My understanding is that the Comcast carriage agreement survives the change in ownership. If that is true, they will carry the channel.
And they'll get the $ per subscriber (whatever it ends up being) like the rest of the providers. Smart move on their part.
[rQUOTEr]CSN Houston employees were told today that 75 of 115 jobs will be eliminated under proposed DirecTV/AT&T network takeover. CSN Houston employees were informed of the potential layoffs by law firm representing the Houston Regional Sports Network partnership. Layoff notices are required by Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification Act. The act mandates employers of companies w/at least 100 workers to provide 60-day notice of certain plant closings or mass layoffs. More specific details on proposed CSN Houston layoffs are expected in court documents later today. However, Astros president for business operations Reid Ryan confirms numbers: 75 layoffs, 40 employees to be retained. Employees to be retained for new Root Sports Houston to include on-air game announcers and game production employees And, of course, I once again emphasize this is dependent on whether Judge Isgur approves reorganization plan on Oct. 2. Comcast has said that it opposes elements of the reorganization plan and does not believe it can be confirmed. http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2014/09/75-comcast-sportsnet-houston-employees-facing-layoffs/[/rQUOTEr]
Really sad deal. Lots of really good people losing their jobs and fans will be getting lesser coverage IMO. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Dynamo, UH, Rice, HS coverage to disappear completely. I realize 60% of you weren't getting the games, which is what is most important to the majority, but this channel should not have flopped.
Don't need 115 staffers for all that paid programming and re-runs. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Announcement to <a href="https://twitter.com/CSNHouston">@CSNHouston</a> employees confirms Root Sports Houston will probably be a lot like FSN Houston, ie little local product.</p>— John Royal (@John_Royal) <a href="https://twitter.com/John_Royal/status/511985010300448769">September 16, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I think he might be one of the casualties. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Love <a href="https://twitter.com/CSNHouston">@CSNHouston</a> always & forever. Proud of our team & what we did. In the city I love. In front of my family & friends. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/priceless?src=hash">#priceless</a></p>— Howard Chen (@ho_chenCSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ho_chenCSN/status/512028656039104512">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That's too bad. CSN really was a quality product, too bad it was never opened up to the masses. Root Houston...is going to feel so low budget.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Less than 24 hrs after we received 16 Emmy Nominations, our team is told its gone.Thankful for this opportunity, but excited for the future!</p>— Cory Hepola (@CoryHepolaCSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoryHepolaCSN/status/512026850420613121">September 16, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Spoiler <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/CSNHouston">@CSNHouston</a> layoffs today make me sick. Sounds like they are killing a really good local sports network over carriage bull****...</p>— Jeff Balke (@jeffbalke) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffbalke/status/512055567838609409">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>...something they could have solved months ago had they wanted to, but they clearly didn't. That was becoming a great source for local...</p>— Jeff Balke (@jeffbalke) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffbalke/status/512055757018517505">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>...sports and now, back to nothing. So ridiculous and so much talent wasted.</p>— Jeff Balke (@jeffbalke) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffbalke/status/512055895547592705">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
You will get the games and that's great, but CSN was a channel IMO that was rivaled in this country only by NESN which covers the Celtics, Red Sox,Pats, and Bruins. Less coverage of local sports is never a good thing.
[rQUOTEr]Game announcers and analysts, including Bill Brown, Alan Ashby and Geoff Blum for the Astros and Bill Worrell, Clyde Drexler, Matt Bullard and Calvin Murphy for the Rockets, also will be retained.[/rQUOTEr] [rQUOTEr]A person with knowledge of Tuesday’s announcements, however, said veteran host Kevin Eschenfelder, who has worked in Houston since the days of Fox Sports Southwest in the 1990s, would remain with the new channel. The agent for anchors Steve Bunin and Cory Hepola, who were among those nominated for regional Emmys, said both were informed their jobs were being eliminated. The agent for Astros field reporter Julia Morales said that she was out of town until later this week and that the letter with details of her job status remains unopened until then. Despite the layoff notices, several CSN Houston employees likely will be offered jobs with NBC Sports Group networks, including other CSN regional networks. Several CSN employees, including anchors Kelli Johnson, James Palmer, Bill Doleman and Marius Payton, came to Houston from other NBC-owned networks.[/rQUOTEr]
That's too bad, I enjoyed sport talk live and the other local shows they had. The 60% will never know just how good that channel was when they start watching the new channel.
That is some bull****. Total bull****. I understand people couldn't get the channel, but the channel is a quality channel. Look at how many people were nominated for lone star Emmys and stuff. Lots of them. The access and coverage to the teams were great. The local sports news would get what? Two minutes, tops? They have those 30 minute sports shows but that's on Sunday nights.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>AT&T/DirecTV also is dropping Dynamo contract, but club president Chris Canetti says companies have expressed interest in new deal.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/status/512072143488569344">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Final Dynamo game on CSNH is Oct. 12. Last two games of year are on national outlets.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/status/512072379527204864">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>AT&T/DirecTV also rejecting contracts w/ Lone Star Conference, LSU, NM State and Southland Conference.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/status/512072884496244736">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Claiming that this is less coverage just makes no sense. Having 60% of the local area cut off from the teams entirely is the textbook definition of "less coverage."
