YES Network

Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network

File:YES Network.jpg
Type	Regional cable television network
Country	United States
Availability	NY metro area; nationwide
Owner	Yankee Global Enterprises LLC, Goldman Sachs
Launch date	March 19, 2002
Official website	YESNetwork.com

The Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network is a New York City regional cable TV channel dedicated to broadcasting baseball games of the New York Yankees and basketball games of the New Jersey Nets. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002. The channel is available in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and parts of Pennsylvania and nationally on DirecTV.

Founding

YES was the product of a 1999 merger of the business operation of the Yankees and Nets, into a holding company called YankeeNets. One of the reasons that the teams merged was to give them better leverage over their own broadcast rights, with the belief that they would get a better deal if they negotiated the rights to both teams together. Two years earlier Cablevision, who at the time owned the Nets' broadcast home SportsChannel New York (now Fox Sports Net New York), became the sole owner to the television rights of all seven MLB, NBA and NHL teams in the New York market when they acquired the competing Madison Square Garden Network, which had the Yankees broadcast rights since 1989. This led to monopoly-like tactics, including the shift of some games to MSG Metro Channels, which had very limited distribution because Cablevision, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable routinely fought over carriage deals. Cablevision attempted to buy the Yankees outright, but could not agree to acceptable terms with George Steinbrenner and his partners.

YankeeNets discussed multiple options with potential partners to either stay with Cablevision or start their own network. The ultimate decision was to start their own network, ending the five year monopoly that Cablevision had held on local New York sports. The Yankees' success in the late-1990s was a key factor in the decision, as they had become a much more valuable brand than ever before.

Ownership

File:YESNetworklogo.JPG

Former Logo (2001-2005).

When YES launched, Goldman Sachs owned a minority share of the network. In late 2003, the Yankees and Nets decided to part ways, with the Nets being sold to a group led by real-estate developer Bruce Ratner. In 2004, YankeeNets was renamed Yankee Global Enterprises LLC, which owns the Yankees and YES as separate companies. Therefore, the Yankees technically do not own YES. The Yankees, however, receive a rights fee from YES that is somewhat higher than MSG previously paid. Thus, the Yankees as a team may not be profitable even though Yankee Global possibly is.

Headquarters

The YES Network offices are based at the Chrysler Building in Manhattan. Yankees and Nets pre- and post-game shows are produced in studios that are located in Stamford, Connecticut. [1] It has been speculated that YES may move its studios to the New Yankee Stadium in 2009.

Sports coverage

Yankees

YES airs most Yankees games and a number of spring training games. YES also produces Yankee broadcasts for WWOR using the same on-air talent as well as the same graphics from YES. From 2002-2004, the broadcast games aired on WCBS-TV. YES also produces the Yankees radio broadcasts, currently airing in English on WCBS-AM and in Spanish on WKDM (the Spanish feed is simulcast on YES as secondary audio). YES occasionally produces pregame and postgame shows for Yankees games not aired on YES, usually for games against major rivals and postseason games.

Nets

YES airs most Nets games and all first and second round playoff games and 2 preseason games. When there is a Yankees conflict on YES the Nets usally move to a broadcast channel. YES produces the games for those channels using the same on-air talent as well as the same graphics from YES. From 2003-2005, those games were on WLNY, and in 2006, they were on WWOR. No announcement has been made about the Nets' broadcast home for the stretch run for the 2006-07 NBA season.

Giants

YES carries Giants-related programming including kids programming to shows analyzing the Giants latest games.

College sports

YES carries Big East (produced by ESPN Plus) and Ivy League (produced by YES) confrence sports. YES airs football and basketball games.

Minor League Baseball

Since the network's debut, YES has aired select cablecasts of the Yankees' minor league teams: the Yankees' former Class-AAA team, the Columbus Clippers of the International League, and the Class-A (short season) Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League.

Clippers games were locally produced in Columbus, Ohio. After the 2006 season, the Yankees ended their affiliation with the Clippers, and will be affiliated with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (formerly Red Barons) beginning in 2007. It is unknown if Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankee games will be shown on YES, and who would be responsible for producing them. Staten Island Yankee games are produced by YES, using the same graphics and talent as the major league Yankee games.

In 2004, YES cablecasted a game from the Yankees' Class-AA team, the Trenton Thunder, when Derek Jeter was on a injury rehabilitation assignment.

File:IDYES2002.jpg

YES Network ID, 2002.

