BRISTOL, PA. (MAY 21, 2011)–Ring of Honor Wrestling owner, Cary Silkin, announced today the sale of the promotion to Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest television broadcasters in the country and which owns and operates, programs, or provides sales services to 58 television stations in 35 markets across the United States.
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The month of September will see the debut of the new Ring of Honor television program which will be syndicated across the Sinclair network of stations.
This seems like a better venue for them than HDNet, I guess. Though being sold rather than making a deal to air the program seems like a big step.
Sinclair has a much deserved reputation for being incredibly cheap to the point of hurting on-air quality. Their St. Louis ABC affiliate was one of the few major market stations on the network not to have a local newscast until the NBC affiliate started producing one for them a few months back. Syndicated episodes of The Simpsons are already chopped up from their original run (as most syndie shows are,) but they've ordered engineers to "find more room" by cutting random scenes; you'll occasionally see odd dissolves and missing jokes, and the 6:30 episode will run from 6:27 to 6:52 to allow for close to eight minutes of uninterrupted commercials leading up to primetime. A former engineer once told me about their conversion to HD and how pathetically cheap the entire operation was. St. Louis is one of their most prime examples of suck, but it's not too incredible of an outlier.
What this means for ROH is hard to say, but I wouldn't expect an infusion of cash into the budget.
Their Des Moines station is so bad, they have yet to switch from mono to stereo audio for non Fox HD broadcasting (and the only reason we have Fox HD is because Fox put a receiver in their transmitter site that bypasses their master control).
Pathetic company. An embarrassment to broadcasting.
Originally posted by Mr Heel IITheir Des Moines station is so bad, they have yet to switch from mono to stereo audio for non Fox HD broadcasting (and the only reason we have Fox HD is because Fox put a receiver in their transmitter site that bypasses their master control).
Pathetic company. An embarrassment to broadcasting.
(edited by Mr Heel II on 21.5.11 1730)
I can attest to this. Also, they are seemingly in constant conflict with cable and satellite providers. Seems like every other year, there is a threat of blackout.
Is TV even that important anymore? Seems like the type of audience that ROH would attract would be the same type that catches stuff online. Wake me up when they get on Hulu, or something.
In October 2004, it was reported that Sinclair would order all 62 of its affiliate stations to preempt prime time programming to air Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, a documentary critical of U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activism, just two weeks before the November 2 election. [3] The film was produced by Carlton Sherwood, a former associate of Tom Ridge, and accuses John Kerry of prolonging the Vietnam War because of his anti-war activism. The organization Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an anti-Kerry organization whose name become well known in the 2004 election year, was cross-promoting the film as part of a $1.4 million advertising campaign. [4] In response, the Democratic National Committee filed a legal motion with the Federal Election Commission stating that it is inappropriate for the media organization to air "partisan propaganda" in the last 10 days of an election campaign. [5]
In November 2010, it was reported that five Fox affiliates and one ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair broadcasted an infomercial critical of President Barack Obama, Breaking Point: 25 Minutes that will Change America, which was sponsored by the National Republican Trust Political Action Group.[4] The infomercial painted Obama as an extremist, in which, during the 2008 presidential campaign, claimed he received some campaign money from the Hamas terrorist group, and claimed to have said in a speech, "You want freedom? You’re gonna have to kill some crackers! You gonna have to kill some of those babies." The special also discusses Obama advisers Van Jones and John Holdren, as well as Obama staff Anita Dunn, Kevin Jennings, Carol Browner, and Cass Sunstein -- all in an unflattering light; in one case, the special claimed that Holdren said that trees should be permitted to sue humans in court. The infomercial aired at various times during the weekend of October 30 on WMSN-TV Madison, Wisconsin; KBSI Cape Girardeau, Missouri; WDKY-TV Lexington, Kentucky; WPGH-TV Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; KDSM-TV Des Moines, Iowa and WXLV-TV Winston-Salem, North Carolina -- all in swing states vital to the 2010 elections.[5][6]
So, Jay Lethal will be an Obama rip-off instead a Macho Man one and turn heel. I don't see this being a deal for ROH, but I don't know their bank account or the deal, so who knows?
