CSN Northwest
Encyclopedia
Comcast SportsNet Northwest (CSN Northwest) is a member of the Comcast SportsNet
network of regional sports network
s that covers local sports teams throughout the Northwestern United States
, particularly Oregon
. CSN Northwest is the newest addition to Comcast SportsNet. It launched on November 1, 2007, at 5 p.m. local time
. The Portland Trail Blazers
and Oregon Ducks
are the main attractions, but the channel will cover other Northwest sports including college and high school sports.
network BlazerVision in 2001, the team's games were shown on FSN Northwest
through the 2006–07 season. At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season FSN
did not renew their contract with the Blazers, so Comcast SportsNet Northwest stepped in to replace FSN Northwest.
During its launch season, Comcast SportsNet Northwest carried at least 55 regular-season Trail Blazers games. When combined with the Trail Blazers' over-the-air coverage, 81 regular-season Trail Blazers games were on TV, the most in the team's history. The new network aired 28 of the 36 home games in high definition (HD).
During the 2008–09 season, the NBA allowed Comcast SportsNet Northwest to expand their Trail Blazers coverage into the Seattle area. Comcast SportsNet had been prohibited from broadcasting Trail Blazers' games in Seattle during prior seasons due to the presence of the former Seattle SuperSonics
who moved to Oklahoma City
in 2008 to become the Oklahoma City Thunder
.
Ducks'
sports broadcasting network, the Oregon Sports Network
(OSN), was looking for more air time and availability. When Comcast SportsNet Northwest launched, Oregon Sports Network negotiated a contract with Comcast SportsNet Northwest to air many of the university's football and basketball games that were not scheduled to be aired nationally or on FSN. In 2008 Comcast SportsNet became the main channel for OSN. Games broadcast by CSN Northwest for OSN are simulcast on KLSR-TV
in Eugene.
Comcast SportsNet Northwest is locally run out of an office in Portland
. It also has a studio in the Rose Garden Arena
to provide up-to-date coverage of the Blazers.
Comcast SportsNet Northwest carries 25 Vancouver Canucks
NHL games per season, using the feed from Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Using relationships with other Comcast-owned channels, CSN Northwest also broadcasts 35 other games from around the league; However in 2011, Comcast SportsNet Northwest announced that their NHL schedule with feature the Vancouver Canucks
and the San Jose Sharks
. Additionally, the channel offers select Portland Winter Hawks
home games from the WHL
.
Comcast SportsNet Northwest also simulcasts two sports radio shows. Dave "Softy" Mahler from Clear Channel Seattle's Sports Radio 950 KJR (AM) is shown live from 10am-1pm. The FAN, from Portland's KFXX is shown from 3pm-6pm.
During the 2009 Pacific Coast League
baseball season, Comcast SportsNet Northwest began carrying selected Tacoma Rainiers
games live. Rainiers radio play-by-play man Mike Curto would call the games on radio and the audio would be simulcast on the television broadcast.
(Portland and Seattle), and Wave Broadband
are carrying the channel. Canby Telecom has announced plans to discontinue the channel as Comcast has offered a non-negotiable fee increase that will bring the annual per subscriber charge of over $32. Canby Telecom has accused Comcast of raising rates way beyond the rate of inflation and industry-wide increases.
, Dish Network
and Charter Communications
. DirecTV and Dish Network maintain that Comcast is negotiating in bad faith. For example, on one hand Comcast argues that the channel must be on a low tier with the most customers. At the same time, Comcast argues that non-Comcast-owned sports channels should be shown only on a sports tier. The Trail Blazers are said to be frustrated and disappointed by the conduct of Comcast over their contract with CSN.
The Consumer Protection Committee of the Oregon House of Representatives
held a hearing on February 24, 2010 to help get the channel on DirecTV, Dish Network and Charter Cable. No one from DirecTV, Dish Network, or the Trail Blazers attended.
On June 21, 2010, the Trail Blazers asked the Federal Communications Commission
to require Comcast Corp. to make Trail Blazers games available to competing multichannel programming distributors such as DirecTV and Dish Network.
One Oregon cable company, Canby Telecom, has objected to the additional annual charge in excess of $32 being required to be charged per customer in 2012 and has announced plans to stop carrying the channel. Canby Telcom President Keith Galitz is quoted as saying "That's just too steep an increase for us, and it's not in line with inflation or normal escalation of prices in the industry." Clear Creek Television, which carried the NBA Trail Blazers for 15 years, was rebuffed when even attempting to negotiate the above market rate Comcast pushed at Clear Creek.
