John Hagan discusses the ramifications with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.
SPORTSWISE
Chicago Cubs Patrick: John, let’s talk. Ron Madere, StreetWise’s Sales Manager, came to me and presented a discussion topic: the Cubs no longer being on WGN. I immediately thought about you. Your impeccable research into anything sports-related has led me and the crew to present a solo discussion to you. John: I’m in. Patrick: So, talk about it. What do you think about our Cubs no longer airing on WGN? John: Thank you, Patrick. Okay, a little bit of background. So, I grew up racing home from school to watch Chicago Cubs baseball on WGN-TV. Some of my earliest memories were during the time I attended Lincoln Elementary School in River Forest, Illinois, between 1979-1981. I heard Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse say “Hey, Hey” and the Chicago White Sox’s Harry Caray shouting “Holy Cow!” When Caray came over to the Cubs—replacing Jack Brickhouse—in 1981, that “Holy Cow!” became a staple of our lovable Cubbies and I truly miss it. My two favorite Cubs games I can remember are the “Phenom New York Mets pitcher crushed by the Cubs in 1984” and “Kerry Wood strikes out 20” ones. Patrick: Yes, awesome, awe-
games are no longer on
some games. And we didn’t even mention Ron Cey, Leon Durham, Keith Moreland, Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston, and the rest of them cats. John: Agreed. Now, the way this works is that the Marquee Sports Network (MSN) will air the games if you live in the Cubs TV market, which includes part of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. If you don’t have cable or don’t have Marquee Sports Network in your package, there will be options to stream. One option is AT&T TV, which carries MSN. However, to gain access, one must subscribe to its “Entertainment” package for $69.99 per month— Patrick: Wow. John: No contract, but it’s still not WGN’s “free.” Patrick: $0 to $69 is a big increase. So, what about the cost within a package, such as Xfinity?
John: Well, it’s not directly that costly, but it is an additional $6.20 per month within Xfinity. So, regardless if you watch sports or not, cable subscribers must pay. Patrick: Is this the regional sports network fee? The one that covers NBC Sports Chicago: the only other regional sports network? John: Yep. With just NBC Sports Chicago, the cost was $8.25 per month; with the addition of MSN, the total fee increases to $14.45. Patrick: So, no choice but to pay this? John: Yeah…but you know what? It’s not just the cost that’s throwing me; it’s simply that the Cubs are no longer on WGN—especially the day games. WGN not being quite as “digitally” sharp as, say, ABC and NBC was key, too. Not only did the picture quality seem a bit “less” from those other channels, but everything else about the
WGN
games, the day — everything — just felt good and comfortable. It felt like home. It’s also going to take a very long time to increase Cubs fandom, plus we’ll perhaps lose a lot of those fans who didn’t live in the immediate area, e.g., Davenport, IA; Sioux Falls, SD; and, even, Provo, UT; none of these cities have a Major League Baseball team, so they have adopted the Chicago Cubs as their own. I believe the Cubs being on WGN helped keep that connection. So, yeah, the Cubs now airing on Marquee Sports Network, plus playing a majority of their games at night, it feels un-baseball like. Rather, more un-Cubs like. It’s hard to explain it… Obviously, a decline in fans and TV ratings are to be expected, and it’s unfortunate. Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org
