Major League Baseball television contracts

The Baseball Network: 1994-1995

After the fall-out from CBS' financial problems from their four year long television contract with Major League Baseball, MLB decided to go into the business of producing the telecasts themselves. After a four year hiatus, ABC and NBC returned to Major League Baseball under the umbrella of a revenue sharing venture called The Baseball Network. The slogan for The Baseball Network was "Welcome to the Show" while the fast-paced, bombastic, fanfare sounding theme music was composed by Scott Schreer from the New York recording studio company called NJJ Music (Not Just Jingles). The primary colors for the graphics department on Baseball Network telecasts were #1 blue, #2 white, and #3 red.

Related Topics:
CBS - ABC - NBC - Revenue - Slogan - Scott Schreer - New York

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Under a six year plan, Major League Baseball was intended to receive 85% of the first $140 million in advertising revenue (or 87.5% of advertising revenues and corporate sponsorship from the games until sales top a specified level), 50% of the next $30 million, and 80% of any additional money. Prior to this, Major League Baseball was projected to take ta projected 55% cut in rights fees and receive a typical rights fee from the networks. When compared to the previous TV deal with CBS, The Baseball Network was supposed to bring in 50% less of the broadcasting revenue. The advertisers were reportedly excited about the arrangement with The Baseball Network because the new package included several changes intended to boost ratings, especially among younger viewers.

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Arranging broadcasts though The Baseball Network seemed on the surface, to benefit NBC and ABC since it gave them a monopoly on broadcasting Major League Baseball. It also stood to benefit the networks because they reduced the risk associated with purchasing the broadcast rights outright (in stark contrast to CBS' disaterous 1990-1993 MLB contract). NBC and ABC was to create a loss-free environment for the each other and keep an emerging Fox, who had recently made an aggressive and ultimately successful $1.58 billion bid for the television rights for National Football Conference games (thus, becoming a large player in the sports broadcasting game in the process), at bay.

Related Topics:
Monopoly - Fox - Television rights - National Football Conference

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The Baseball Network kicked off its coverage on July 12, 1994 with the All-Star Game out of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. The game was televised on NBC with Bob Costas, Joe Morgan, and Bob Uecker calling the action and Greg Gumbel hosting the pre-game show. The 1994 All-Star Game reportedly sold out all its advertising slots. This was considered an impressive financial accomplishment, given that one thirty-second spot cost $300,000.

Related Topics:
July 12 - 1994 - All-Star Game - Pittsburgh - Three Rivers Stadium - Bob Costas - Joe Morgan - Bob Uecker - Greg Gumbel

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After the All-Star Game was complete, NBC was scheduled to televise six regular season games on Fridays or Saturdays in prime time. The networks had exclusive rights for the 12 regular season dates, in that no regional or national cable service or over-the-air broadcaster may telecast an MLB game on those dates. Baseball Night in America usually aired up to 14 games based on the viewers' region (affiliates chose games of local interest to carry) as opposed to a (traditional coast-to-coast format). Normally, announcers who represented each of the teams playing in the repective games were paired with each other.

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ABC (with a reunited Al Michaels, Tim McCarver, and Jim Palmer as the primary crew) would then pick up where NBC left off by televising six more regular season games. The regular season games fell under the Baseball Night in America umbrella which premiered on July 16, 1994. On the subject of play-by-play man Al Michaels returning to baseball for the first time since the infamous 1989 World Series, Jim Palmer said "Here Al is, having done five games since 1989 and steps right in. It's hard to comprehend how one guy could so amaze."

Related Topics:
Al Michaels - Tim McCarver - Jim Palmer - July 16 - 1989 World Series

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Every Saturday game was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A single starting time, gave the networks the opportunity to broadcast one game and then, simultaneously, cut to another game were there was a break in action. The ultimate effect from this scheduling tactic was that there was no longer any day baseball on Saturdays.

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A major problem with Baseball Night in America was the idea that viewers couldn't watch "important" games. Marty Noble put it in perspective by saying "With the Network determining when games will begin and which games are made available to which TV markets, Major League Baseball can conduct parts of its pennant races in relative secrecy."

