I didn't mean to imply that only road games matter. Those are the games that matter the most to me. And I agree that at the moment this limits viewership. We'll see what happens.
A deal will be made when the Astros/Rockets lower their price to an appropriate fee OR agree not to make it on all basic packages. They probably have a fallback fee position they would live with. Directv has 370K subscribers in the Houston market - if CSN insists on basic or near basic packages (not sure what Directv calls them) then at $3.50 per subscriber per month they are looking at $1.3M per month or $15-$16M per year going to CSN regardless of how many want the channel. Dish & Uverse are a little smaller but the holdout is bascially a $50M issue to CSN. They already get about $30M annually from Comcast. The last thing I saw was that the combined Astros/Rockets rights fees going from CSN to the teams was $80M annually, although since the teams own a combined majority stake, it's sort of like they are paying themselves the fees. So they probably want to get at least $80M from fees from distributors. I do think Astros/George Postolos have far overestimated their leverage for Astros games. This team is years away from contending in the AL. I don't think anyone will miss them, they'll watch Texas Rangers games on FSN.
If it makes the team more money in the long run, I'm good with missing a few games in HD while sitting on my couch. I'm sure there are a few other ways I can catch the games. All perfectly legal of course.
I wonder how many similar articles Rockets fans and bloggers wrote back in October. I'm not saying the deal is bad (I think they had no other choice), but all of the additional coverage and shows means nothing to the other 60% if no one outside of Comcast can see them. I think everyone is being quite naive if they think the Dynamo fan base can move the needle here any more than the Rockets fans did. I guess (and I have Comcast) I can see folks being put off by sort of being enlisted to lobby the other providers to carry CSN Houston, while all the while being told that the "distribution issues" are going to be resolved and just be patient. So which is it: yell, scream and lobby, or just relax and the channel will show up on your system? It's pretty clear based on twitter, articles, and Glenn's show that the team made sure everyone got the talking points memo on CSN Houston.
I'm not into talking points. I have Directv and from what I understand, they carry a channel based on the cost of that particular channel and whatever they perceive to be the return in subscribership. If Directv decides to carry CSN Houston, it will be based on what they feel is an appropriate return of their investment in that purchase - not on any email I might send to Directv. Rather than Directv cater to the demands of CSN Houston - CSN Houston needs to get a grip and realize that they need to negotiate a fair and equitable deal. The same hold true for the Stadium deal. It's comforting to believe that emails, letters. personal appearances before City Council, Commisioners Court, and Sports Authority had something to do with convincing the powers that be to approve the deal. But the reality is that public opinion had nothing to do with it.
I'm sure Directv and the others track the churn or loss of customers in certain areas along with exit/cancellation feedback and put numbers to that. At this point, it would appear they have not lost or think they will lose enough customers to pay the CSN asking price.
CSN knows what they are doing in being heavy handed and Canetti hopped on board. Very simple really. I've got what Oliver Luck told the Dynamo Supporters. I've got what I was told from a certain Judge. And I have what Glenn Davis said. Where do you want me to start with your post Nigel? I mean I thought our GM's words on the matter carried the day on how critical the people's voice was on getting the politicos to close the deal there in early 2010.
If you wish to believe that cards and letters and personal appearances carried the day - then good for you. I happen to believe otherwise. Beginning in 2008, at the request of OL and Rocky, myself and others began attending and speaking at Commissioners Court on a regular basis to encourage the Commissioners to get together with the City and approve a deal which would allow the Dynamo to build a stadium on city owned property where the stadium currently stands. Mayor Bill White had previously entered into an agreement with the Dynamo to build a stadium and had used city funds and a land swap to purchase the site. Following the city purchase of the site, everything stalled because in July 2008, White wrote a letter to the County which encouraged them to participate in the TIRZ that covered the area. The letter said nothing about the stadium and White never followed up on it. In effect, White's invitation provided no incentive whatsoever for the County to get involved, because the stadium deal as originally hammered out, provided for only a City-Dynamo agreement and that any positive results would be reaped by the City of Houston. Under the very sparse information contained in White's letter, it appeared that the City expected the County to join the TIRZ, ante up some infrastructure money for a zero percent stake. This was the very first time that any mention had been made of county participation in the stadium project. It is my personal opinion that White sent the letter to the county because he was contemplating running for Governor and did not want to be saddled with the specter of another stadium project that the public would perceive to be an unwarranted use of public funding (even though AEG and partners were footing the construction bill). During those appearances before Commissioners Court we were told "this is Bill White's deal". It should be noted that the site for the proposed stadium fell under both Commissioner El Franco Lee and Sylvia Garcia's precincts with the majority under El. There is good reason to believe that there was considerable animosity between El and White, and that anything White proposed to El didn't stand a snowball's chance. Anyway, some of us also appeared before City Council and pleaded the case to get the stadium deal done. We were told that the ball was with Commissioners Court and that they were the ones who needed to be petitioned. This was all part of White's plan to have plausible deniability should his involvement in public/private partnerships become a political issue for him. Beginning in Nov 2008, there were some rallies at the site with Dynamo supporters, members of the EDO and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. For 18 months, from 2008 until 2010 nothing happened. There was no follow up or negotiation on White's letter, and in a number of public statements he made it very clear that he would do nothing further to advance the stadium project, although it was hinted that an alternate site might be available in the Galleria area. Annise Parker replaced White as Mayor in 2010. In very short order Annise Parker set in motion negotiations between the City, County, and Sports Authority and a deal was worked out to build the stadium. So in answer to your question my answer is no - I do not believe that emails, appearances, rallies on the part of joe and jose public were critical in getting the politicians to approve the deal. What was critical was that Annise Parker believed in the deal, and was willing to reach out to El Franco Lee and work out a deal in which the City would form another TIRZ in part of his precinct, share the costs of the land purchase, and involve the HHCSA. It is my opinion that this deal could have been done very soon after the arrival of the team from San Jose had it not been for the political machinations of Bill White. The Dynamo organization are to be applauded for their patience for nearly 5 long years in which they undoubtedly suffered a financial burden as a tenant of UofH. As a wise man once said - Success Claims Many Parents - Failure Is An Orphan. Truth be known - it all came about because of: p.s. I acknowledge that I'm an opinionated AH - but at my age I'm entitled to it.
