The Orlando Conundrum
September 12th, 2015
Mickey is flummoxed why he cannot watch the Bucs Sunday.
Of course, Joe later will post the weekly in-season TV map for Bucs fans to learn where in the country they can lay prone on their Barcalounger and watch the Titans-Bucs game without the need for DirecTV.
One area where Bucs fans must cough up money for NFL Sunday Ticket or get off that Barcalounger and head to the local watering hole is Orlando, which for decades was deemed by the Bucs as its secondary market.
In Orlando, it seems local television general managers are fed up with taking advertising baths broadcasting Bucs and Jags games. They’re putting their feet down, firmly.
Instead of watching America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston, make his first NFL start, the local CBS affiliate in Orlando is piping in Peyton Manning vs. Joe Flacco (Broncos vs. Crows) tomorrow in the 4 p.m. broadcast window.
And Central Florida pot-stirrer Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel applauds the move and suggests the NFL should stop assaulting innocent NFL fans in the region with the Bucs and Jags.
1. The Bucs and the Jags stink and have for years. Their games are ratings death for local TV GMs who only show Bucs and Jags road games because the NFL requires it. Why would local stations choose to show bad teams if they have the choice of airing a high-profile national game?
2. Orlando is a transient town with fans from across the country. I’ve often contended there are more Steelers and Packers fans in this town than Bucs and Jags fans.
3. The Jags and the Bucs have done nothing to win over this market. The Jags, even though Orlando is their biggest TV market, choose to play regular-season games in London every year instead of Orlando. The Bucs, since they stopped training here several years ago, have essentially abandoned the Central Florida market.
Look, Orlando is Lakeland with two theme parks and traffic from hell. It’s the minor league capital of the world. If you are starting up a minor league, no matter the sport, it seems Orlando always has a franchise … that folds with the league.
Joe feels for the Bucs fans in Orlando. It’s odd there isn’t much interest (in theory) in watching a hero of a quarterback who won a national championship for a state university, and was a Heisman Trophy winner, make his first start for the NFL team down the road.
It’s not like Orlando-based Bucs fans can’t see the game. There are sports bars, DirecTV and starting this season, the ability to watch NFL Sunday Ticket games via the Internet without the need for DirecTV hardware — straight from your broadband modem.
(Caution: Posting links to sites that illegally stream NFL games will get you run from this site. Don’t try unless you want to be banned. Thank you.)
September 12th, 2015 at 10:53 am
Maybe the Bucs should contract Disney so they can get the Pirate Ship to Sink at RJS when the Bucs lose!!
That contract could start stronger ties to Orlando! If the Bucs started that, and Official watch parties in ORL by the Bucs. And functions with Players in Orl. that is how you start to expand the fan base!!
#Sink the Pirate Ship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9WmKxfOHg4
( video provided by Buc1987 )!!!!!!
September 12th, 2015 at 10:59 am
BucRealist
That is only amusing to you a few others here whose lives must wallow in negativity all day. Rather than insult you I’ll simply say I pity you. Must really suck to be in your head considering the posts you present and the negative things you find amusing. And of course you come to a board full of Buc fans who want to be hopeful and spend your days trying to bring everybody down. Sad dude!!!
As for Orlando…it’s just an awful place. It’s full of transients, most of them grossly underpaid and poor working in an industry, “hospitality” that traditionally is among the worst for compensation.
During the great crash there was story after story of people living in motel rooms..sometimes families of 4-5 in a single room with both parents working at Disney or Disney related jobs.
Orlando is the anus of Florida…stuck inland with no breezes…hellacious traffic…and a huge inferiority complex relative to Tampa.
Because of my wife’s former career we were required to visit Orlando at least once for a long weekend every year. It was NEVER enjoyable.
September 12th, 2015 at 11:04 am
*Tampa traffic is worse than Orlando.
*Those who trash Orlando only know International Drive & OBT (Orlandoans never venture to these parts of town).
*Take away the beaches and Tampa is Orlando with 1 theme park.
Shame on the Glazer kidz for abandoning a +2 million metropolitan area less than 90 minutes down I-4.