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What added to the troubles of The Baseball Network was the fact that Baseball Night in America held exclusivity over every market. This most severely impacted markets with two teams, specifically New York, Los Angeles/Anaheim, Chicago, and San Francisco/Oakland. For example, if Baseball Night in America showed a Chicago Cubs game, this meant that nobody in Chicago could see that night's White Sox game and vice versa. Things got so bad for The Baseball Network, that even local broadcasters objected to its operations. KSMO-TV, an affiliate in Kansas City, went as far as to sue the Royals for breach of contract resulting from their broadcasts being "overexposed" and violating its territorial exclusivity.

Related Topics:
New York - Los Angeles - Anaheim - Chicago - San Francisco - Oakland - Chicago Cubs - White Sox - KSMO-TV - Kansas City - Royals

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In even numbered years, NBC would have the rights to the All-Star Game and both League Championship Series while ABC would have the World Series and newly created Division Series. In odd numbered years the postseason and All-Star Game television rights was supposed alternate. The networks also promised not to begin any World Series weekend broadcasts after 7:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. When CBS held the television rights, postseason games routinely aired on the East Coast at 9 p.m. at the earliest. This meant that Joe Carter's dramatic World Series clinching home run in 1993 occurred after midnight on the East.

Related Topics:
League Championship Series - World Series - Division Series - Eastern Standard Time - East Coast - Joe Carter - World Series - 1993

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ABC won the rights to the first dibs at the World Series in August 1993 after ABC Sports president Dennis Swanson won a coin toss by calling "heads." Ken Schanzer, who was the CEO of The Baseball Network, handled the coin toss. Schanzer agreed to the coin toss by ABC and NBC at the outset as the means of determining the order in which they'd divvy up the playoffs.

Related Topics:
August 1993 - ABC Sports - Dennis Swanson - Ken Schanzer - CEO

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What separated The Baseball Network from previous television deals with Major League Baseball was the fact that none of the postseason games outside of the World Series would air nationally. Because of this, games would often be played simultaneously. It also meant that fans everywhere could only see one game per night. This was done mainly in hopes of avoiding the possibilities of playoff games airing in the middle of the day (when most viewers would either be at work or at school). Major League Baseball was the only professional sport that played postseason games during weekday afternoons. The result was that ratings for daytime LCS games declined 37% between 1985 and 1993. With The Baseball Network, hopes were high that game fans were most interested in would be available at a time most likely to be viewed.

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The Baseball Network in essence, set out to create areas of "natural" interest. But because so-called neutral markets summarily fell to one or the other league, whatever you saw depended almost entirely on where you lived. In cases were a team from the same city made the playoffs, the networks agreed to show both games in their entirety on their owned-and-operated stations. Despite the frustration of not being able to see both League Championship Series on a national level, the 1995 LCS averaged a 13.1 rating.

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The long term plans for The Baseball Network crumbled when the players went on strike on August 12, 1994 (thus forcing the cancellation of the World Series). In July 1995, ABC and NBC, who wound up having to share the duties of televising the 1995 World Series as a way to recoup (with ABC having the rights to the odd numbered games and NBC getting the even numbered games), announced that they were opting out of their agreement with Major League Baseball. Both networks figured that as the delayed 1995 baseball season opened without a labor agreement, there was no guarantee against another strike. Others would argue that a primary reason for its failure was its abandoning of localized markets in favor of more lucrative and stable advertising contracts afforded by turning to a national model of broadcasting. Both networks soon publicly vowed to cut all ties with Major League Baseball for the remainder of the 20th Century.

Related Topics:
Strike - August 12 - 1994 - World Series - July 1995 - 1995 World Series - 20th Century

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Sports Illustrated for one, was very harsh on The Baseball Network, for whom SI dubbed "America's regional pastime" and an "abomination." ABC Sports president Dennis Swanson, in announcing the dissolution of

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The Baseball Network, said:

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:"The fact of the matter is, Major League Baseball seems

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:incapable at this point in time, of living with any longterm

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:relationships, whether it's with fans, with players, with the

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:political community in Washington, with the advertising community here in Manhattan, or with its TV partners."