I agree with this also. I do like CSN and how they've handled the Dynamo going back to last season. But it bugs me that one cable company has monopolized most of the local sports teams and now is holding them hostage. Their (and their teams') cry of "Demand Your CSN!" and "I Want My Rockets!" Irritates me. They made the deal, but didn't complete it. I shouldn't have to demand my provider (Dish) to carry CSN, and they have no obligation to do so. CSN should have made all its deals before hand and not expected fans to demand they get paid their ransom. I'm sure it will work out, and it will be a good thing for the Dynamo. But in the meantime I plan on being patient.
Nigel, good stuff, however your dates are only half correct. For example the Let Luck Build rallies were only in Jan. Feb. and March of 2010. Nothing like that from unified fans occurred in 2008 or 2009 like you tried to highlight. You also left out Judge Emmit. You left out Sylvia's draconian demands for tickets to be under movie prices and Lee's demand to get TSU a new stadium. All these issues from the county added greatly to the stadium approval delay as it was told to me and others. I will need to get on my PC to make a proper showing of the actual timeline and county officials stall tactics in good order and as well detail the timeline I have from Oliver.
You know what is really rich about this rant on Comcast (indirectly, more about CSN) - guess which company is one of the largest donors to your beloved Obama - you got it, Comcast!
My timeline is correct and I said nothing about rallies in 2009. The first rally was on November 13, 2008 at the site of the proposed stadium: On November 26, 2008 there was a petition drive at Robertson Stadium: On December 9, 2008 myself and others appeared before Commissioners Court prompted by requests from OL and Rocky. You can blame Harris County Commissioners El Franco Lee and Sylvia Garcia all you want, but it is a fact that the deal was stalled by White who, at the last minute decided that he wanted political cover and involved Harris County by sending an ambiguous letter in mid 2008. There was absolutely no valid reason for him to wish to include Harris County in what was essentially a done deal. He'd already purchased the land, the TIRZ was in place and it would have been a very simple thing to put the stadium project on the City agenda, pass an ordinance that allowed TIRZ money to be used for infrastructure and let the Dynamo get the financing to build the stadium in 2008. What possible reason was there to require that Harris County get involved in the deal? The City of Houston owned the land, and the TIRZ was a City initiative. There was absolutely no incentive for the County to invest County tax money in a project for no return. As good stewards of their respective precincts, I think that the Commissioners did the right thing by requiring an equal partnership and an equal share.
Again I need to back to my PC to do an honest effort of editing where you have errored so that wilk have to wait till after Super Bowl weekend. That wasn't a rally as much announcement day by Oliver of the stadium site, but whatever amigo mio. By you pining the log jam on Mayor White all the while calling Sylvia and Franco Lee good and wise stewards speaks specifically to what I am telling you n those reading. Most of what you speak of I agree with. Why shouldn't I. You lived it, you were there. Yet so have I. The difference is of course things that have gone undisclosed due in part to not out information that was relayed to me "off the record". What I will disclose is that Mayor White took all the steps needed. He and his staff did their part. However, the stadium proposal just needed to get rubber stamped by Sylvia and El Franco Lee. Yet this final hurdle went on a hold pattern due in part that they are EXACTLY those types of politicians that always like to grandiose themselves and always want to play the role/have their hand in the deal. As I was told, both those individuals literally had the AEG/COH document on their desks, ready for said rubber stamp from the county, but they sat on it for months. We could of had our stadium years earlier but those two politicians wanted to have their say in things. Ticket prices and guarantees for TSU gridiron as we all remember. This was infuriating to our brass. To lose money you speak of NB as renters at U of H and yet the stadium construction could easily begin there in late 2008 or early 2009. To help evaporate this canny ploy from the county some folks came out to get the media spotlight and business owners down there to put a public voice on the TV to which really did what our FO could not have done to get the final hurdle crossed. This relayed to me as I was driving east on 610 via cell phone in a praise form directly from the top to all involved, Nordi will remember that day, in getting the pressure on those county banana heads to quit stalling.
That was a lot of work Nigel. I hope people notice. Is that a CSN reporter, just to bring it back on topic?
Of course, people are forgetting orange locks. She ran a 1-woman campaign for stadium awareness back in 2007! There just too many people that deserve credit and its unfair to highlight only certain names.
Hey, while we're at it, let's do a poll and everyone vote on whether El Battalion or the Texian Army "brought it" more in 2012!!!!