September 12th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Mike Bianchi is an idiot. Always has been. Yes, I am stuck in the Orlando market bs unfortunately. Nfl Sunday ticket/livestream is not available in my area “yet” . I live in the sticks, so I have Dish Network. When i’m watching football, I drink, as most of us Bucs fans do. I refuse to go to a bar to watch this game because I don’t drink and drive. So, CBS decides that Denver/Baltimore game will get more viewers? Seriously, the Bucs game is almost sold out. If you look at the viewing area maps, you will see that the game will be broadcast in the whole state of Oregon.. But for me, a fan who has watched Jameis play from his first start at FSU will not be able to watch his first NFL game that will be taking place two hours from here. God this makes so much sense. I don’t even know any Broncos or Ravens fans in this area.
September 12th, 2015 at 11:05 am
I called WKMG Olando to complain to no avail. Program manager Jeff Hoffman goes by the last 3 year ratings for Buc games. He won’t consider Jameis’s FSU ties, or First two picks playing each other since 1988. The guy’s a complete tool, and should be fired for his short sightedness. Bianchi is another ass. I guess we shouldn’t have shown Gator games last year with his logic, right Mike?
September 12th, 2015 at 11:06 am
I would be stirring the pot if I lived in Orlando and could not watch Bucs games. Pure Mickey Mouse as in BS. Doesn’t Disney own ABC-BSPN? Enough said! I bet there are more Bucs fans in Orlando than for any other NFL team. Hurry over to fantasyland and drop a C note just to get in the gate for stupid mindless BS. Orlando sucks and always will!!
September 12th, 2015 at 11:10 am
How can they not put the game on TV with jameis the QB now. Just that fact alone will get more viewers from across the state
September 12th, 2015 at 11:13 am
While you can’t blame TV execs for wanting to make sure they’re reeling in viewers, seems odd to me that they would abandon trying THIS season? NO ONE thought about the effect Jameis would have on viewership? NO ONE? Lots of FSU fans all over FL and in O-Town
September 12th, 2015 at 11:30 am
@mac
Please. First of all, Doug Martin aka “Teach me how to Douggie” aka “The DOUGINATOR!” aka “I’m the Douginator, B!TCH!!” would SLAP THE SH!T OUT OF YOU and make you cry like a LIL B!TCH!!!
“It’s as simple as that” – Lovie Smith aka “just keepin it one hunnid!”
September 12th, 2015 at 11:32 am
They should follow this module inn the Tampa Market as well. No one here cares about eh Bucs and why should we have to suffer watching this team…. I vote for the Game of the week to be shown instead of the Yucs with their 25 fans
September 12th, 2015 at 11:39 am
Look, I’m a product of life before TBS where SunCoast sport fans watched the Braves on WTOG and had a NBC baseball game of the week on TV 8 as our sports entertainment besides “Championship wrestling from FL with Gordon Solie” and were cool with 5 or 6 channels on the dial to choose from (the ’70s in Tampa)… So Orlando fans are whining? Well how hard is it to simply get up some rabbit ears and pull in the signal from Tampa (or Fort Myers from WINK 11) ???? The digital signal from Tampa reaches you, your cable company simply does not carry it… If you stocked up for a hurricane in the past 5 years and already prepared for the next “Charlie” or “Katrina” you probably already have the tools necessary to pull in a broadcast from a source less than 100 miles away in your hurricane kit…. Shame on Orlando for dishing the Bucs, obviously the station manager is not a FSU fan……
September 12th, 2015 at 11:45 am
Sucks. If the game is blacked out, we get blacked out and you can’t even see it in a watering hole, even though we are well outside the required mileage from the stadium. And if the game isn’t blacked out, local channels don’t play it. We get a big box of the shaft here in O-town
September 12th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
Joe, I live in Daytona, get my TV programming out of Orlando. I’ve been dealing with this and believe it or not, had the same blackouts that local fans experienced just a few short years ago. It sucks. BTW, the Directv broadband Sunday ticket app is a bait and switch tactic from Directv. I was on the phone with them for 57 minutes last night trying to buy this service. They only make “exceptions” to individuals who have don’t have direct line of sight to the sky for a satellite signal (apartments, dense metro areas, etc) to sell this service to. Simply put, I can’t get this service without dumping Brighthouse for a Directv dish setup. I even had the 6th tele-salesperson admit it was a bait and switch when I called them on it.
