[CBFF] The Bears are in danger of getting "flexed."

[Tom Shannon]

Man, I hope so.  I hate night games.

Tom S.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com [mailto:cbff-
> bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of Jerry Madsen
> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 11:06 PM
> To: CBFF
> Subject: [CBFF] The Bears are in danger of getting "flexed."
> 
> Like Bears, TV interest falters
> Sagging team risks being dropped as Sunday night game
> Ed Sherman
> On Sports Media and Golf
> 
> November 2, 2007
> 
> The Bears are in danger of getting "flexed."
> 
> Their 3-5 record may not be worthy of a third prime-time Sunday game.
> The Bears are scheduled for an evening appearance Nov. 18 at Seattle,
> but under NBC's flexible-scheduling agreement with the NFL, the
> network could request and receive a different game that night.
> 
> A decision from the league, which has the final say, is expected no
> later than Tuesday.
> 
> Officials from the NFL and NBC wouldn't speculate on the possibility
> Thursday, but according to sources, the idea of flexing off that game
> is very much in play.
> 
> The NFL not only wants to keep NBC happy, it also wants to air a
> marquee game to a national audience. And the Bears have fallen off the
> marquee.
> 
> In making the decision, executives have to keep in mind that the Bears
> could fall to 3-6 at Oakland after their week off. The Raiders are
> only 2-5, but there are no gimmes where the Bears are concerned this
> year. The last thing NBC wants is to showcase a team with a 3-6 record
> in mid-November.
> 
> Seattle also is no prize. The 4-3 Seahawks play at suddenly tough
> Cleveland this week. If they lose and drop to .500, that also will be
> a factor. Seattle isn't exactly a ratings powerhouse. Its 28-17 loss
> Oct. 14 to New Orleans, a terrible game, delivered NBC's lowest
> ratings of the season.
> 
> The Bears are a different story: They always deliver in the ratings.
> The Bears-Dallas game Sept. 23 was NBC's highest-rated game of the
> year at 11.8, and the Bears-Green Bay game Oct. 7 was the fourth best
> at 11.2 (one national ratings point is worth more than 1 million
> households).
> 
> When he was at ABC, current NBC play-by-play man Al Michaels always
> lobbied the network for Bears and Dallas games because he said viewers
> would watch regardless of their record.
> 
> But not even Michaels would want to be stuck with a dead-in-the-water
> team like the Bears so late in the season. There are several
> alternatives on that Sunday, including Kansas City-Indianapolis,
> Detroit-New York Giants, San Diego-Jacksonville and New
> England-Buffalo.
> 
> Other factors come into play in this equation, such as teams maxing
> out on their national television appearances, and Fox and CBS being
> able to protect certain games.
> 
> So it's hardly a done deal that the Bears-Seattle will be "flexed."
> 
> Fox Sports already pulled an audible with the Bears. The Oct. 21 game
> at Philadelphia was supposed to be part of the national doubleheader
> telecast. But with the Bears sitting at 2-4 at the time, the network
> opted to showcase the Dallas-Minnesota game.
> 
> The same situation might occur Dec. 2 for the Bears' game against the
> New York Giants. That's currently set for a 3:15 p.m. start in Fox's
> highly coveted doubleheader slot. But Fox's No. 1 broadcast team of
> Joe Buck and Troy Aikman could be elsewhere if the Bears continue to
> flounder.
> 
> ESPN and the NFL Network don't have flex-scheduling alternatives. The
> NFL Network is locked into a Bears game at Washington on Thursday
> night, Dec. 6. ESPN could be looking at a true Monday night clunker
> with the Bears traveling to Minnesota Dec. 17. Can't wait to see the
> network try to hype that one.
> 
> So it's not just Bears fans who have suffered through the Bears' poor
> start. The television networks are feeling the pain too.
> 
> 
> This just in
> CBS is obviously thrilled to have the New England-Indianapolis game
> Sunday. It has the potential to be the most-watched regular-season
> game in years. "I can't remember anyone at CBS Sports more pumped up
> for a regular-season game," CBS Sports President Sean McManus said.
> "If the football gods are willing and we get a good game, we're set
> for a pretty good Sunday afternoon." . WMVP-AM 1000 will have the
> radio broadcast of the game, with Bill Rosinski and Dan Reeves on the
> call. . If you're a Comcast subscriber and you're upset about not
> being able to see the Ohio State-Wisconsin game Saturday on BTN,
> consider the outrage in Ohio. The game will be unavailable to about
> two-thirds of the homes in that state. Time Warner Cable, the largest
> cable carrier in Ohio, also doesn't have a deal with the BTN. Saturday
> could be an ugly day for Time Warner Cable and BTN operators.
> 
> esherman at tribune.com
> Copyright (c) 2007, The Chicago Tribune
> 
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