Bally Sports San Diego
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Network | Fox Sports Networks |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English Spanish (via SAP) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Fox Entertainment Group (21st Century Fox) (80%) San Diego Padres (20%) |
Fox Sports San Diego is an American regional sports network that is owned as a joint venture between Fox Cable Networks, a unit of the Fox Entertainment Group division of 21st Century Fox (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the San Diego Padres (which owns the remaining 20% stake),[2] and operates as an affiliate of Fox Sports Networks.
The channel broadcasts local coverage of sports events within the San Diego market. Fox Sports San Diego is available on cable providers throughout San Diego County, neighboring Imperial County, as well as the Coachella and Las Vegas Valleys, Southern Arizona and Hawaii; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV. Within the San Diego market, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable provide an alternate Spanish play-by-play feed during Padres games via a second audio program feed from the team's Spanish radio network.
History
The network was established after Fox Sports reached a 20-year broadcast agreement for the regional cable television rights to carry games from the San Diego Padres Major League Baseball franchise, displacing previous rights holder 4SD, a local cable channel owned by Cox Communications. Henry Ford, an executive who previously ran operations at Fox's regional sports networks in Detroit and Ohio, was appointed as president and general manager of Fox Sports San Diego.[3]
Fox Sports San Diego launched on March 17, 2012, with a San Diego Padres spring training game against the Kansas City Royals.[1] The network started operations with a minimal presence and no dedicated editing facilities or studio; during its first season, Padres game broadcasts were produced from a high-definition production truck inherited from 4SD. Pre-game and post-game shows were also produced from the same truck, and broadcast from a semi-permanent stage in the "Park at the Park" area of Petco Park, using a set inspired by a similar staging area used by Fox for major sports events televised nationally. Resources have been shared with other FSN outlets – editing facilities were initially based out of Los Angeles, and master control is co-located alongside Fox's other regional sports networks at a facility near Houston, Texas.[4]
Programming
San Diego Padres
The network was created as a result of the Padres and Fox Sports signing a 20-year broadcast deal, in which Fox would pay $28 million for rights in the first year and would likely escalate topping out at a potential $75 million in the final year of the contract.[3] The commentary team of Dick Enberg and Mark Grant remained intact upon the move to the new network, as they are employed by the Padres themselves.[4]
Other sports
Professional
In addition to the Padres, the channel airs telecasts of professional sports teams (with the exception of baseball) from the neighboring Los Angeles-Orange County market, including the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers and the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, simulcasting those televised games by its sister network Fox Sports Prime Ticket. Until the team folded in 2014, the network also carried simulcasts of MLS' Chivas USA games from Prime Ticket for the 2012 MLS Season.[2] As of 2016, the channel serves as the TV partner of the Ducks' AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls.
College
Fox Sports San Diego has also been engaged in discussions with many of the area's college athletic programs including the University of San Diego, San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego, California State University, San Marcos and Point Loma Nazarene;[3] and Los Angeles area universities including UCLA and the University of Southern California.[2]
Notable on-air staff
Current
- Julie Alexandria – Padres sideline reporter
- Andy Ashby – Padres Live guest analyst
- Dick Enberg – Padres play-by-play announcer and Cup of Coffee host (Retiring after 2016 Season)
- Mark Grant – Padres color commentator
- Steve Hartman – radio host for Fox Sports Radio station KLSD (1360 AM)
- Trevor Hoffman – Padres Live guest analyst
- Mark Loretta – Padres Live guest analyst
- Michelle Margaux – Padres POV host and backup Padres sideline reporter
- Don Orsillo – secondary Padres play-by-play announcer (will replace Enberg permamently in 2017)[5]
- Mike Pomeranz – Padres Live host and #SDLive host
- Mark Sweeney – Padres Live analyst and backup Padres color commentator
Former
- Kris Budden – Padres sideline reporter (2014 to 2015)
- Kelly Crull – Padres Weekly host and backup Padres sideline reporter (2013; now anchor/reporter for Comcast SportsNet Chicago)
- Tony Gwynn – Padres color commentator (2012 to 2013; deceased)
- Andy Masur – backup Padres play-by-play announcer (2012; now radio host on WGN in Chicago)
- Britt McHenry – Padres sideline reporter (2012; now reporter for ESPN)
- Laura McKeeman – Padres sideline reporter, backup Padres Live host, and #SDLive co-host (2013; now host/reporter for CNN)
- Megan Olivi – Padres POV host and Padres social media correspondent (2013; now UFC host/correspondent/reporter)
- Kate Osborne – Padres POV host and backup Padres sideline reporter (2014)
- Leila Rahimi – Padres sideline reporter (2012; now host/anchor/reporter for Comcast SportsNet Chicago)
- Ally Sturm – Padres POV host and backup Padres sideline reporter (2015)
- Mike Janela – Padres Social Hour host (2016)
Availability
Cox Communications and DirecTV have carried the channel since its launch.[2][6] Initially, DirecTV only carried Fox Sports San Diego as a part-time feed for live game broadcasts; it later added the dedicated, 24-hour feed on April 1, 2013.[7] AT&T U-verse reached a carriage deal in September 2012, on the final day of the Padres regular season. Dish Network reached an agreement to carry Fox Sports San Diego on February 7, 2013, adding the channel to its lineup two months later on April 1.[8]
Of the five major television providers serving the San Diego region, Time Warner Cable (which serves roughly 22% of the market)[9] was a notable holdout in carrying the network on launch;[8] by contrast, during the Padres' later tenure with the channel, TWC did carry 4SD (which was also, by contrast, not offered by U-verse or on satellite providers, leading to complaints filed by AT&T to the Federal Communications Commission that eventually led to the removal of the "terrestrial loophole" in 2010).[10] In March 2013, the San Diego City Council held a hearing approving a symbolic resolution pressuring Fox and Time Warner Cable to reach a deal by the opening of the 2013 season, citing "the importance of professional baseball in San Diego."[11] On February 10, 2014, Fox announced that it had finally reached an agreement with TWC to carry Fox Sports San Diego; the provider began carrying the channel on March 30, 2014, in time for the 2014 season.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Channel Finder". Fox Sports San Diego.
- ^ a b c d Jay Posner (February 16, 2012). "Fox Sports San Diego to launch in March". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c "MAFFEI: Fox Sports San Diego is close to being reality". North County Times. MLIM Holdings. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Jason Dachman (May 11, 2012). "Fox Sports' San Diego Startup Operates Entire Network Out of One Truck". Sports Video Group. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Don Orsillo begins new chapter with Padres". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ "PADRES: Fox Sports San Diego ready to launch". North County Times. MLIM Holdings. March 7, 2012.
- ^ "FSSD Launches Full-Time on DIRECTV April 1". Fox Sports San Diego. February 27, 2013.
- ^ a b "Dish deal leaves TWC as lone Padres holdout". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. February 7, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ a b "Finally, Padres make it onto Time Warner". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. February 10, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ "FCC throws Cox a curve on Padres". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. January 21, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ "No sign of Fox Sports, Time Warner Padres TV deal". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. March 26, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.