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Five years after The Baseball Network disolved, NBC Sports play-by-play man Bob Costas wrote in his book Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball that The Baseball Network was stupid and an abomination. Costas wrote that the the agreement involving the World Series being the only instance of The Baseball Network broadcasting a national telecast, believed that it was an unprecedented surrender of prestige, as well as a slap to all serious fans. Unlike the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association the so-called Big Two of North American professional sports leagues, the National Football League and Major League Baseball nationally televised all playoff games for decades. While he believed that The Baseball Network fundamentally corrupt the game (except in Costas' point-of-view, the sense that the fans steadfast, spaniel-like loyalty), Costas himself acknowledged that the most impassioned fans in baseball were now prevented from watching many of the playoff games they wanted to see. Costas added that both the divisional series and the League Championship Series now merited scarely higher priority than regional coverage provided for a Big Ten football game between Wisconsin and Michigan.

Related Topics:
NBC Sports - Play-by-play - National Hockey League - National Basketball Association - North American - National Football League - Major League Baseball - Big Ten - Football - Wisconsin - Michigan

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The Baseball Network Announcers

• Joe Angel
• Jack Arute
• Richie Ashburn
• Johnny Bench
• Marty Brennaman
• Joe Buck
• Dave Campbell
• Harry Caray
• Skip Caray
• Tom Cheek
• Gary Cohen
• Jerry Coleman
• Bob Costas
• Larry Dierker
• Lanny Frattare
• Joe Garagiola
• Jim Gray
• Hank Greenwald
• Greg Gumbel
• Milo Hamilton
• Ken Harrelson
• Ernie Harwell
• Keith Hernandez
• Tommy Hutton
• Jim Kaat
• Bill King
• Harry Kalas
• Denny Matthews
• Tim McCarver
• Sean McDonough
• Al Michaels
• Jon Miller
• Bob Montgomery
• Joe Morgan
• Bob Murphy
• Brent Musburger
• Dave Niehaus
• Jim Palmer
• Steve Physioc
• Ted Robinson
• John Rooney
• John Saunders
• DeWayne Staats
• Dick Stockton
• Hannah Storm
• Gary Thorne
• Bob Uecker
• Dave Van Horne
• Pete Van Wieren
• Lesley Visser

References

• Baseball fans to be locked out in LCS
• Ebersol enthused over baseball deal
• Economic Values of Professional Sport Franchises in the United States
• John Feinstein Talks About Baseball-Network Contracts
• Saturday Night Baseball on ABC
• MLB has entered into a joint venture with ABC and NBC called "The Baseball Network" ("TBN")
• New TV Contract - Details
• OPEN STANCE July 1994
• The Baseball Network: R.I.P. (And Don't Come Back!)
• Two Ways To Go On Baseball - CBS Vs. ABC-NBC.
• THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING AT COORS FIELD
• Final Paper: Regional Pastime
• RICK CLIFFORD - Associate Producer
• Issue 43 -- Television Sportscasters (Female) - Hannah Storm
• EBERSOL, DICK
• 1995 Regular Season Baseball Feeds
• Variety.com - Primetime baseball hits NBC, ABC weak nights
• Not Ready for Prime Time: The Baseball Network
• Results 1 - 100 of 1,480 from Jan 1, 1994 to Dec 31, 1995 for ABC Baseball (0.82 seconds)
• Results 1 - 100 of 1,110 from Jan 1, 1994 to Dec 31, 1995 for NBC Baseball (0.66 seconds)
• Results 1 - 100 of 5,290 from Jan 1, 1994 to Dec 31, 1995 for THE BASEBALL NETWORK (0.27 seconds)
• Results 1 - 61 of 61 from Jul 1, 1995 to Oct 31, 1995 for TBN Baseball (0.22 seconds)
• Results 1 - 90 of 90 from Jul 1, 1994 to Aug 31, 1994 for BASEBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA (0.80 seconds)
• Results 1 - 100 of 153 from Jul 1, 1995 to Oct 1, 1995 for BASEBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA (0.40 seconds)
• October 19, 1994 - Baseball Is Over.
• ABC flips over winning Series