Well, the real issue is that there is no Telefutura in the Northwest, apparently. The big cities don't exactly have huge Hispanic markets, you know? And while Yakima, the major Hispanic heartland in the Northwest, may have four Spanish-language OTA stations, none of them are Telefutura (as far as I can ascertain). The PDL team is at a dog track not because of some conspiracy but because the owners are cheap (and wanted something halfway between Spokane and Couer D'Alene ). If you don't understand why WCC basketball (and af2) is big out here (and I say this as someone from elsewhere) then I suggest you get over yourself and think about this metro region a little more deeply. "Things diffusing from the wet side" has little to do with it (and the 1975 comment is certainly entertainingly off-base). This is key: Spokane is, at its core, a regional city. Minor league baseball and major-junior league hockey is pretty popular. College basketball (especially a program that wins all the time) is pretty popular. As for soccer in particular, the Shadow drew reasonably well at Joe Albi until the Bretts pulled the plug because they didn't want to pay for renovations (which the City of Spokane managed to get the school districts to do anyhow). The Spiders, however, do not have the financial backing of the Shadow so they languish out in Post Falls. They also suck.
I grew up in Spokane, so know quite a bit about it. I'm thinking the main issue here is that the Sounders are a new team in a "minor" sport. If KING hadn't had a throw away station like KONG, I doubt the local games would have been televised over on the west side of the state either. I haven't lived in Spokane in almost 15 years, so I'm not sure of the channel layouts anymore, but is there an equivalent station in Spokane? Basically a station that either runs predominantly infomercials or reruns of old television shows?
Belo owns the CBS and the CW affiliates in Spokane. Since Belo is the Sounders' broadcast partner, they might be able to air games, sometimes, on the CW (KSKN) since Saturdays are programmed by local stations and not the national network but they have considerably less flexibility than they do with KONG (which is entirely independent). There are a couple digital stations that are replaying the old UHF model but they aren't owned by Belo.
Most local stations have quite a bit of control over what they air, especially on minor national networks like CW. It's not uncommon for local stations to refuse to air certain episodes because it offends their sensibilities and I doubt there would be that big an issue considering the summer is blank space for networks anyways. The only time KSKN would run across issues is early/late season midweek games, but considering almost all of those are carried by national broadcasters, it's not really that big of an issue. I wonder if the Sounders are considering working their BELO connection to get some love over in Eastern Washington. I'm sure KSKN will get better ratings with the Sounders then they do with whatever informercial they are running.
Nothing in what you said about the general Spokane sports market conflicts with what I am saying about the immaturity of Spokane as an MLS/soccer market. I do not begrudge college basketball its understandable popularity, I am saying the Zags play better in-league competition in soccer than they do in basketball, so there is something to promote. Yes, it is a regional hub, so it will have its minor league teams, too. But diffusion from the Wet Side is about following major sports. AFL2 and the Indians are popular, because it is something to do here. But people still watch the Seahawks and the Mariners and make occasional trips to Seattle to attend games in person. I do believe that, with the right cultivation, that will, in time, happen for the Sounders, also. And my "conspiratorial" comment about the Spiders' location was tongue-in-cheek -they aren't trying to be unpopular, they are just not succeeding at being popular. So, not whining about what Spokane is. Got it. I like Indians games, myself. I am addressing connecting the dots with the sizeable footy community here and supporting the Sounders. Small steps are already happening. What I am ruing is the missed opportunities to raise the visibility of soccer as a spectator sport. Your accurate description of what happened with the Shadow (ending with Bobby Brett chest-bumping Dennis Hession) and the current state of affairs with the Spiders only adds to my point.
Spokane is an isolated, somewhat uncultured market. They stick to their own and what is familiar. The Brett's gave the Shadow a lifeline, (they had the cred from the Indians and Chiefs) but now as you've stated the PDL team plays at the old Greyhound Park. Yakima's PDL team seems to be in real trouble too. The same thing happens here as in Spokane. Zero advertising, zero coverage, zero interest. Compare that with the Indians, Chiefs and Bears. Advertising, coverage, sports talk shows... They actually care about baseball and hockey, just not local football clubs.
Waddell's, 4400 block of Regal in Spokane. They have the DK package. I hear that FSN shows the games live, too, outside of the KING KONG viewing area.
It is. http://northwest.fsninsider.com/guide.php And here's the FSN replay schedule for the rest of August (and I assume September and October will be posted here as we get closer to those months). http://www.soundersfc.com/News/Replay-Schedule.aspx Also, I believe FSN will show it live to cable subscribers in the Spokane area if they are not showing a Mariners game at the same time (however, DirecTV subscribers in Cheney, like myself, will not get those live FSN broadcasts). As denoted on the Sounders website, the Aug. 23 and 29 games should be live in Spokane.
