeder did.

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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

Switch to Dish Network. Its a lot cheaper too. I'm getting a free "Hopper" next week!

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

That's fucking awful. Fuck you, WGN/Tribune Co. I feel bad for Cubs fans who can't see the game. I just hope its fixed soon so I can watch Sox games on WGN.

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Make sure you give SHARK his share of the blame.

MLB Extra Innings usually does a free preview the first week of the season. If you are out of market, you can probably catch it on there.

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Which does a lot of good for the people living in Chicago. It must be posts like this that got you to win that tournament, huh?

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Im not sure what you mean. UMN was concerned that since it won't be on WGN, and if it is also simulcasted on WCIU (which you can only see in Chicago) that you wouldn't be able to see the game. I offered him up a solution. I wasn't making the suggestion for anyone else but him and maybe anyone else who lives outside the Chicago market. I even quoted him. Did you read it? No wonder you got bounced in the 2nd round...

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You are correct, guys, but you won't get the other team's feed if the Cubs & White Sox are playing respectively.

Guys, I'm really sorry...

SHARK, Im TOTALLY kidding.


You did nothing wrong.

I appreciate the kind words. I thought I was just the messenger on this. Just so you know, U'z got Cubs/Brewers Monday @ 6p, and White Sox/Indians Tuesday @ 6p, much to the dismay of "The Insider"...

Having Chicago Cubs games on sorry-ass channel 26 just seems so low-rent to me. Maybe if there's a can't-miss episode of Jerry Springer, they can offload the game to Northwest Indiana Public Television. Good lord.

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I think U mean WYIN 56, the PBS station in Northwest Indiana.

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That's what that station is legally...

Sweet Svengoolie, SHARK!

I know it's WYIN 56. If I had just said "WYIN 56," it would've been less effective, rhetorically and comedically, than postulating that a low-end independent UHF channel that airs games of a prominent and valuable baseball team amidst the most threadbare of syndicated sitcom reruns would in turn kick the games WGN kicked to them to the PBS station in northwest Indiana. So I spelled it out.

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9p Saturdays on WWME 23 & those stations nationally on the MeTV Network. Replays at 11a the following Saturday on WCIU 26 The U.

This week's creature feature..."SSSSSS".

I just splurged for an over the air antenna...$39 bucks. Working pretty good....but I'm still gonna call directv and " bitch out" some innocent service rep and request some credits to my account. Assuming no deal is struck before 1:20pm.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.