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Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:00 pm EST

Strikeforce on tape delay? Orlando station responds to fan outrage

By Steve Cofield

Power to the people! According to a thread on the Underground Forum, WKMG, the CBS affiliate in Orlando, had originally planned to show this Saturday's Strikeforce mixed martial arts show on a tape-delayed basis at 1:35 a.m. on Sunday morning. In the MMA show's place was going to be "Legend of the Seeker."

After voicing their displeasure, some UG readers received emails this morning, from the station's General Manager Skip Valet, again stating that the fight card could be seen on Sunday morning or live at CBS.com. Then mysteriously a switch was made:

Cagewriter spoke with Valet who said CBS made a late change in available programming and the station was unaware of the opportunity to show the fight card live. When asked if he got a response from angry customers, he said he'd received 15 emails asking about the late night re-schedule of Strikeforce.  

It appears there's a similar situation in Madison, Wisconsin on WISC-TV. The 8 o'clock CT start is being covered up by the end of a Wisconsin-Minnesota hockey game. At 9, it's  "Urban Theater: Mother Hive Syndicate." The MMA show is schedule to air at 1 a.m. CT on Sunday.

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16 Comments

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  1. NewYork
    1. Posted by NewYork Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:26 pm EST

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    The stations general manager was unaware that they had the opportunity to air the fight live?
    He’s either a liar, or incompetent.
  2. tdube09
    2. Posted by tdube09 Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:51 pm EST

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    See. How hard was this?
    the main issue is a lot of media people still think MMA is a niche sport and don't think it will bring in the ratings. I'm sure after hearing from irate fans about the event being shown at 1AM Sunday and not @ 9PM Saturday the media outlets probably decided to show it live.
  3. KB24
    3. Posted by KB24 Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:52 pm EST

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    How do we get this option to the west coast?
  4. Rob R
    4. Posted by Rob R Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:10 pm EST

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    I can actually understand the Minnesota-Wisconsin hockey game preempting the fights. That's a pretty big deal up there. That said, I have no idea what "Urban Theater: Mother Hive Syndicate" is. You'd think they could just delay the Strikeforce start by an hour to let the hockey game finish.
    I also have no idea how TV networks operate, so maybe that's not a possibility.
  5. BNG
    5. Posted by BNG Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:30 pm EST

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    This type of thing happens all the time to different events in different markets. Its not just MMA. It is based on perceived viewer interest and suitability in the time slot.
  6. HR-gorge
    6. Posted by HR-gorge Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:03 pm EST

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    I would be irate too.
  7. jeremy
    7. Posted by jeremy Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:16 pm EST

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    He is both liar and stupic
  8. Steven W
    8. Posted by Steven W Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:51 pm EST

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    stay the fukk outta wisconsin....problem solved
    and 15 emails??? come on orlando, that's pretty weak. although it's probably the most action ol' Skip Valet the station manager has seen in awhile.
  9. Scott Y
    9. Posted by Scott Y Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:14 pm EST

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    Seriously, WKMG? That's kind of like bumping the Super Bowl and running episodes of Andy Griffith instead. Sure, if the teams playing suck, that might be an improvement, but still ...
    The WKMG general manager is lying. Because this is a CBS network sports event, it takes precedence over syndicated programming. They simply didn't think they could sell MMA, so they wouldn't get premium advertising revenue. "Legend of the Seeker" is a popular syndicated show in the Orlando market, has an established audience, and has retail viability. By saying "he didn't know he had the option," the GM is trying to cover himself without saying outright that "we didn't want to run the event." After the Kimbo Slice knockout debaucle, I honestly don't blame him for protecting his station's financial interests, but the bottom line is that he tried to get over on the market and the network, and has now been called out. If the network says thou shalt run this show, then you're running the show.
    However, affiliate stations do get the option to not air network programming subject to certain constraints -- for example, the Wisconsin station has a previous sports programming commitment, and the hockey game would overlap the MMA event. Solution? Delay the MMA event broadcast. If they join in progress, viewers miss out on all the previous action. If they try to go into a tape delay DURING the broadcast, there's too much opportunity for technical errors. The programming would work best for them, legitimately, to simply preempt the event live, record it, and play it back in its entirety later. This is a genuine conflict and is being handled professionally.
  10. jayyolf1
    10. Posted by jayyolf1 Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:30 pm EST

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    R U F'n kidding me????????? These two "articles" are all the coverage Srikeforce is gonna get!!!????? WTF happened to the "press event" Maggie??? You and Steve do realize that the STRIKEFORCE event is in THREE DAYS right? Gosh Damn, I am getting really sick of the bias yahoo ufc nuthuggers.
    I told y'all so, only TWO Strikeforce related "articles" today, and look, already 4 UFC/TUF 10. What a fkkkking joke! Man, I hope the ratings for Strikeforce Nov. 7 CBS event are off the charts!!!! Just despite all Dana's and his buttbuddies' at yahoo efforts
  11. SkilletD
    11. Posted by SkilletD Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:26 am EST

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    When I used to live in Houston, NBC would air two reruns of Jerry Springing every night after Leno pushing Conan back a full hour. It was pretty annoying.
  12. puffin
    12. Posted by puffin Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:38 pm EST

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    I am starting to agree that this site is biased towards the UFC. I mean this Strickforce card is stacked and yet they are not giving it any love at all. I bet this card is better than the last UFC card and there will be no coverage after the event either, unless they flop and Dana buys it, thus making it the UFC. The the cagewriters will be all over it.
  13. puffin
    13. Posted by puffin Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:39 pm EST

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    I meant "then the cagewriters will be all over it"...
  14. jason j
    14. Posted by jason j Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:17 am EST

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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfhAJn4oD80 heres the video in HD .. real classy guy
  15. hermosabadger
    15. Posted by hermosabadger Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:58 pm EST

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    madison station will air at 11p CST, after local news. not live (they have to air the hockey game) but better than next day and better than 1am.
    orlando station will air live at 9p EST.
  16. Can
    16. Posted by Can Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:34 pm EST

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    http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/strikeforce-fedor-vs-rogers/EP01190857
    Does this mean this is on live at 9PM EST or are we getting it tape delay here too??

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