Comcast SportsNet Northwest's General Manager, David Manougian and sports columnist, John Canzano testified Wednesday before the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Governor Accountability
BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- Coverage of the state’s biggest sports franchise, the Portland Trail Blazers, was the sole topic of conversation at the final House Consumer Protection Committee’s hearing Wednesday afternoon.
The informational meeting was held to allow discussion from interested parties on the controversy of Comcast SportsNet’s Trail Blazer coverage. The meeting drew testimony from the Sports Fan Coalition, Comcast SportsNet, and John Canzano, one of the state’s most influential sports writers.
The controversy erupted after the Trail Blazers entered into agreement with Comcast SportsNet to locally broadcast all of the team’s games on either that channel or on KGW, Portland’s NBC affiliate. Tempers began to flare when locals not in an area to receive Comcast cable were no longer able to watch the Blazers games at home.
Canzano spoke of his experience with Blazers fans, “I hear it more than I hear about Brandon Roy, or Greg Oden, or the Ducks, or the Beavers. I hear Comcast. Every day I get an e-mail from somebody who can’t get it.”
General Manager from Comcast SportsNet Northwest, David Manougian, assured fans that Comcast did recognize the fans’ disappointment in not being able to watch games. He also testified to the committee that Comcast has and is trying to engage in negotiations with other television providers to offer the channel for a wider viewership.
“DirectTV has been unwilling to engage in meaningful negotiations to carry Comcast SportsNet and we cannot force them to buy our network,” said Manougian. “We can only surmise that they do not have an interest in Comcast SportsNet, and our Blazers or Ducks and our other programming.”
Members of the committee were hesitant about whether the Legislature could do anything considering it was primarily an issue of contract but Rep. Jefferson Smith, D-Portland, pointed out that there may be a place for the legislature in this fight.
“There is a role for us [the Legislature] to ask the kind of question this raises and if there is nothing an Oregon Legislature can do, then who does,” he stated after mentioning government involvement in antitrust exemptions, intellectual property protections, and stadium subsidies.
While Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, noted that the informational meeting may not have been a bad idea, he did admit that with the state of the economy, this may not be the best time to be discussing the issue.
“It is slightly aggravating to me to see us taking up legislative time on contract issues instead of focusing on what we can actually do something about which is to try to stimulate the economy,” said Wingard.
OP Video Interviews
Comcast Sports Group’s Tim Fitzpatrick
Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville
Rep. Jefferson Smith, D-Portland
Full Length Video Testimonies and Q&A
Comcast SportsNet’s David Manougian (Testimony)
Comcast SportsNet’s David Manougian (Q&A part 1)
Comcast SportsNet’s David Manougian(Q&A part 2)
The Oregonian’s John Canzano (Testimony)
The Oregonian’s John Canzano (Q&A)
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