NFL broadcast thread (née ABC to kill MNF?)

[Diomedes]

I didn't see the broadcast but PFT pointed out a damn funny Kimmel line from MNF that went somewhere along the lines of "Harrinton isn't a very good quarterback, but he's very nice to his pets."

lmfao

[MDS]

espn and nfl network might join forces. basically the jist is the 8 thursday games go to espn classic (possibly renamed) and then they both can charge cable companies more to carry the station. nfl network is in 40 million homes, espn classic around 60-70. if they get 8 nfl games, that number will go up and everyone will make more money.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-espn21-2008jun21,0,2189308.story

also, mike, mike and mike will do the second leg of the mnf doubleheader in week 1 again.

and i dont think the nfl network announced a replacement for gumbel, but its supposed to be tom hammond.

[Diomedes]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/business/media/22FCC.html?hp

July 22, 2008
Court Throws Out Super Bowl Indecency Fine
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

In a decision that clears CBS of any wrongdoing for airing the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that featured Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction," a federal appeals court overturned the $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission levied against the station, calling the fine arbitrary and capricious.

The decision was handed down early Monday by a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the fine was unfair because the commission, in imposing it, deliberately strayed from its practice of exempting fleeting indecency in broadcast programming from punishment. The commission also erred, the judges ruled, by holding CBS responsible for the actions of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, who were characterized by the judges as "independent contractors hired for the limited purposed of the Halftime Show," Reuters reported.

"Like any agency, the F.C.C. may change its policies without judicial second-guessing," the court said. "But it cannot change a well-established course of action without supplying notice of and a reasoned explanation for its policy departure."

The live broadcast on Feb. 1, 2004, sparked headlines around the world with one swift motion that came at the end of the halftime show, when Justin Timberlake tore off part of Jackson's bustier, exposing her right breast. The network quickly cut to an aerial shot of the stadium, but not before the image was seen — and in many cases replayed on video recordings — in millions of homes. Although the exposure appeared to be pre-planned, CBS said it was unintentional, and Ms. Jackson later said that Mr. Timberlake had accidentally removed too much of her outfit, calling it a "malfunction of the wardrobe."

The controversy surrounding the incident yielded a record-breaking 540,000 complaints to the commission in the weeks following the show. The commission responded by calling the exposure inappropriate, and imposed the penalty on CBS, in the form of fines of $27,500 against each of the 20 television stations that CBS owns and which — unlike the network — depend on F.C.C. licenses to operate.

The fine was the largest the commission has yet levied against a television company, but its second largest overall; the record was set in 2003 in a settlement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest chain owner of radio stations, stemming from complaints about broadcasts by Howard Stern and other radio personalities.

CBS, a division of Viacom, apologized for the Super Bowl incident and paid the F.C.C. fines, but appealed the decision in court. In their ruling on Monday, the judges said that CBS could not be held responsible for the exposure, and went on to question the extent of genuine public outrage over it, saying that "the record is unclear on the actual number of complaints received from unorganized, individual viewers" As opposed to advocacy groups. During arguments, lawyers for CBS had argued that many of the complaints the commission received were form letters.

The commission did not immediately react to the ruling on Monday. But CBS released a statement calling it a victory.

"We are gratified by the court's decision, which we hope will lead the FCC to return to the policy of restrained indecency enforcement," the network said in a statement. "This is an important win for the entire broadcasting industry, because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material."

The 2004 incident prompted the commission to step up its enforcement of indecency rules. In the years that followed, the agency has levied larger fines on broadcasters than before, and in 2006 Congress agreed to increase the maximum fine for a single violation tenfold, to $325,000. It was unclear what impact Monday's ruling might have on that trend.

[phattymatty]

Anyone hear the big news?

Valdosta, GA is Titletown, USA!!

[BigEd76]

oh yeah.....the Sportscenter 10-minute useless filler for the last month or so.  I haven't been this excited since it took a 2-month NCAA-style tourney to determine that Tiger Woods was the top athlete on the planet.

[Geowhizzer]

Remember when ESPN used to just be about sports - the actual games being played?

[BigEd76]

yup....the blue and black backgrounds and the cheesy graphics and even the Royals and Clippers made an appearance.  It all went downhill when Kilborn left to do the Daily Show and Tom Mees tried to be a hero...

[ice grillin you]

Remember when ESPN used to just be about sports - the actual games being played?

duck pin bowling scholastic sports america and late nite log rolling?

[Geowhizzer]

Remember when ESPN used to just be about sports - the actual games being played?

duck pin bowling scholastic sports america and late nite log rolling?

Didn't watch it in the early early years.  My part of Chesco didn't have cable then.

In the early 1990s SportsCenter seemed to be more about the sports themselves, rather than the constant barrage of "personal interest" stories that ESPN indulges in like a crack whore.

[ice grillin you]

espn is 1 trillion times better than it ever was...sportscenter maybe not as much

luckily for people that hate sportscenter there are now many options to get your highlites package...perhaps thats why it isnt what it used to be

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Anyone hear the big news?

Valdosta, GA is Titletown, USA!!

I love Wikipedia:

On July 28, 2008, in what may go down as the day ESPN jumped the shark, Valdosta was named "Titletown USA" based on 29.2% of fan votes in an online ESPN poll

LINK (although it might be edited back soon)

[phattymatty]

espn is definitely NOW.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Personally, I feel ESPN jumped the shark when they started putting a special "FAVRE" section on the bottom line a couple of weeks back.  Awful.

[Feva]

Personally, I feel ESPN jumped the shark when they started putting a special "FAVRE" section on the bottom line a couple of weeks back.  Awful.

Guess you missed the "CLEMENS" category from earlier this year...

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Different.  The MLB season was going on, so I see the need to separate.  As the NFL season has not yet started, it it just ridiculous to separate out the Favre news.

Besides, farg Favre.