Television coverage map for Bills vs. Chargers

[Kaz]

It has nothing to do with the Bills not getting respect or the New England game being less exciting. Until proven otherwise, the Patriots are a proven winning team in the league and one that has a/the "face of the league" at QB -- not my opinions, but widely accepted. So, yeah, of course most of the CBS affiliates from coast to coast will pick up the NE/Oak game.

 

Things are the same as they were a quarter of a century ago. For instance, when I was growing up in Central NJ -- right smack in the midst of the Kelly/Thomas/Reed/Smith golden era -- the Bills were on local Philadelphia TV constantly. Certain weeks, the local CBS affiliate in Philly would pick up the Bills/Pats game or Bills/Colts game...and that was when both of those opponents were dreadful. And why do you think that was? I can tell you it had zero to do with the expectations for a fair or intriguing matchup.

 

So let's try to cool our jets in regards to the TV coverage. You can't expect the national affiliates to jump out of their chair after 14 terrible years and two good weeks. As a brilliant man once said, "These things take time."

[Best Player Available]

It has nothing to do with the Bills not getting respect or the New England game being less exciting. Until proven otherwise, the Patriots are a proven winning team in the league and one that has a/the "face of the league" at QB -- not my opinions, but widely accepted. So, yeah, of course most of the CBS affiliates from coast to coast will pick up the NE/Oak game.

 

Things are the same as they were a quarter of a century ago. For instance, when I was growing up in Central NJ -- right smack in the midst of the Kelly/Thomas/Reed/Smith golden era -- the Bills were on local Philadelphia TV constantly. Certain weeks, the local CBS affiliate in Philly would pick up the Bills/Pats game or Bills/Colts game...and that was when both of those opponents were dreadful. And why do you think that was? I can tell you it had zero to do with the expectations for a fair or intriguing matchup.

 

So let's try to cool our jets in regards to the TV coverage. You can't expect the national affiliates to jump out of their chair after 14 terrible years and two good weeks. As a brilliant man once said, "These things take time."

Finally a voice with reason. Thanks!

[plenzmd1]

If we win this week,anyone think we see the Pats* game being flexed to Sunday night?

 

Giants-Eagles that night...my only thought is Brady/Eagles an equal draw, but having NY on Prime Time prolly to big a lure for ratings even if the Gints are 0-5 going in.

 

I would actually like the night game, my flight is Monday morning either way

Edited September 20, 2014 by plenzmd1

[PromoTheRobot]

Keep winning and NBC starts flexing Bills games to prime time.

[CardinalScotts]

yea up around Idaho your getting tenn/cincy ?

[Bills Fan of St Augustine]

I suppose the draw is to see NE and Brady rather than which is the better game. Neither Buffalo nor SD carry much interest nationally. Likewise, the Raiders will always be "the Raiders" and have national interest. Too bad...I'll be at a sports bar for sure, go Bills!

[Just in Atlanta]

Two games don't earn respect, but I agree -- Broadcasters are clueless about the games they broadcast. I never get Bills games here; this should be a good game, no matter who wins.

 

I suppose the draw is to see NE and Brady rather than which is the better game. Neither Buffalo nor SD carry much interest nationally. Likewise, the Raiders will always be "the Raiders" and have national interest. Too bad...I'll be at a sports bar for sure, go Bills!

Chicken and the egg. SD/Buff don't have interest because they're never on. SD is on more than the Bills, as are the wretched Raiders.

[Ohiostyle]

Erie PA getting Browns instead of Bills is a killer for me here in NE Ohio. The only Buffalo station I can pick up over the lake is 23 I think, which is CW. I can get some Canadian stations on a clear day. Anyone got a link to a Canadian viewing map?

Edited September 20, 2014 by Ohiostyle

[MyHorseAteTheKid]

I'm in northern Saratoga County and covered by the Albany, NY area... I'll be in a local pub enjoying wings, a few brews and Sunday ticket... GO BILLS!!!!

[Kaz]

Chicken and the egg. SD/Buff don't have interest because they're never on. SD is on more than the Bills, as are the wretched Raiders.

Well, there is a reason the Bills and Chargers aren't in national and primetime spots all the time, right? The Patriots weren't a coast-to-coast phenomenon when Hugh Millen was quarterback. Your franchise gets a national following after you've established yourself as a legitimate, perennial contender and/or champion. It doesn't just happen at the whim of the networks.

[machine gun kelly]

Denver and Seattle late in wny? Bills fans should be much more interested in KC and Miami

 

This is the game of the week with Denver / Seattle. KC sucks. Why wouldn't the public want to see the rematch of the SB especially with SD beating the Hawks. I can't wait to see it.

 

Agreed on NE game. It's the same down here in Tampa. NE is going to crush Oakland. That is boring. See the TR night Tampa game. That was abysmal. Especially as the Bucs are my second team.

 

Also, I'd rather see two games at 4 pm as the Arizona (2-0) against the 49ers is going to be awesome.

 

Final point, dude go to a bar. That's what I'm doing as this is the first time I don't have the ticket. People are just skeptical of the Bills as they have come out fast before and crapped the bed. People do not trust EJ yet to be a winning team. I know this is a much more talented and tougher team than in the past. Hopefully, we convincingly handle the Chargers, and we will start to become a story. We'll then need to beat the Texans next week, and then we will be on NFL Network, ESPN, NFL Radio, and so on.

 

Guaranteed if we come out 5-0 hosting NE, it will be the ga,e of the week. BTW- everyone will still pick the Patsies. I don't care. I want every team to overlook us. I could care less about media respect.

 

19-0 Baby! Go Bills!

