Browns avoid TV blackout for Saturday

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sports columnist

POSTED: 02:34 p.m. EDT, Aug 18, 2009

The preseason game Saturday between the Browns and Detroit Lions will be televised locally.

Browns Vice President Bill Bonsiewicz said in an e-mail that the Browns and WKYC (Channel 3) came to an agreement today to buy up all remaining tickets and donate them to charity, though details have yet to be worked out.

League rules stated that if the game were not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff, by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, it had to be blacked out. The Browns have not had a local television broadcast blacked out since they returned to the field in 1999.

Browns Vice President Bill Bonsiewicz said in an e-mail that the Browns and WKYC (Channel 3) came to an agreement today to buy up all remaining tickets and donate them to charity, though details have yet to be worked out.

League rules stated that if the game were not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff, by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, it had to be blacked out. The Browns have not had a local television broadcast blacked out since they returned to the field in 1999.

@oconrecon said:

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns are offering up new ticket deals for the first home pre-season game against the Detroit Lions.

If the team doesn't sell out the stadium, then the August 22 broadcast on WKYC-TV will be blacked out in the Cleveland market and three affiliate markets in Youngstown, Columbus and Dayton.

There hasn't been a blacked out broadcast since the team returned to Cleveland in 1999.

To help spur ticket sales, the Browns are cutting the costs for fans.

For the Lions game only, the Browns are offering 50% off on all remaining game tickets. That means fans can get a seat that normally would sell for $32 for just $16. The Browns are also offering a "family four-pack" which includes tickets, hot dogs, and soft drinks for $99.

Click here to order your tickets. You'll need to use the promo code "HALFOFF" to get the discount.

Whoa there! I can see them blacking out an unsold game in the CLEVELAND market, but Columbus and Dayton aren't Cleveland market!!! In fact, Dayton is considered a Cincinnati market. Personally doesn't matter, as I'll be making the trip up for the game, but blacking out the entire state is a really bad PR move.

And just maybe Randy & Co. will take this as a message that even the greatest fans in football (Sorry Stooler Schmuck, everybody loves a winner) are finally, finally fed up with an unmitigated string of a lousy product.

http://cle.scout.com/2/889395.html

The Browns are believed to be about 4,000 seats short of a sellout in 73,200-seat Cleveland Browns Stadium for Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions. Cleveland’s WKYC (Channel 3) has a contract to telecast all four Browns preseason games and, following the airing of last Saturday night’s 17-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the opener, is set to do the Lions contest as well with Jim Donovan, moving over from his radio play-by-play duties, and color analyst Bernie Kosar.

But what will happen if Saturday’s game fails to sell out? Will the Browns still decide to air it? It’s anyone’s guess. All 100 Browns home games in the 10 years of the expansion era – 80 in the regular season and 20 in the preseason -- have sold out beforehand and have been televised locally.

The Browns haven’t blacked out a home contest due to it failing to sell out since the original franchise’s last season in Cleveland in 1995. A crowd of 55,388, about 17,000 short of capacity when the no-shows are tabulated, showed up on Nov. 19 – two weeks after the announcement of the franchise’s impending move to Baltimore following the year -- to see a young, emerging quarterback named Brett Favre and the Packers turn back the Browns 31-20.

The Browns then sold out their final two home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers the following Sunday and against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 17. With no-shows figured in, crowds of 67,269 and 55,875, respectively, watched those two contests.

TheJokersWILD said:

ha ha... Just a random thought . EXIBITION games are not much more than PRACTICE !!!

TheJokersWILD said:

Regards to that .........................

That has been asked numerous times to StoolerSchmuck, and his only response is inbred-hillbilly Stooler speak.

Bought mine on stubhub for $6 each, 50-yard line upper deck, 16th row. Its preseason sure, but I can take the wife and daughter and not be too worried about it.

That's the joy of pre-season for me, it gets me a chance to take the family. During the regular season, the tickets are so expensive I can only afford to pay for mine, and the fans are much rowdier (me included), so its not the time to take the family.

Masters said:

And should you really talk when tickets are still available for the Steeler preseason home game TOMORROW vs. ARZ?

Thanks for that insightful post SteelersSuck. Now you can go fist yourself. How's Rapelissberger doing in camp this year?

@deadwombat said:

It turns out that all the seats they had left were in the upper deck... in the corners. Quite possibly the worst seats in the stadium.

Its not like everything went on sale. The stadium just lowered the price to move their really crappy seats.