The CW is the weakest network, true, but the Eastern Washington audience would have to be demonstrably larger and with better demographics than Supernatural, Smallville (this is still on?!) and America's Next Top Model for it to be worth Belo's time.
If it's a telefutura game it is on DK. Waddell's now has every Sounders game including FSC games, like the USOC final. If you're in Spokane 9/2 be there at 4:30 and root for the blue and green to win their first cup at the MLS level.
Really? I know the Match Center streaming package MLS offers definitely do not have TeleFutura games available live and I thought the two subscription packages offered the exact same games. Have never had DK before though.
Hiya. You are right, but, somehow, by magic, Waddell's had the last Telefutura game, so I am believing for tomorrow. I wasn't at the last Telefutura game, but a couple of the regulars were and somehow managed to watch it. Maybe someone should bring a laptop in case we have to resort to justin.tv or something.
They could just have access to TeleFutura 24-7. Yeah, games on TeleFutura are a pain if I can't get somewhere to watch it since I don't get that channel at home, I obviously don't get the Seattle-area broadcast over here and it isn't streamed (legally).
Just as a shot in the dark, is there anybody out there who will be making the trip west for the game Thursday? I am going regardless (my first-ever live Sounders game!) but would very much prefer riding with a Sounders fan than taking Greyhound. I would obviously chip in gas money and drive some if requested.
No worries, figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I am taking the bus over in the morning, then catching the red-eye bus back (11 p.m.-4:30 a.m.). So excited. Can't wait. Go Sounders!
I grew up and work in Spokane, but I now live in Post Falls. I will not be attending the game on Thursday, but you can bet I will be watching with some guys from over here. River City Lanes, the bowling alley in Post Falls, has a nice bar (Brooklyn Bar) with 5 HD big screens and the owners are HUGE soccer buffs. They are trying to turn the place into a soccer bar! The food is good and you can always get the game on, any game they can get. Currently, they have all the ESPNs, FSC, GOL TV, Univision, Galavision, Telefutura. If there is a game that a group wants to watch, they will figure out a way to get it on. We watch world cup qualifiers there, Premier League, Champions League when we can, MLS and the Sounders of course and any games that people show an interest in. Sunday night we watched America-Chivas with a small group of guys. They are hungry for more people to come in and watch soccer and will cater to what you want. Some of the employees are clueless, but they usually just give you the remote control and tell you to find your game. Let me know and I will help set it up! It only takes 30 minutes from downtown to get out to Post Falls, well worth an afternoon or evening of watching soccer with a group of fans.
P.S. I don't know why I haven't seen this thread before... anyway sorry for not responding sooner just to let people know that yes there are Sounders fans here in the Inland Northwest! My buddies and I went to the opening game vs. the Metro Bulls, which was incredible, and we will be going to MLS Cup. We are desperate for the Sounders to make the Cup! River City Lanes in Post Falls for soccer watching is a great option! It would be even better if we got bigger groups there!
Away fans - for those of us crazies that can't travel to home games - here is a Windows gadget that the Sounders and Microsoft just built that allows you to stay connected: http://footytweets.com/seattlesounders/news/173269
There will be a group, probably 5 or 6 of us, at the Brooklyn Grill at the River City Lanes bowling alley in Post Falls, Idaho, tonight watching the Sounders rock the Dynamo. We will probably roll in there about 6:45 or so. They have high def big screens and they will crank the sound up for us! A soccer friendly establishment as I have noted above. Here is the info: River City Lanes (208) 773-7575 965 W Seltice Way Post Falls, ID It would be cool if anyone else wanted to show up!
We had 6 of us show up at River City Lanes last night to watch an exciting, albeit disappointing, 0-0 draw last night. Three screens were tuned in to the game with full blaring sound, and the other two were showing game 2 of the "World" Series on mute! We had our table front and center in front of the biggest screen and we had our Sounders gear on for full effect. The lanes were packed with league night bowlers, so it was great to watch them come in and out of the bar and to see the puzzled expressions on their faces when they realized that soccer was dominating the bar, and we were cheering, ooing and ahhing each play and bad call. Quite a few though stopped and watched for a few minutes. Some even asked us about the game. Great exposure for MLS and SSFC. We got our beers on and had a great time, though it would have been sweeter if we had pulled out a couple of goals...
That is awesome. By the way, had an incredible time at the game. Am a bit exhausted after 24 hours of travel with a game thrown in the middle, but so worth it.
For Sunday's noon kick @ Houston... Eastern Washington Party Info: 509 Prime will be partying down at: Waddell’s Pub All-Ages 4318 S Regal Spokane, WA