Calling Roger Goodell, Team Glazer
October 19th, 2012
Southwest Florida Bucs fans are taking it on the chin
Joe reads the painful email cries tonight from his Bucs-fan brethren in southwest Florida and must speak up, as the NFL and FOX are royally screwing these fans for no apparent reason.
Officially part of the 62nd largest TV market in the country (504,240 households) per Nielsen, the Ft. Myers-Naples FOX affiliate is not airing the Bucs-Saints game Sunday. Instead, it will air the Packers-Rams at 1 p.m. The local affiliate, FOX 4, has made the announcement on the station website.
Green Bay @ St. Louis 1pm**PROGRAMMING ALERT: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers game will not be seen in our area, as decided by the FOX Network and the National Football League.
Downtown Fort Myers is only about 130 miles from Raymond James Stadium, and the northern reaches of the market TV signal extend to within about 80 miles of the game.
And the crazy irony here is that the Fort Myers market has been the only one consistently airing Bucs home games that have been blacked out, including all other home games this season. In fact, Joe’s defunct “Blackout Tour” used to bus fans from St. Pete to Lee Roy Selmon’s in Fort Myers (2010-2011), and Joe can attest there are plenty of Bucs fans in that neck of the woods.
The Buccaneers Radio Network even airs all games in the greater Fort Myers area.
Hell, three years ago the city of Fort Myers named a street “Earnest Graham Avenue” to honor local legend Earnest Graham.
To have this market get cut off from the Bucs this weekend in favor of the Rams and Packers is a travesty — Rams/Packers? — and Joe is calling on Roger Goodell to step in and help right this wrong. Joe’s hoping Team Glazer might make an appropriate phone call, as well.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
If this happened in Bama, the people responsible would be lynched.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Probably more Bucs fans in Ft. Myers than in Tampa itself.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Bucs need this!!! why are they getting cut off from maybe thier largest fan base.Hope you get through to the knuckle heads who called this one.Sounds to me like one of the replacement refs got a new job at FOX.
October 19th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
I’m in California and wish they would make a petition for every buc fan to ban that Crap. It should be televised in all Florida. I would sign.
October 20th, 2012 at 12:10 am
Man that blows. I bet Miguel had something to do about it. Lol
October 20th, 2012 at 12:49 am
hahahhaha ^
October 20th, 2012 at 1:16 am
this isnt the first week, this happened just 6 days ago. they showed the dolphins game on fox and put …..wait for it….. the COWgirls game on cbs.
their either sick of low ratiings for the bucs down there (i dont know if they actually have low ratings) or the nfl is digging their stingy little fingers into the local affiliates skin and making sure people cant pick up the Over The Air feed that is sent out free of charge for those that own HD antennas. my guess is the latter.
oh and just so nobody is confused, over the air signals are not illegal to pick up and “supposedly” aren’t frowned upon by the league either. and yes, i also know the blackout was lifted for this sundays game.
i wouldnt doubt this decision (wherever it came from) was made before today. think about it
October 20th, 2012 at 1:23 am
One of the two times a year I’m happy about having the Aint’s crammed down out throats every week up here in Northwest Florida!
October 20th, 2012 at 1:36 am
What is the difference between Roger Goodell and a bucket of Sh!t?
…the bucket
October 20th, 2012 at 1:59 am
Joe The Activist!
I love it. Keep fighting the good fight, Joe.
October 20th, 2012 at 2:52 am
It’s the same up here in Gainesville! I guess the local FOX affiliate thinks that we are all NY Giants fans here. Somebody needs to tell FOX that all good New Yorkers retire to south Florida, not north central Florida.
October 20th, 2012 at 3:12 am
Its simplet really…it has to do greenbacks…
Which team draws the most profit on the air?
October 20th, 2012 at 3:16 am
Ok fellow buc fans spread the word every where u go no one wacthes the greenbay game this is our market we kept our end of the deal ,we have the power to effect ratings and tv revnue no bucs no ratings …. This is our house ..go bucs
October 20th, 2012 at 3:36 am
My hubby and I took the black out tour once. Heck of a fun ride. My brother and brother-in-law went twice. I wish it were still in effect.
Its a shame that the networks and NFL are dogging FL fans with Rams and Packers nonsense. The Bucs finally sell out a game and the NFL shafts the areas that have been there through it all.
I absolutely despise corporatism.
October 20th, 2012 at 3:41 am
Joe, keep up the fight. Now I may have to call in sick to work and buy by my tickets. Total NFL BS.
October 20th, 2012 at 7:23 am
good read on Goodell
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1374464-roger-goodell-advances-his-legacy-protects-owners-at-the-expense-of-nfl-fans
October 20th, 2012 at 7:25 am
The NFL has gone downhill ever since GODell took over…his “legacy” will go down as the commissioner who killed the golden goose.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:03 am
Are we really supposed to believe that Rams/Packers is of more interest? I might understand if it was Bears-49ers or Giants-Patriots.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:19 am
Goodell has been given way too much power . It is time for him to ride off into the sunset and kiss all of our asses ! He Sucks !
October 20th, 2012 at 9:33 am
It seems like the NFL is going out of their way to desimate the Buc’s fan base. The sell out 85% of the tickets to lift the blackout. Then they decide to show a match up that has no Florida team in it. It looks like the NFL is determined to have every fan base pay to watch their own local team. Why else would they continue down this road?
