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Diamond Sports Group is Out of Bankruptcy, But Will the FanDuel Sports Network Product Improve?

I hope I am wrong and secretly there is a plan for the Diamond Sports Group properties to do something other than just exist as they did when this all started 20 months ago.

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20 months after filing for Chapter 11 Diamond Sports Group has emerged from bankruptcy. Congratulations to them and glad that whole ordeal is over with. However, similar to the bankruptcy cases in radio, I have a spoiler alert for you – if nothing significant changes they’ll just eventually end up back in the same spot.

So, here we have another situation where a company has blown through billions and now needed the courts so they could bail on so much money owed to creditors you can’t even comprehend it in your head. Everything you will see from Diamond Sports Group and owner Sinclair will look like everything is great. Fresh, new books to work off of. It’s all puppy dogs, rainbows and ice cream.

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I tried to follow along over the last year and a half plus, and there was something I noticed never took place. I never heard anyone address whether or not DSG or FanDuel Sports Network, formerly Bally Sports, formerly FOX Sports, will actually get any better.

I only have access to the regional sports network where I live, however, I have traveled enough to have checked in on the other networks as well. Generally, I have seen the same thing. The game broadcasts are good, and the rest of the programming is terrible.

It’s been so obvious these properties overspent on the play-by-play deals and had absolutely no money left for any other programming. Now, if that works financially, ok I guess that makes sense. But wouldn’t it make more sense to build more programming around the local markets and make it a real destination for the local sports scene, versus just tuning in for games?

It isn’t even a thought when searching around for something to watch. If a Cardinals or Blues game isn’t on the Midwest version of FanDuel Sports Network, there isn’t anything they have ever aired outside of a game that I would want to watch. I can catch poker on plenty of channels if I want to watch.

This is where I get really angry about traditional media. I have said to anyone who will listen that radio couldn’t have screwed up the whole podcasting thing any more than it did. Instead of recognizing from the get-go that the industry had the talent, the equipment, the sales infrastructure and anything else it needed to create digital content, it just sat by and aired ‘podcasts’ which were just show replays. Others came in from outside the industry, followed by people leaving the industry, to create content and steal listenership from radio.

It’s the same with television and the RSNs under Diamond Sports Group. Maybe something is happening in your market, but with all the money tied up into these team sponsorships, you would think they would be creating a ton of content. They have the access and again all of the things needed to do it. However, it’s legacy media and they don’t think that way. It’s just how can we keep doing the same thing over and over and expect new and better results.

I hope I am wrong and secretly there is a plan for the Diamond Sports Group properties to do something other than just exist as they did when this all started 20 months ago. However, I am not going to hold my breath. History is the best indicator of the future, and this history says we will continue to watch the games on FanDuel Sports Network, but probably not much else.

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The Best/Worst Thing I’ve Heard/Watched/Read Recently

Driving home from visiting two of my daughters at college, I had the chance to listen to the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Denver Broncos on the radio. I wanted to recognize the group of Mitch Holthus, Danan Hughes, Josh Klingler and Dan Israel who really do a great job.

The broadcasts are really well done and flow about as well as you can expect from an NFL game. Starting from the pregame all the way through the postgame, the team does a great job of making you feel like you are at the game.

Mitch Holthus is outstanding on play-by-play, I am a huge fan of Danan Hughes as an analyst no matter the sport and Klingler and Israel support the two announcers incredibly well. Israel has been the Executive Producer for the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network for many years, and he has great chemistry with his crew.

Kansas City Chiefs games air on 96.5 The Fan in Kansas City and the broadcasts can be heard by clicking here.

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In Case You Missed It

Earlier this week Peter Schwartz profiled Doug Karsch from 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. Schwartz wrote about how Karsch grew up in the area and when he landed on the station it was his dream job. Then he landed another dream job when he started working on University of Michigan broadcasts. Later, Karsch would become the play-by-play voice of the Michigan Wolverines.

It is great to see someone like Doug having great success in his home market. I also liked what he said about his style of play-by-play:

“I don’t have big booming pipes, so I don’t have that traditional play-by-play voice, and it seems like more and more play-by-play roles are being carved out for guys like me but I damn well better be interesting and I damn well better be prepared.”

To read the full feature click here.

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Dave Greene
Dave Greenehttps://barrettmedia.com
Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.

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