# Red Sox Move to WBZ 4 and WSBK 38



## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1663989

Great news for all the expatriate Red Sox fans who subscribe to DISH.

The Boston Red Sox and CBS stations WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV have reached an agreement giving the stations the rights to carry all locally produced over-the-air broadcasts of Red Sox games for three years beginning in the 2003 season. Fox Television-owned WFXT has held those rights for the past three seasons.


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## Mike (Apr 10, 2002)

Thanks for posting!


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## Mike (Apr 10, 2002)

Additional TV info on the Red Sox website.  Thanks for posting Geronimo.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp...20905&content_id=121761&vkey=pr_bos&fext=.jsp

WSBK/UPN 38 and WBZ-TV 4 acquire rights to broadcast Boston Red Sox games beginning in 2003

BOSTON, MA -- One of Boston's great historical sports partnerships has been reestablished with today's announcement of an agreement between WSBK-TV/UPN 38 and WBZ-TV 4 and the Boston Red Sox that gives the stations the rights to carry all locally produced over-the-air broadcasts of the Boston Red Sox games for three years beginning with the 2003 season. 
Under the agreement, WSBK/UPN38 and WBZ-TV 4 will carry a minimum of 28 regular season games, including all 26 Friday night contests. At least 24 games will be broadcast on WSBK/UPN 38 with the remaining games broadcast on WBZ-TV 4. The stations will produce a weekly 30-minute show that will air on Sunday nights. In addition, WSBK/UPN 38 will broadcast five Red Sox exhibition games. 
Ed Goldman, Vice President and General Manager of WSBK/UPN 38 and WBZ-TV 4 in announcing the agreement said, "All of us connected with the stations are honored to be selected by the Red Sox as the franchise's over-the-air broadcast partner beginning in 2003. We're confident that the unique capabilities we have with our two stations that will enable us to serve the team and its fans in a way no other local stations can."
As part of the agreement, the Red Sox broadcasts will be promoted on both WSBK-TV/UPN 38 and WBZ-TV 4, Goldman said, adding that the two station promotional effort was a key factor in the decision by the Red Sox to award the rights to the Viacom outlets. 
The new agreement between the stations and the team returns Boston Red Sox action to two of the organization's past broadcast partners that were associated with the franchise for much of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Red Sox local broadcast were carried on WBZ-TV from 1972 through 1974 and on WSBK-TV from 1975 to 1995. 
"We look forward to beginning this new relationship with WSBK and WBZ," said Larry Lucchino, the Red Sox' President/CEO. "Delivering an appealing telecast over the air is an important part of our connection with our fans. We look forward to a new 'Game of the Week' format and to innovative ideas that make each telecast a special event in New England, " he said. 
"Having the Red Sox broadcasts on both stations boosts our efforts to provide the best local programming to viewers of WSBK and WBZ," Goldman said. "We're very proud to renew the association the stations have had with the Red Sox. The organization is entering a new era that will build on an already great tradition and we are delighted to be part of this," Goldman said.

The games will be produced by the New England Sports Network, which is owned in part by the Red Sox. WSBK/UPN 38 and WBZ-TV 4 will provide a unique graphics package for their broadcasts using state-of-the-art technology that will give viewers the most informative and entertaining visuals available in professional sports broadcasts.
WSBK-TV/UPN38 and WBZ-TV 4 are members of the Viacom Television Stations Group, part of CBS Television, a unit of Viacom, Inc.


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## Maniacal1 (Apr 9, 2002)

The most interesting part of this deal is that the games broadcast by Channels 4 and 38 will be simulcast on NESN for fans outside the Boston area. 

The Red Sox have had a very hard time on their last two TV deals finding stations throughout the rest of New England. This deal solves that problem.


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

Sure solves a problem for me!


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## Mike (Apr 10, 2002)

You know what that means don't you! More games in EI if it's a simulcast on NESN. Much like the Mariners games on KIRO this year in Portland.


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

So everybody wins! This could be the best year since 1918.


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## Maniacal1 (Apr 9, 2002)

Now the big question is who will the announcers be. Don Orsillo's contract expires at the end of the year. Sean McDonough's contract with Fox 25 expires with their loss of the contract.

Don definitely represents the bargain price. Sean may or may not want that much work, depending on how it would interface with his other options.

Rumor has been floating around for most of the summer that Red Sox management wants Jon Miller--and wants him bad. 

Consensus seems to be that Jerry Remy will remain as analyst.


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## styxfix (Aug 7, 2002)

At least the superstations on E* will have some baseball on it next seson. We'll lose the Rockies next season and I guess we have some Red Sox and Mets games.

I don't see Jon Miller leaving the Giants broadcast booth anytime soon, but anything possible.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

Now if MLB grants them National Broadcast rights?


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

I was afraid to look into that. You would think they would like ONE AL team. on natioanlly. Oh well.


but I have contacted UPN 38 (WSBK) if they respond I will pass it along. the news stories do not address this directly.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2002)

That is real nice move to simalcast the games on NESN. I have never understood why every RSN doesn't do this.

FOX has all TV rights for teams like the Royals and the Rangers, yet they don't do it.


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