October 20th, 2012 at 9:40 am
I can’t get too upset about this because the good that comes from so many local fans getting to finally see a game on TV outweighs the idiocy of the Goodell Gestapo.
I still believe this is only a sellout (almost) because of the legions of Whodat Dummies.
Freeman needs to get ready for some noise from our unwelcome visitor fans.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:42 am
Go Home Saints Fans!!!
Go Bucs!!!
October 20th, 2012 at 10:22 am
sw fl is full of bucs fans-fox execs come here from the north-bad decision
October 20th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Fox Sports…..Fair…..Balanced….Unbiased, just like their news dept.!!! We love our Bucs in S.W. Fla. I hope ABC makes a bid on the NFC games in the future!!!
October 20th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Fox Sports…fair…balanced…unbiased…just like their news dept. I hope ABC makes a bid for the NFC games in the future!!!!
October 20th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
I live in the Ft Myers area and I’m driving to the game. I actually have season tickets and go every week.
There is a big Bucs following here and the station played angry messages from callers when they aired another game in 2010 instead of Bucs/Cards.
I guess they never learn.
I’ll be cheering for the Orange. Go Bucs!
October 20th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
I’m kind of dumb when it comes to things like this, But I thought if the game was not blacked out in a given area it was up to the local affiliate which game it wanted to show. Am i wrong with this thinking. I’m driving up anyhow but this suck’s
October 20th, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Ed:
The NFL and Fox/CBS network suits pick what region gets what game(s), sans blackout.
Of course, they weigh input from affiliates if there is an outcry from viewers.
October 20th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
wait a tick, my guide says fox is showing the redskins vs. giants game. i live in sarasota and have the tampa fox feed. whats up with that? are they not showing the bucs game in the actual tampa area as well? if so they better be ready for a huge blow back
October 20th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
How do we contact the NFL? Does Goodell publish his email address? We all need to write the NFL, Fox Sports, and Fox 4 in Fort Myers. This is an abomination. It has always been that blackouts are within 75 miles from the site of the game with “regional coverage, broadcast from more than 75 miles from the site, continuing as per normal. This should be a regionally telecast game for the Fort Myers area. What gives? Frankly, this is bulls**t. I’m about ready to say “f**k the NFL” and watch soccer.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
the FOX 4 Ft Myers station is owned by a company headquartered in Milwaukee. http://m.naplesnews.com/news/2011/aug/16/judy-sylvia-of-growth-coach-conducts-sales-mastery/ In addition to WFTX-TV, Journal Broadcast Group owns and operates 33 radio stations and 12 television stations in 12 states and operates an additional television station under a local marketing agreement. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it is the broadcast business of Journal Communications Inc., a diversified media company with operations in publishing, radio and television broadcasting, interactive media and printing services. Here is info from Naples Daily News.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Journal Broadcast Group
Corporate Headquarters
720 E. Capitol Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Tel: (414) 332-9611
Fax: (414) 967-5596
http://www.journalbroadcastgroup.com/ClickorCall/tabid/1606/Default.aspx
Here is the contact info for the Owner of FOX 4 Ft Myers. No coincidence that the Packers game is on. This is just wrong.
October 21st, 2012 at 1:19 am
They tried this crap week one also….changed last minute after a ton of calls. Apparently Comcast weighed in because customers were threatening to cancel and get direct tv. I live in Naples and I’m freakin livid. How do you not show the regional team on tv?. Wtf!
October 21st, 2012 at 11:16 am
Thanks for letting us know about Fox4 playing the sorry Lambs/GB game over our Bucs game. Hopefully they will flip the game but I doubt it. FOX4 showed all the games so far though they tape delayed an exhibition game in lieu of the national game on Fox once this August. Thanks for informing us Joe, the morons at Fox4 didn’t. The small broadcast link states that it is a NFL dcision but I suspect Fox4 could air it if they chose, one of the @-holes is probably a Packer fan…….
October 21st, 2012 at 11:50 am
Afterthought: the local CBS affiliate in Fort Myers shows the Bucs when they are on CBS and the fins are on Fox. When both Fins and Bucs are on Fox at the same time Fox 4 shows the Bucs (at least they used to). Last week the Chiefs/Bucs aired on WINKTV Fort Myers when FOX4 had the Lambs/Miami even though it is a good guess that the Chiefs are not a huge draw. This leads me to believe that the decision to blackout the Bucs in SW Florida was made by FOX4 and it parent company not the NFL like FOX4 stated on their website, I am guessing the parent company VIP’s are down here for a meeting on Sanibel or in Naples and they want to see THEIR team on THEIR station at the expense of the local viewers. FOX4 sucks……
October 21st, 2012 at 2:50 pm
I will not watch a damn thing on Fox all week now; and I watch them daily for my news. Not this week though I will watch Wink instead! Thanks Fox. Hell Fox supports conservatives like Romney and now I may just vote Obama! Thanks for screwing it for us all FOX!!!!
October 21st, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Beware it’s going to happen again November 11th when we move to CBS because we’re hosting an AFC opponent @ 1pm the same time the Dolphins play and the Dolphins always have priority on CBS.