[Just in Atlanta]

Well, there is a reason the Bills and Chargers aren't in national and primetime spots all the time, right? The Patriots weren't a coast-to-coast phenomenon when Hugh Millen was quarterback. Your franchise gets a national following after you've established yourself as a legitimate, perennial contender and/or champion. It doesn't just happen at the whim of the networks.

...Which is clearly the Raiders.

 

TV is about entertainment. Watching a "perennial contender" play in a mismatch is not entertainment ... unless you're a diehard fan of that team playing. Broadcasters are clueless, lazy, and predictable. Bills/Chargers will likely be a far more entertaining game than a ¼ of the ones broadcasted.

 

In Atlanta, which is obviously NFC South territory, I get AFC Steelers games nearly every week. Sorry, watching the Steelers and Ravens (historically) carve out 12-9 sludge fests is not fun.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Just in Atlanta

[Kaz]

...Which is clearly the Raiders.

 

TV is about entertainment. Watching a "perennial contender" play in a mismatch is not entertainment ... unless you're a diehard fan of that team playing. Broadcasters are clueless, lazy, and predictable. Bills/Chargers will likely be a far more entertaining game than a ¼ of the ones broadcasted.

 

In Atlanta, which is obviously NFC South territory, I get AFC Steelers games nearly every week. Sorry, watching the Steelers and Ravens (historically) carve out 12-9 sludge fests is not fun.

Raiders have zero to do with this equation. Though I'd argue that they are as much of an NFL brand as any other team. Anyhow, we've gotta remember that the masses are asses and most of the "I've got this guy on my fantasy team" population doesn't even know that Bills/Chargers is a more intriguing or potentially entertaining game. But, they know Tom Brady and they know by now that the Pats are usually good. Not saying it's right, but that's how it is.

[Campy]

I love those maps, because you always get that bizarre out-of-the-way part of the country that gets a game for no discernible rhyme or reason.

 

Like eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle, getting for the early CBS game...Tennessee at Cincinnati? What?

I

 

I think they're cool to look at, too.

 

And Richmond, Va, with Baltimore only 3 hours away, is getting Giants-Texans as opposed to Ravens-Browns. Makes zero sense to me.

[The Dean]

Beat me to it, as per usual.

 

Looking at that map, I was thinking....there must be like one dude, named George, from Cincy/Tenn that runs the 1 CBS affiliate for that area, who wants this game. Basically he has his own DirecTV. Got his Bengals jersey on, six pack ready to go, all by himself in the one-room TV station. Let's Go Bengals!

 

Seriously, I thought each local, non-designated "home market" TV station had some say in what game they show each week, since they buy the games from the network(sorta). I've heard of people merely calling up and bitching to the local affiliate/cable company, and if nobody else cares, they show the game you want. So perhaps these Nother Idaho/Eastern Washington/Western Montana people are wiser than we thought: they saw this NE/OAK clunker coming, and opted for the better game?

 

 

 

Or....there's always a Bills Backers club/Sports Bar.

 

However, be careful which Sports bar you choose. There tend to be no shortage of d-bags, especially d-bags who are losing bets against the Bills, because they don't know the aggregate history of the Bills beating the spread.

 

Actually nothing like buying, actually.

 

 

It's usually because a key player in the game played his college ball in that area. We used to get Chargers games all the time in Central North Carolina because Philip Rivers came out of NC State.

 

A local affiliate may have a particular interest in a certain team. [When Joe Montana went to the Chiefs, I fought with NBC (they carried the AFC at the time) to let us carry the KC matchup if we had been assigned another out-of-market game. We were compelled by NFL rules to show any SF or Oakland game we were assigned---and of course it would have been moronic to not carry those.] In those cases, they can request to have a different game assigned by the network. In a large market, that could be an issue. The networks sell ad time (as do their owned stations) and attempt to estimate the coverage of every particular game. A large market changing games might disrupt those estimates. Plus there is ego involved. Network execs tend to be fairly arrogant and don't like their decisions questioned. But if a station can make a compelling case (especially if the market is so small the network really doesn't care all that much) they can get an alternative game.

 

With that said, NE/Pats seems like a particularly poor choice for a national game.

[Fadingpain]

It has nothing to do with the Bills not getting respect or the New England game being less exciting. Until proven otherwise, the Patriots are a proven winning team in the league and one that has a/the "face of the league" at QB -- not my opinions, but widely accepted. So, yeah, of course most of the CBS affiliates from coast to coast will pick up the NE/Oak game.

 

Things are the same as they were a quarter of a century ago. For instance, when I was growing up in Central NJ -- right smack in the midst of the Kelly/Thomas/Reed/Smith golden era -- the Bills were on local Philadelphia TV constantly. Certain weeks, the local CBS affiliate in Philly would pick up the Bills/Pats game or Bills/Colts game...and that was when both of those opponents were dreadful. And why do you think that was? I can tell you it had zero to do with the expectations for a fair or intriguing matchup.

 

So let's try to cool our jets in regards to the TV coverage. You can't expect the national affiliates to jump out of their chair after 14 terrible years and two good weeks. As a brilliant man once said, "These things take time."

 

You realize your entire thesis here is painfully obvious and nothing particularly enlightening, right?

 

The fact of the matter is that the Bills/Chargers game is likely to be a much more closely fought and interesting affair than the NE/Raiders game.

 

The fact that the NE/Raiders game is the "national" telecast for most of the country speaks to a variety of factors, none of which has anything to do with watching a good football game.

 

No offense man, but you come across like a guy with an IQ lower than room temperature.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Stopthepain

[PearlHowardman]

The Bills/Chargers game here in Syracuse, today!

 

I wonder which game was on in Binghamton-Elmira.