When Rogers Sportsnet's new vice-president of production Rick Briggs-Jude worked at TSN, he was a critic of Sportsnet's Toronto Blue Jay broadcasters.
So, the big question at Sportsnet, as Briggs-Jude begins his first few days on the job, is the status of announcer Rob Faulds and analyst John Cerutti, as well as part-time analyst Tom Candiotti.
It's strongly speculated that Briggs-Jude, who produced TSN's Jays telecasts for years, wants to make a change. After all, the Jays are Sportsnet's No. 1 property and the work of Faulds and Cerutti is viewed by many as nothing more than average.
Faulds, in particular, could be on the bubble. An obvious replacement would be the Jays' long-time and popular radio announcer Tom Cheek. But the club might balk at Cheek, who has never missed a game, leaving the radio broadcasts.
But consider this possibility. Briggs-Jude is a good friend of Dan Shulman, who called Jays games at TSN before joining ESPN in January, 2002. It would seem unlikely that the Toronto-based Shulman would give up his work announcing baseball and basketball on the U.S. cable channel. On the other hand, he would listen to an offer.
The most likely scenario? CTV and TSN announcer Rod Black is also a friend of Briggs-Jude. Black, despite his high profile, has never really found a niche at CTV-TSN. He has jumped around, calling baseball, basketball, golf and figure skating. A lucrative offer sending him to Sportsnet as the network's Jays voice might be too good to turn down.
Cashing in on HDTV
There is one compelling reason for Canadian TV networks to transmit high-definition television content.
The networks, the CBC being the exception, earn 35 to 45 per cent of their total advertising revenue from simulcasting U.S. shows and substituting American ads with their own Canadian commercials. But Canadian TV networks cannot simulcast American HDTV content unless they have a HDTV digital outlet.
"It's a real commercial concern," a TV executive said. "The rule of substitution of signal allows Canadian networks to protect their commercial interest. But with high definition, that's not happening. You're able to watch telecasts such as the Masters and the Super Bowl with U.S. commercials not substituted. Over time, as we migrate to high definition, we're going to lose a lot of advertising revenue if you're not delivering in HDTV."
CBC's decision
Yes, we know the CBC had to take a pass on the women's World Cup of Soccer because of scheduling conflicts. But, this is the sort of event -- after all, it's amateur and involving women -- that the public network should be airing.
Instead, most of the games will be taped delayed on Rogers Sportsnet, beginning with Canada's opener tomorrow against Germany (tape delayed nationally at 10 p.m. EDT). Sportsnet's viewers with digital TV will get the games live. In the United States, ABC is carrying a thin schedule of three games, beginning Sunday with the United States against Sweden at 12:30 p.m.
Sporting News Radio, a syndicated service, has hired former reliever John Rocker as a baseball playoff analyst for the Peter Brown show. It makes you wonder if Rocker was hired despite his bigoted remarks about minorities and women reported in Sports Illustrated a few years ago, or because of the controversy they sparked and the notoriety that he received. The answer might have been provided by the SNR news release. "You never know what John will say at any moment," Brown said.
TSN will repeat last weekend's controversial title fight, won by Shane Mosley over Oscar De La Hoya, tomorrow at 9:45 p.m.(EDT) using the HBO presentation. HBO analyst George Foreman and others thought De La Hoya had won. Foreman told HBO's long-time analyst-reporter Larry Merchant, "Larry, you see boxing, but you don't know boxing."
NBC will provide coverage of a two-day "winter sports festival" featuring luge, bobsled, skeleton and curling from several international venues Dec. 13 and 14. Curling, described by NBC as "the cult hit of the Salt Lake Games," will be held at Thunder Bay, Ont.
It's too bad when a network uses bathroom humour to sell its product. ABC's Monday Night Football this week started off by showing one guy holding another's head in the toilet. When he came up for air, soaking wet and sputtering, he, of course, asked, "Are you ready for some football?" Given the alternative, yes.
TSN's rating for the Toronto Argonaut-Hamilton Tiger-Cat game this week reflected the two team's quality of management and fan support. (They're without owners and operated by the league.) TSN drew 221,000 viewers, well down from the network's season average of 335,000.
SportsCentre's Jennifer Hedger will work on TSN's National Hockey League telecasts this season as a studio reporter.
Does TSN like the work of hockey game analyst Pierre McGuire? The network gave him a four-year contract extension during the summer.
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