A blog called Oregon Media Insider has some more information on the split between Chambers Communications and their association with the University of Oregon Athletic Department. As I posted below I am afraid this will mean less coverage of the Ducks in Southern Oregon since most of the coverage of the Ducks on TV came from the Chambers Communications station in Medford, (KDRV).
Some interesting comments in the blogs comment section :
Rumblings about KEZI cutting ties with UO have been going ever since the UO went behind Scott's back to take Giansante from under their nose. THEN KEZI refused to buy space at the Olympic Trials, choosing instead to broadcast from 3 blocks away with no presence during the city's biggest event in... oh, ever?
Here Here! KEZI and Mr. Chambers understand the math better than do most readers of this site.
IMG paid U of O 67-million over 10-years. That means they must recoup 6.7-million annually to mythically "break even."
KEZI claims to have paid 1-million in years past. Dubious, but accept it for the sake of argument.
That figure requires KEZI to recoup only slightly more than 1-million to be profitable.
Now that IMG is in the mix, the annual nut moves up to 6.7-million, a considerable hurdle for a small market station like KEZI...even if the station likely would not have hd to cover all of the 6.7 million, but perhaps a third of that.
Given the state of the economy and the fact that the Eugene car dealers can't give away a truck or SUV, the math doesn't work. KEZI will get any and all ABC games anyway, so Chambers' math was correct.
Again who is going to put on in Medford the extensive coverage that KDRV provided? We do not have Comcast Cable in Medford and are limited to Charter Cable. Will Charter pay Comcast for the programing ? Even if it is picked up by Charter Cable the coverage will not equal that which was available free "over the air" on KEZI.
(Click on the title for a link to Oregon Media Insider)
