[CBFF] CT - Can NBC outfox Fox for Bears?

[Jerry Madsen]

When I picked-up my copy of the Trib from the driveway this morning,
this article was on the front page.  Who would have thought that the
networks would fight over the Bears.

Jerry

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Can NBC outfox Fox for Bears?
Networks fighting for the right to televise upcoming games
Ed Sherman
On Sports Media and Golf

November 2, 2006

In good times and bad, the Bears are a popular television attraction.

In great times such as these, when they're playing like one of the
NFL's elite teams, it's no wonder two networks are fighting over them.

Coming soon: Fox vs. NBC. The prize: The rights to telecast what might
be the Bears' game of the season.

The Bears' 7-0 start, their status as the NFC's only unbeaten team and
their track record as a ratings magnet have made them the most coveted
television property in pro football. A tug-of-war between Fox and NBC
is looming.

NBC, in its first year back as an NFL outlet after a seven-year
absence, has the Sunday night package, and it's expected to ask the
league to move either the Nov. 26 Bears-New England game or the Dec. 3
Bears-Minnesota game to prime time.

New England is 6-1 and has won three of the last five Super Bowls, so
its game with the Bears is one of the most eagerly anticipated games
of the season. Minnesota, at 4-3, is the only team within three games
of the Bears in the NFC North.

Fox, the network of the NFC, has the rights to both games, and it's
not going to relinquish either of them without a fight.

The battle will be fought over the "flexible schedule" format the NFL
granted NBC as part of the Sunday night package. Here's how it works,
at least in theory:

In Weeks 10 through 15 and in Week 17, the NFL will designate a Sunday
afternoon game that can be switched to prime time for NBC, giving the
teams and their fans a minimum of 12 days advance notice. Fox and CBS,
the AFC outlet, have the right to protect five games during this
period.

But the setup isn't as flexible as advertised.

Without announcing it, the NFL already has earmarked certain Sunday
night games for NBC. Fox, for instance, didn't have a chance to
protect the Bears-New York Giants game on Nov. 12—a huge ratings
draw—because the league planned to move it to prime time.

NBC could have opted for another game if the matchup did not look
promising, but there's no way that's going to happen; the Bears and
Giants, currently 7-0 and 5-2, respectively, will deliver huge
numbers.

Another potential complication—and no one saw this coming in fairly
recent Bears seasons—is a league-imposed limit on prime-time
appearances. Teams are allowed five.

The Giants game will be the Bears' third, and they're guaranteed a
fourth with their Dec. 11 game at St. Louis, a Monday nighter on ESPN.

Because Sunday is the only day that has flexible scheduling, NBC is
left with only one more chance to grab a Bears game. The Bears-New
York Jets game on Nov. 19 is off limits because Fox protected it.

But Fox didn't protect the Bears' games with New England or Minnesota.
Why not? Because the league already had earmarked the
Philadelphia-Indianapolis game on Nov. 26 and the Seattle-Denver game
on Dec. 3 for NBC.

A few weeks ago, a matchup between Peyton Manning's Colts and Donovan
McNabb's Eagles looked very enticing, and Fox didn't feel the need to
waste one of its protected games on Bears-New England.

But the Eagles have lost three in a row and have fallen to 4-4. The
7-0 Colts play New England on Sunday and could suffer their first loss
of the season.

Could NBC, citing the flexible-scheduling provision, go to the league
and claim the Eagles-Colts game has lost its appeal and try to switch
to Bears-New England?

The network is certain to ask, but the shriek from Fox would make
Jimmy Johnson's perfect hair stand on end.

Fox is planning to do its pregame show from New England that day and
air Bears-Patriots in the 3 p.m. doubleheader slot. It's not about to
let NBC have that game.

Both networks declined to comment on the matter, and the NFL is being
cautious with its remarks, given the possible friction involved.

Howard Katz, the league's senior vice president for media operations,
demurred when asked if NBC could come in and grab an unprotected game.

"It's more complicated than that," Katz said. "We must balance the
number of games we take from CBS and Fox. We also must work within the
parameters of the appearance rules."

The purpose of the flexible schedule is to prevent NBC from getting
stuck with unanticipated dog games late in the season. But it doesn't
allow the network automatic access to the best game on a given day.

It's highly unlikely that NBC will get Bears-New England. It's too
valuable a game to Fox, and Fox's 3 p.m. doubleheader slot is the
highest-rated NFL telecast, including prime-time games.

It's equally unlikely that the Bears, given their appeal, will not get
the maximum five games in prime time. That means the Bears-Minnesota
game is the best candidate to be moved, so if you have tickets, you
might start preparing to spend the evening of Dec. 3 at Soldier Field,
and dress appropriately.

The league has the final say on these matters, but the lobbying from
NBC and Fox will be intense. The behind-the-scenes infighting might be
more suspenseful than some recent Bears games.

esherman at tribune.com

Copyright (c) 2006, The Chicago Tribune

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