Will anyone listen to new controller?
What won what where
We got a little taste of it Sunday afternoon when fans watching the closing minutes of the weird-but-exciting Oakland-Buffalo contest were advised that, "Due to contractual obligations, we now leave this game to bring you the start of your next scheduled game after these words from your local station." See, L.A. is considered a secondary market to San Diego, which means that Charger games get priority over any other game - no matter the score. Consequently, KCBS was forced to switch over to the opening minutes of the Chargers-Patriots game. But wait, it gets worse. From the Breeze:
Before the shotgun snap even took place with Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick calling signals, the swirling CBS logo came up, followed by a commercial for McDonald's sausage McMuffins, one for a cell phone company, another for Nissan, one more for McDonald's extra-value menu, a station promo the "CSI" season premiere, and then an aerial shot of with Jim Nantz proclaiming: "Looking down at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. - Chargers, Patriots ... hello friends." Nantz and Phil Simms bantered a bit, sized up the weather conditions, and eventually kickoff occurred. Meanwhile, back in Buffalo...
The NFL's television rules have always been unfriendly to fans, especially the fans in cities that have a team. There's the blackout rule, of course (home games cannot be televised locally if they're not sold out 72 hours prior to its start time), but there's also the no opposing games rule (no other NFL game can air opposite the local club's broadcast). Bottom line: If and when pro football returns to L.A., game selection will be severely restricted - just another future present from the folks at Leiweke & Co.