YES programming

Baseball programming

• Behind the Plate - looks at baseball viewpoint of the two former catchers, debuting in 2007[2]
• Tales of Triumph – stories about memorable Yankees victories
• Yankeeography - a biography program focusing on notable current and former Yankees players
• Yankees Baseball – live game telecast
• Yankees Batting Practice Today - expansion of the Yankees pregame show showing batting practice
• Yankees Classics - classic Yankees games from past seasons and the current season
• Yankees Encore – replay of the latest Yankees game
• Yankees Hot Stove – looks at baseball’s off-season from the Yankees perspective
• Yankees Magazine - Yankees coverage, interviews, and stories
• Yankees Pre and Post Game Show - latest news, scores and highlights before and after each game

Basketball programming

• Nets Basketball – live game telecast
• Nets Magazine - Nets coverage, interviews, and stories
• Nets Pre and Post Game Show - latest news, scores and highlights before and after each game.

Football programming

• Giants on Deck - kids' football education and coverage focused on the giants
• Giants Online - roundtable discussion of the Giants and the NFL with Giants’ beat reporters
• Giants Training Camp Report - covers the Giants as they prepare for the upcoming season
• This Week in Football - a NFL highlights and analysis program

YES original programming

• Boston vs. New York Poker Challenge - a poker tournament between Yankee fans against Boston Red Sox fans.
• CenterStage - an interview program hosted with sports and entertainment figures
• Kids on Deck - kids' baseball education and coverage focused on the Yankees
• Mike and the Mad Dog, a video simulcast of the popular WFAN radio show
• Yankees-Steiner: Memories of the Game – show that shows collectables from the Yankees and around the world of sports
• YES' Ultimate Road Trip – which combines elements of The Real World and Road Rules as it follows four Yankee fans throughout an entire 162-game season
• Yogi and a Movie –sports movies and commentary

Other Programing

YES broadcasts NBA TV's daily news and fantasy basketball shows (usually a rebroadcast, but occasionally live in the early AM drive hours) and The Marv Albert Show. YES also shows the 1970s CBS high school basketball drama series The White Shadow, which also airs on NBA TV.

YES also broadcasts notable Yankees and Nets press conferences live, including those of free-agent signees Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Andy Pettite, and Kei Igawa; of trade acquirees Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez; and the announcement of Derek Jeter being named team captain. On August 16, 2006, YES covered the groundbreaking ceremony for the New Yankee Stadium, which is scheduled to open in April 2009. YES also aired the naming ceremony for the Nets' planned area in Brooklyn, to be known as Barclays Center, and scheduled to open in Fall 2009.

Relationships with New York Giants and Manchester United

In 2000, YankeeNets engaged in a marketing agreement with the New York Giants of the National Football League. This relationship has resulted in exclusive Giants programming on YES, including Giants Online and Giants on Deck, which have remained on the air after the YankeeNets breakup. YankeeNets also had a similar relationship with British football club Manchester United. YES formerly broadcasted taped delayed and classic United games produced by the team's MUTV in the network's earlier days.

On air personalities

Current personalities

• Marv Albert (2005–present) - lead play-by-play broadcaster for Nets games
• Tiki Barber (2003–present) - host of Giants on Deck
• Michelle Beadle (2005–present) - host, YES' Ultimate Road Trip; correspondent, Kids on Deck
• Keith Byars (2003–present) - analyst This Week in Football
• Tim Capstraw (2004–present) - Nets game analyst
• Chris Carrino (2005–present) - anternate play-by-play bradcaster for Nets games(employed by WFAN}
• Howard Cross (2003–present) - analyst of This Week in Football
• Gordon Damer (2005–present) - fill-in studio host
• Ian Eagle (2002–present) - alternate play-by-play broadcaster for Nets games; host of Nets Magazine
• Mike Francesa (2002e–present) - co-host of Mike and the Mad Dog (employed by WFAN/paid additional salarey by YES}
• John Flaherty (2006–present) - Yankees sideline reporter and game/studio analyst; co-host of Behind the Plate
• Joe Girardi (2007–present) - Yankees sideline reporter and game/studio analyst; co-host of Behind the Plate
• Mark Jackson (2005–present) - Nets game analyst
• Kimberly Jones (2005–present) - Yankees clubhouse reporter
• David Justice (2005–present) - Yankees studio analyst; host of Kids on Deck
• Michael Kay (2002–present) - lead play-by-play broadcaster for Yankees games; host of CenterStage
• Al Leiter (2006–present) - Yankees game/studio analyst
• Bob Lorenz (2002–present)- lead studio host; host This Week in Football; host Yankees Hot Stove
• Bobby Murcer (2001–present) - Yankees game analyst
• Gary Myers (2003–present) – analyst This Week in Football
• Nancy Newman (2005–present) - fill-in studio host and reporter; host Yankees Magazine
• Paul O'Neill (2001–present) - Yankees game/studio analyst
• Bob Papa (2003–present) - host of Giants Online
• Larry Pasquale (2003–present) - analyst This Week in Football
• Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo (2002–present) - co-host of Mike and the Mad Dog(employed by WFAN/paid additional salarey by YES}
• Chris Shearn (2002–present) - producer/on-air wrap-around host of Mike and the Mad Dog; host of Yankees Batting Practice Today; sideline reporter for college game broadcasts
• Ken Singleton (2002–present) - Yankees game analyst
• Jim Spanarkel (2004–present) - Nets game/studio analyst
• John Sterling (2002–present) - host of Yankeeography and Yankees Classics
• Tom Verducci (2003–present) - analyst Yankees Hot Stove