September 12th, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Hear are some phone numbers for WKMG Orlando, voice your complaints. 407 445 1404 front desk. For breaking news it’s 407-521 1323. I left a breaking news message: We want the Bucs, WKMG sucks11
September 12th, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Bianchi is a b@&ch. earlier this week he said the game he was looking forward the most this Sunday was Titans vs Bucs. Then his weekly segment from the hack sports guy from local CBS and Bianchi changes his tune bc he hears the hack give the corporate spin. Bianchi had a chance to fight for Orlando fans and pussed out.
September 12th, 2015 at 12:25 pm
The Orlando Sentinel is a trash newspaper and Mike Bianchi is a jerk. The game isn’t blacked out. Someone made the ultimate decision at CBS, channel 6, to show the Ravens vs. Broncos game. Ch 6 should show the Bucs game for the local audience and fan base. I have DirecTV Sunday Ticket so, SCREW CBS!
September 12th, 2015 at 12:52 pm
This is just flat out retarded. The Bucs and the NFL should be stonewalled for this crap. How can you tout the Orlando market as your secondary market and fail to show home games there? Utterly perplexing. The NFL business (still not-for-profit which is total BS by the way) is going way too far with the whole money thing. When is it enough? It’s just ridiculous when you compare to the rest of us hard working Americans that actually makes the league successful.
September 12th, 2015 at 1:01 pm
They took the “LOCAL” out of Local6. Truly ridiculous. Forcing people to “illegally” stream the game. good job WKMG.
September 12th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
When you are this bad for this long, this is what happens. Thanks Glazers
September 12th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
How hypocritical SPBucsFan, you complain about negative people yet you bash Orlando. I was born and raised in Tampa but I also lived in Orlando for a few years. I can tell you that there is not much difference between the two towns. Both places have great places to play and there are just as many good people that live there. And as for you Joe, are you even from Florida originally? I’m guessing not. Go bucs and grow up people !
September 12th, 2015 at 1:04 pm
I live in orlando this is b.s.! They tell us this now I’m canceling
Ing my cable company then..
September 12th, 2015 at 1:06 pm
Also, Joe don’t take what Bianchi said to seriously. This guy has his own agenda and he decided to bend the truth to fit that agenda. Are there many transplants in Orlando? Yes. More fans of other teams over Bucs and Jags? Hell no. There are more Bucs fans alone than any other team there. The Bucs probably should make more of an effort to woo Central Florida but every other fact is B.S. The team has stunk, yes, but there is excitement in the air. I hope we rip Tennessee a new one tomorrow and watch these tools jump on the wagon.
September 12th, 2015 at 1:12 pm
cmurda…I’m not one to ever complain about the rich. I could care less how much money they make versus me. I’m not one of those people in America that are like that. Although when I read or see such massive fines that are doled out to players I think myself holy crap I’ll never even make close to that in my lifetime and these are just fines. Where does the money I go I wonder? They can some of it to me if they’d like to. lol
I know this has nothing to do with the topic, but I don’t live in the Orlando area and have nothing to add to the topic. cmurda just got me thinking about the massive fines these players absorb and wishing I had even 1/2 of that fine money. It would go a long way for me and it’s just fines, not talking actual salary. Crazy numbers!
September 12th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
Joe Shane on you thinking orlando is like Lakeland.. we have two professional teams… with the second highest attendance in major league soccer.. we have one of the biggest universities in the country.. hello early makes made b the video game right down the street from me…. so how is it like Lakeland?
September 12th, 2015 at 1:17 pm
Damon auto correct we make Madden the video game right down the street here in orlando also..
September 12th, 2015 at 1:24 pm
Nate…lol and to think one of the Joe’s lives in Springhill so go figure. Although Springhill is hopping these days compared to where I live in Port Richey. It’s like a ghost town around here compared to Springhill and Orlando. Talk about nothing to do. Options very limited.
September 12th, 2015 at 2:06 pm
I wish they didnt show the Bucs in Tampa as wel
September 12th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Hodad:
LOL!
85:
If you can get Dish, you can get DirecTV. Of course, you clearly prefer Dish for some reason. That’s, of course, your choice. But don’t complain you can’t get the game when you chose the satellite service that doesn’t have NFL Sunday Ticket.
You can get NFL Sunday Ticket. You chose not to.
September 12th, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for reinforcing Joe’s point. 🙂
September 12th, 2015 at 3:35 pm
StPeteBucsFan Says
“BucRealist
That is only amusing to you a few others here whose lives must wallow in negativity all day.”