Wonder if that means my local FOX or ABC will get the ROH programming. Sinclair own both those stations here. I'd totally, yes totally, be grateful to see ROH on a more regular basis.
Originally posted by CRZI am excited to have ROH return to weekly television!
...and I'm glad that Sinclair will have ROH's programming available online to viewers worldwide. That's something the WWE refuses to do.
To be fair to WWE, it's not so much "WWE refuses to do so" as it is "WWE are unable to do so due to contractual obligations with international television partners". For ROH, not so much of a problem.
"they've ordered engineers to "find more room" by cutting random scenes; you'll occasionally see odd dissolves and missing jokes, and the 6:30 episode will run from 6:27 to 6:52 to allow for close to eight minutes of uninterrupted commercials leading up to primetime."
---happens a lot at broadcast stations, even in radio, certainly not only at Sinclair.
"Also, they are seemingly in constant conflict with cable and satellite providers. Seems like every other year, there is a threat of blackout."
---cable and satellite providers aren't exactly saints, there's always two evils tangoing on these deals.
"In October 2004, it was reported that Sinclair would order all 62 of its affiliate stations to preempt prime time programming to air Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal...part of a $1.4 million advertising campaign."
---Bingo! Over a million dollars spent on this, a very good chunk sent to Sinclair, which made considerably more money running this than their prime time lineup in those markets. In an industry that is still running 30 minute ads for Kevin Trudeau's utter garbage, what can you expect.
Not defending Sinclair, which has plenty of baggage to pick at, but these are very explainable.
Sports Director Neuhoff Media Danville, IL
WDAN - K-ROCK - D-102
Announcer for Heritage Wrestling Television
Interim CEO Heritage Wrestling Coalition
Is TV even that important anymore? Seems like the type of audience that ROH would attract would be the same type that catches stuff online. Wake me up when they get on Hulu, or something.
Yes, TV does matter. I'm one of those that never searches for wrestling, but if I know when and where it is on the dial then I'll make an effort.
Originally posted by I Breastfeed John MaddenIs TV even that important anymore? Seems like the type of audience that ROH would attract would be the same type that catches stuff online. Wake me up when they get on Hulu, or something.
The shows will also be on the ROH website, so the internet audience is covered.
Originally posted by CRZI am excited to have ROH return to weekly television!
...and I'm glad that Sinclair will have ROH's programming available online to viewers worldwide. That's something the WWE refuses to do.
To be fair to WWE, it's not so much "WWE refuses to do so" as it is "WWE are unable to do so due to contractual obligations with international television partners". For ROH, not so much of a problem.
I call shenanigans on that. Superstars isn't broadcast in the US anymore - it's on their website. Why can't Canadians view then since WGN won't air it? That was our original way to see it, and now...nothing?
Originally posted by CRZI am excited to have ROH return to weekly television!
This. Not only that, but Sinclair owns one station in my market and has a "licensing and programming" deal with another station in my market. This means that for the first time ever I'll likely be able to watch ROH on something other than DVD.
Originally posted by CRZI am excited to have ROH return to weekly television!
...and I'm glad that Sinclair will have ROH's programming available online to viewers worldwide. That's something the WWE refuses to do.
To be fair to WWE, it's not so much "WWE refuses to do so" as it is "WWE are unable to do so due to contractual obligations with international television partners". For ROH, not so much of a problem.
I call shenanigans on that. Superstars isn't broadcast in the US anymore - it's on their website. Why can't Canadians view then since WGN won't air it? That was our original way to see it, and now...nothing?
I can only speak to what the situation is in my own country, which is Superstars and NXT are still aired on Sky TV, which precludes WWE from airing their shows via alternative means.
When Velocity and Heat were made into web-only shows, they were initially available on their website here as well until they were reminded by Sky of the terms of their deal and WWE don't really want to piss off their only feasible means of distribution in (arguably) their biggest non-North American market.
What's Ken Shamrock up to these days? (apart from recovering from the Ortiz fights). I know he's said in interviews in the past that he would love to come back to wrestling sometime.