Former on air personalities

• Leslie Boghosian (2002–2006) - studio host/reporter
• David Cone (2002–2003)- Yankees game analyst (2002; left to join the New York Mets in 2003 before retiring as a baseball player)
• Fred Hickman (2002–2004) - studio host (now with ESPN)
• Jim Kaat - (2002–2006) Yankees game analyst (now retired from broadcasting)
• Charley Steiner(2002–2004) - occasional host of Yankees-related programs (now a radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Kelly Tripucka (2003–2005) - Nets game analyst (now a scout for the New York Knicks)
• Suzyn Waldman (2002–2004) - Yankees clubhouse reporter (now a color commentator for YES-produced Yankees radio broadcasts on WCBS radio)

Bob Sheppard

Since the launch of YES in 2002, the voice of longtime Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard has been featured in station IDs and upcoming schedules.

Controversy

A dispute over being carried by Cablevision, who attempted to purchase the Yankees in 1998 and carried the team's games on MSG Network, at the time of the channel's launch led to a year without Yankee games for all Cablevision subscribers until New York State's government stepped in and negotiated a temporary deal. The two sides eventually signed a long-term carriage contract in 2004. Ironically, when MSG first signed its TV deal with the Yankees, Cablevision (which owned Sports Channel New York) and MSG also had a lengthy carriage dispute.

Dish Network remains the only cable or satellite provider in the New York City area not to carry YES, and has indicated that it will not offer YES unless YES asks for a lower subscription fee. [3] YES, however, has a most favored nations clause with all of its cable and satellite operators. If YES lowered its price for one operator, it would void all other contracts. Ironically, YES minority owner Goldman Sachs also has an ownership stake in Dish Network parent Echostar.

In 2003, now-former Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer said some negative things in the media about owner George Steinbrenner. In response, Steinbrenner is rumored to have ordered YES not to show Zimmer on camera during its Yankee cablecasts. [4]

During the 2005 season, local New York newspapers reported that the post-game questions asked to Yankees manager Joe Torre by reporter Kimberly Jones were being sent to her by top-level team executives (quite possibly on directives from Steinbrenner), and that Torre did not feel comfortable answering them. For the 2006 season, Torre, who had been paid a fee by YES to be interviewed after each Yankees game since the network's inception, did not have a post game interview specifically for the YES Network. YES must now send its reporter to his regular session with other media outlets.

YES Network HD

In September 2005, YES introduced a high definition version of the network, available through RCN, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Cablevision among other providers. All Yankees and Nets home games televised by YES are offered in high definition, as well as selected road games. Games on WWOR-TV previously were not available in high definition because that station did not have an HD feed, before September 2006. In April, 2006 YES will start broadcasting all studio shows in HD.

Trivia

• During every Yankee home game telecast on YES and WWOR, the performance of God Bless America, preceded by a patriotic speech by Bob Sheppard is shown, before going to commercial break.
• When the network launched in 2002, the domain http://yesnetwork.com was registered by a seminar training company called the Yes! Network. YES temporarily used the domain http://yesnetworktv.com, before making a deal with the Yes! Network, who moved to the new domain http://yesmidwest.com.
• Early in the 2006 season, website design and maintenance of yesnetwork.com was taken over by MLB, who operates websites from other team-owned regional sports networks including the Mets' SportsNet New York, the Indians' SportsTime Ohio and the Orioles and Nationals' MASN.
• During the 2006 baseball season, YES ran promos that the network is the highest rated regional sports network in the country. The claim does not account that the NYC market is the largest in the country, so the highest rated regional sports network would likely come from New York. In fact, Boston Red Sox games on NESN, despite a significantly smaller viewing area than YES, got higher ratings for baseball in 2006 than Yankees games on YES. However, a YES promo saying that it is New York's only "Year round regional sports network" is theoretically true, since none of its rivals have live major pro sports from both the winter season (NBA and NHL) and summer (MLB).
• On air promos for CenterStage end with the guest saying, "Only on YES.". This tagline is rarely used for any other on air promos on the network.

External links

• Official Site
• LyngSat entry