FSN Pittsburgh + 2 other affiliates to Change Name next year!

FOX Sports Network is in some trouble in the PR department after the announcement that 3 of their affiliates in major US markets have decided to re-brand themselves to "Root Sports". This move would be a clear signal to "the sports worldwide leader" that the competition simply cannot hang in the ratings.

I don't know exactly what "Roots" is going to be like, but I am sure it doesn't sell easy. Will it be an all-sports network? Will it incorporate an outdoors nature sports?

Also getting the ax will be Seattle and Denver who will also lose their FSN coverage.

I for one am very disappointed that this decision will affect one of my regional channels, but according to the story, it will not affect the local broadcast rights according to the story which is good because in Pittsburgh they will be keeping the fastest and highest demanding broadcast in the Penguins local coverage.

Czaban Makes Triumphant Return To Morning Radio

As announced on his website's blog, Steve Czaban will be returning to morning radio since his eight month hiatus.

Sporting News Radio, as a subsidiary of Mission Media Group of Scottsdale, Arizona, has hired me to host their morning drive shift from 6-9 a.m. from our Washington D.C. area studios.

Which is fantastic news considering Czabe's NFL football is about to start up on yet another season. It was surely hard for Steve Czaban to walk away from the network he and his crew most certainly

It wasn't just the sheer volume of emails from you listeners, it was their staggering depth. I am talking about 1500-word-plus emails describing just what it was that made the show so meaningful to them.

You guys remembered a billion more details of segments we did, or moments we had, than I ever could.

And that pretty much sums up the kind of show that Czabe has. A loyal cult-like following that entertains with witty banter that includes a slice of life and serves it up to the audience.

You can't keep a show like this down for long. It was only a matter of time before Czabe was broadcasting with another mic flag in tow.

Virginia Beach Morning Show Creates a Crowd

Even if a radio publicity stunt may go horribly wrong, some schools of thought believe that there is no such thing as a bad publicity stunt. However, when the local police get involved, then it is time to rethink the strategy. As an April Fool's Stunt, Z104 (WNVZ-FM), a Top 20 hits station in Norfolk, VA decided that it was a great idea to tell people that hip-hop artist 50 Cent would be shooting a video on a local beach. Then sweetening the pot was the lie that 50 cent would also be listening to demo CDs.

Officer Adam Bernstein with Virginia Beach Police said, "It was a joke and we appreciate that. But, as a police department we have to worry about crowd control and traffic, even if it is a hoax you might have thousands of people show up anyway."

Even though the article didn't quite capture the disappointment that the community listeners had, the way that the large response of gullible people caused a potential safety hazard was well along the out-of-bounds standard of April Fools Pranks.

Upon Further Review FSN Pittsburgh is Scandalized

Even though the result of the game was unaffected of the controversial moment, a severe punishment was handed down after the broadcast networks rights holder to the defending Stanley Cup champions.

FSN-Pittsburgh was blamed for not providing all critical views to the alleged goal that Simon Gagne scored during the last meeting. During the review, the "NHL War Room" in Toronto concluded that there was not enough evidence to overturn the non-goal call on the ice.

In a statement, FSN Pittsburgh -- the local broadcasts rights-holder for the Penguins -- said, "There is nothing more important than the integrity of the game. During last Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a definitive replay of a Flyers goal was not aired prior to the conclusion of the official review and, as a result, a Flyers goal was not awarded. Fortunately, this did not change the outcome of the game. Nonetheless, FSN Pittsburgh's failure to provide video to the league officials in a timely fashion was wholly unacceptable. FSN Pittsburgh has addressed this matter and has taken steps to ensure that such a failure does not occur again."

The Penguins followed with a statment: "We fully support FSN Pittsburgh in its reaction to this issue. The integrity of the game is paramount."