The Buc Racist is actually a troll fan of another team. That’s my theory at least. Most likely a division rival. He may claim to be a Tampa fan, but in my time here, I have never…NEVER…seen him support a coach. Not even Jon Gruden, whom he now claims to have liked (he’s lying, because he hated on him too).
Apparently, some people thrive thru hate. I’ll never understand it. It seems ignorant and one sided to me.
September 12th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Joe Says
“But don’t complain you can’t get the game when you chose the satellite service that doesn’t have NFL Sunday Ticket.
You can get NFL Sunday Ticket. You chose not to.”
Speaking of one-sided. I’ll take your word on the whole Dish thing, but…what about apartment complexes that only allow cable from one company?
For example, my complex only allows Brighthouse. Thankfully, I’m just close enough to be in the Tampa Market, even though I’m 50+ miles away.
People don’t always choose where they live either…their budget does. None of the apartments in Bradenton allow satellite. By law, they should…but they don’t. And trying to force them gets you kicked out.
September 12th, 2015 at 3:42 pm
The only time I complain about someone making a lot of money is when they don’t earn it. That drives me crazy.
Now, I DO complain that I don’t make enough money myself though.
September 12th, 2015 at 4:55 pm
@Joe, Yes I realize I can get Direct TV. I am just not going to pay that kind of money for Sunday ticket. My point was that I looked into getting the Sunday ticket livestream, and it wasn’t available in my area. It is more affordable. I live 2 hours from Tampa, and rely on local channels or ESPN, or NFL Network to see the Bucs play. It is pathetic that WKMG is airing the Ravens/Broncos game instead of the Bucs/Titans. That was my point.
September 12th, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Ladies and Gents… just be greatful you can actually go to a Sports Bar to watch the game. I live directly east of Orlando on the coast, over a 100 miles from the standium, and during the blackout days I couldn’t go to a Sports Bar south of Daytona, or North of Ft. Pierce to catch a Bucs game on TV. That’s an hour in each direction.
Please try not to bitch too much, enjoy a day out, wear your colors, have some wings and beer and be grateful they aren’t blacked out anymore… things could always be worse.
Go Bucs!
September 12th, 2015 at 5:50 pm
That’s a little thing that is illegal known as “restraint of trade.”
Apartment complexes and condo complexs that pull that are in violation of Federal Trade Commission guidelines and as well as FCC statues. Joe once owned a condo and they tried to come after Joe for his DirecTV. Joe said he would file suit if they did anything, informing them of FTC/FCC statues. They backed off.
Look, Joe used to be an apartment dweller. First thing he asked before signing a lease was if he could have DirecTV. If the answer was no, that was a dealbreaker. Joe found very few landlords that had an issue with having a dish.
September 12th, 2015 at 5:53 pm
Zoo:
The NFL lifted the blackout bans for the next three years.
September 12th, 2015 at 6:56 pm
The shots at the city weren’t necessary, but thanks for bringing some attention to this anyway.
September 12th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Also, there’s 3 major theme parks here. If you’re gonna bash at least get it right =P
September 12th, 2015 at 7:24 pm
Mike Bianchi is an idiot.If Timmy teebag was making his first NFL start for the Bucs his article would’ve been much different
September 13th, 2015 at 1:21 am
@Joe
You had someone who caved.
There are loopholes in the laws that allow them to fight it…and here they do.
September 13th, 2015 at 8:35 am
BTW I do not hate Orlandans. Plenty of very nice hardworking people. It’s not the people who suck it’s the city!!! Mickey wrecked it.
September 13th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
Anyone who has listened to this bald midget will tell you he’d like to bear Muschamp’s children. Until he was tossed off the team. Anything other than UF he FU’s to. That’s today’s story makers that used to be journalists.
This is the idiot that said all the teams in Mississippi were terrible and should be out of the sec. Yet had a much better record than his alumni. Most bias one out there.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Why not just get rid of The Bucs, Jags and the other 20-some teams that the majority of elite media do not care about? Obvious that if you take away the local games, the team will go. So we can watch Brady, Romo, Manning, Green Bay, Seattle every single time. Maybe that is what the NFL wants and get over to jolly ole England. Either that or the blackout rule the FCC made, they’re finding loopholes.