"Comcast clearly sees the public perception of its treatment of sports fans as a potential Achilles heel in efforts to acquire NBCU" says Sports Fan Coalition Executive Director Brian Frederick discussing how Comcast sent senior staff members to Oregon when a member of the Sports Fan Coalition testified before the Oregon Legislature on Comcast's denial of access to hundreds of thousands of customers of DirecTV, Dish, and other cable operators.
In a November 7, 2010 article, Blazers CEO Larry Miller continued to express frustration about the lack of availability.
high definition
simulcast of Comcast SportsNet Northwest. CSN Northwest broadcast 28 Portland Trail Blazers home games in HD in the 2007–08 season and 32 games were shown in HD for 2008–09. Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett stated on the air during the April 13 game against the Clippers that all games would air in HD from then on.
CSN Northwest is available on basic cable and in high-definition to Comcast subscribers throughout Oregon and southwest Washington state; however, Comcast subscribers and other cable outlets throughout Western Washington (including Seattle-Tacoma and surrounding areas) do not get CSN Northwest in high-definition. CSN Northwest is only available on Comcast's digital preferred package in Western Washington.
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
network of regional sports network
Regional sports network
In the United States of America and Canada, a regional sports network, or RSN, is a cable television station that presents sports programming to a local market. The most important programming on an RSN consists of live broadcasts of professional and college sporting events, as those games generate...
s that covers local sports teams throughout the Northwestern United States
Northwestern United States
The Northwestern United States comprise the northwestern states up to the western Great Plains regions of the United States, and consistently include the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, to which part of southeast Alaska is also sometimes included...
, particularly Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. CSN Northwest is the newest addition to Comcast SportsNet. It launched on November 1, 2007, at 5 p.m. local time
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
. The Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
and Oregon Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
are the main attractions, but the channel will cover other Northwest sports including college and high school sports.
Portland Trail Blazers
After the Trail Blazers dismantled their pay-per-viewPay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
network BlazerVision in 2001, the team's games were shown on FSN Northwest
FSN Northwest
Root Sports Northwest is a United States regional sports network available in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska...
through the 2006–07 season. At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season FSN
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
did not renew their contract with the Blazers, so Comcast SportsNet Northwest stepped in to replace FSN Northwest.
During its launch season, Comcast SportsNet Northwest carried at least 55 regular-season Trail Blazers games. When combined with the Trail Blazers' over-the-air coverage, 81 regular-season Trail Blazers games were on TV, the most in the team's history. The new network aired 28 of the 36 home games in high definition (HD).
During the 2008–09 season, the NBA allowed Comcast SportsNet Northwest to expand their Trail Blazers coverage into the Seattle area. Comcast SportsNet had been prohibited from broadcasting Trail Blazers' games in Seattle during prior seasons due to the presence of the former Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
who moved to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
in 2008 to become the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
.
University of Oregon Ducks
The UOUniversity of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
Ducks'
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
sports broadcasting network, the Oregon Sports Network
Oregon Sports Network
The Oregon Sports Network is a local sports network made up of radio stations and TV network CSN Northwest. The channel is the official flagship for the University of Oregon's athletic program. The network began in 1987 including radio...
(OSN), was looking for more air time and availability. When Comcast SportsNet Northwest launched, Oregon Sports Network negotiated a contract with Comcast SportsNet Northwest to air many of the university's football and basketball games that were not scheduled to be aired nationally or on FSN. In 2008 Comcast SportsNet became the main channel for OSN. Games broadcast by CSN Northwest for OSN are simulcast on KLSR-TV
KLSR-TV
KLSR-TV, a U.S. television station serving Eugene, Oregon, is an affiliate of the Fox network. Its transmitter is located in Eugene. It was Eugene's second UHF station to sign on the air. It is owned by California Oregon Broadcasting of Medford, Oregon....
in Eugene.
Other
Other programming includes expanded pre-game and post-game Trail Blazers analysis, selected summer league, pre-season and playoff games, a season preview, and specials focused on the NBA draft, the All-Star Game, and the playoffs. Comcast SportsNet Northwest also covers a variety of other sports relevant to fans in the region and produces a daily morning news show with the latest highlights, updates and stats. The network will provide fans with multimedia sports content online and through video on demand.Comcast SportsNet Northwest is locally run out of an office in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. It also has a studio in the Rose Garden Arena
Rose Garden Arena
Rose Garden, commonly known as the Rose Garden Arena, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is suitable for large indoor events of all sorts, including basketball, ice hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions...
to provide up-to-date coverage of the Blazers.
