[BC] Along the lines of SB coverage

[Scott Fybush]

Alan Kline wrote:

> And in fairness to the networks, NFL game days must drive them nuts. The networks are
> split so many different ways for regional coverage, the NFL contractual rules are so
> Byzantine, and it's tough to please everybody all the time.  The only thing that's
> more of a nightmare is the first weekend of NCAA "March Madness"...

I suspect people much brighter than myself have gone quietly insane 
trying to understand the complexities of the NFL's regional coverage 
rules during the regular season.

The worst of it, from the looks of it, are the situations when Fox has 
an East Coast local team's game at 4, which means the CBS affiliate in 
town can only run one game that day, at 1, and must leave the network 
after the 1 PM game and fill locally until 7.

That, in turn, means that even if every other market in the east is 
getting prime time delayed by as much as 53 minutes, the network still 
has to provide a "regular" feed for what could be as few as one or two 
markets. (I think.)

Maybe this explains why Fox only starts pushing primetime back when it 
encroaches on the 8 PM Simpsons start time? I guess it must make the 
network's job easier in the control room, even if it's a mess for viewers.

During the season, there's a web page somewhere that shows what games 
will appear in which markets each Sunday. Horribly confusing stuff. I'm 
glad it's someone else's problem!

s