Comcast SportsNet Northwest carries 25 Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
NHL games per season, using the feed from Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Using relationships with other Comcast-owned channels, CSN Northwest also broadcasts 35 other games from around the league; However in 2011, Comcast SportsNet Northwest announced that their NHL schedule with feature the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Additionally, the channel offers select Portland Winter Hawks
Portland Winter Hawks
The Portland Winterhawks are a major junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League, a member league in the Canadian Hockey League. They play their home games at the Memorial Coliseum, though typically a few games each season are also played in the...
home games from the WHL
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
.
Comcast SportsNet Northwest also simulcasts two sports radio shows. Dave "Softy" Mahler from Clear Channel Seattle's Sports Radio 950 KJR (AM) is shown live from 10am-1pm. The FAN, from Portland's KFXX is shown from 3pm-6pm.
During the 2009 Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
baseball season, Comcast SportsNet Northwest began carrying selected Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
games live. Rainiers radio play-by-play man Mike Curto would call the games on radio and the audio would be simulcast on the television broadcast.
Availability
As of September 2010, Comcast Cable (Oregon and Washington), Ashland TV, BendBroadband, Canby Telcom, Country Cablevision, MINET, Monroe Telephone, Reliance Connects, Scio Cablevision, Verizon FiOSVerizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
(Portland and Seattle), and Wave Broadband
Wave Broadband
Wave Broadband is a leading provider of cable TV, broadband internet, and telephone services on the West Coast, serving customers in communities in Western Washington State, Oregon, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area....
are carrying the channel. Canby Telecom has announced plans to discontinue the channel as Comcast has offered a non-negotiable fee increase that will bring the annual per subscriber charge of over $32. Canby Telecom has accused Comcast of raising rates way beyond the rate of inflation and industry-wide increases.
Carriage controversy
As of September 2010, the channel is unavailable on DirecTVDirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
, Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
and Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
. DirecTV and Dish Network maintain that Comcast is negotiating in bad faith. For example, on one hand Comcast argues that the channel must be on a low tier with the most customers. At the same time, Comcast argues that non-Comcast-owned sports channels should be shown only on a sports tier. The Trail Blazers are said to be frustrated and disappointed by the conduct of Comcast over their contract with CSN.
The Consumer Protection Committee of the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
held a hearing on February 24, 2010 to help get the channel on DirecTV, Dish Network and Charter Cable. No one from DirecTV, Dish Network, or the Trail Blazers attended.
On June 21, 2010, the Trail Blazers asked the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
to require Comcast Corp. to make Trail Blazers games available to competing multichannel programming distributors such as DirecTV and Dish Network.
One Oregon cable company, Canby Telecom, has objected to the additional annual charge in excess of $32 being required to be charged per customer in 2012 and has announced plans to stop carrying the channel. Canby Telcom President Keith Galitz is quoted as saying "That's just too steep an increase for us, and it's not in line with inflation or normal escalation of prices in the industry." Clear Creek Television, which carried the NBA Trail Blazers for 15 years, was rebuffed when even attempting to negotiate the above market rate Comcast pushed at Clear Creek.
"Comcast clearly sees the public perception of its treatment of sports fans as a potential Achilles heel in efforts to acquire NBCU" says Sports Fan Coalition Executive Director Brian Frederick discussing how Comcast sent senior staff members to Oregon when a member of the Sports Fan Coalition testified before the Oregon Legislature on Comcast's denial of access to hundreds of thousands of customers of DirecTV, Dish, and other cable operators.
In a November 7, 2010 article, Blazers CEO Larry Miller continued to express frustration about the lack of availability.
Comcast SportsNet Northwest HD
Comcast SportsNet Northwest HD is a 1080i1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
simulcast of Comcast SportsNet Northwest. CSN Northwest broadcast 28 Portland Trail Blazers home games in HD in the 2007–08 season and 32 games were shown in HD for 2008–09. Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett stated on the air during the April 13 game against the Clippers that all games would air in HD from then on.
CSN Northwest is available on basic cable and in high-definition to Comcast subscribers throughout Oregon and southwest Washington state; however, Comcast subscribers and other cable outlets throughout Western Washington (including Seattle-Tacoma and surrounding areas) do not get CSN Northwest in high-definition. CSN Northwest is only available on Comcast's digital preferred package in Western Washington.