Exactly, and even though our older board brethren are pissed about this it is what it is. Pre season is a full on joke and everybody has known this for years. l like Roach's amortization example, cuz that's really the way you go gotta look at it. Bottom line is, you have season tix then you know going in the cost of everything.

Last minute tix sales in shitty seats have no bearing on your respective season ticket packages. If you don't want the season tix, you are more than welcome to relinquish them to someone else. That way you can pick and choose what games you want to go to and decide if the price is right at that particular time. At that point, you would probably have to keep hoping for the team to come off terrible losing seasons, cuz then perhaps you could get a deal on single games seats.

@ballpeen said:

I am serious as a heart attack, I am calling them tomorrow to lodge my protest.

That isn't the way to build loyalty with the people who send in a seasons worth of money well in advance to only get undercut by 50% pricing a month or two later.

They are basically saying screw you.

I feel like i paid 50% over value for that game.

Here's something that may make you feel better. After last week's scrimmage at the stadium was over, I went to go get some tickets for the lions game because I heard about this 50% off deal.

It turns out that all the seats they had left were in the upper deck... in the corners. Quite possibly the worst seats in the stadium.

Its not like everything went on sale. The stadium just lowered the price to move their really crappy seats.

@ballpeen said:

I am serious as a heart attack, I am calling them tomorrow to lodge my protest.

That isn't the way to build loyalty with the people who send in a seasons worth of money well in advance to only get undercut by 50% pricing a month or two later.

They are basically saying screw you.

I feel like i paid 50% over value for that game.

when you were reading that did u hear a voice inside ur head that sang SUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ! sorry, cudnt resist the pun.

@ballpeen said:

It's a poor business decision, but then i really don't expect you to understand that.

Have fun watching the game at home.

Peen, you're right. The part that sucks is that we have to buy the preseason at all. The fan outrage on that topic is getting growing attention on national sports talk shows, but i don't think it will matter in the short term. We're getting screwed.

i've resorted to amortizing the cost of those two games into the cost of my regular season seat. In your case, $700 divided by 8 games rather than 10. If there were no preseason games, it would be likely that you'd be paying $87.50 rather than $70. That's how i view it.

It's cool that you've donated the seats. It has given me an idea of where to direct my 2nd preseason game tix (as i can't attend).

@ballpeen said:

It's a poor business decision, but then i really don't expect you to understand that.

Have fun watching the game at home.

I would love to hear your reasoning behind calling it a "bad decision." Because your salty about your 70 bucks? Sorry buddy its called capitalism. You'll probably buy a tv tomorrow and it'll go on sale the day after for 500 bucks less. You can but clothes in the spring full price or get them after summer when you needed them for 70 percent off. How's this different? Get over yourself I hope they tell you to shut up when you call to complain because I would. Your the same guy that would bitch if they didn't do anything to try and sell out, I know I would

@clevelandrocks said:

Actually, it's $70....as I said...it isn't the money as I gave my seats away....sorry you don't get it..

It's a poor business decision, but then i really don't expect you to understand that.

Have fun watching the game at home.

@ballpeen said:

I am serious as a heart attack, I am calling them tomorrow to lodge my protest.

That isn't the way to build loyalty with the people who send in a seasons worth of money well in advance to only get undercut by 50% pricing a month or two later.

They are basically saying screw you.

I feel like i paid 50% over value for that game.

Its called a business decision. One that will likley result in drawing in a crowd that normally wouldn't have come but now will rather then not see it at all. Its smart and If it helps sell out I'm all for it. Stop crying about your 20 dollars

@oconrecon said:

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns are offering up new ticket deals for the first home pre-season game against the Detroit Lions.

If the team doesn't sell out the stadium, then the August 22 broadcast on WKYC-TV will be blacked out in the Cleveland market and three affiliate markets in Youngstown, Columbus and Dayton.

There hasn't been a blacked out broadcast since the team returned to Cleveland in 1999.

To help spur ticket sales, the Browns are cutting the costs for fans.

For the Lions game only, the Browns are offering 50% off on all remaining game tickets. That means fans can get a seat that normally would sell for $32 for just $16. The Browns are also offering a "family four-pack" which includes tickets, hot dogs, and soft drinks for $99.

Click here to order your tickets. You'll need to use the promo code "HALFOFF" to get the discount.

Now that is BS...I paid 100% for my seat as part of the season ticket package and have already donated them to tickets for lids.

I am serious as a heart attack, I am calling them tomorrow to lodge my protest.

That isn't the way to build loyalty with the people who send in a seasons worth of money well in advance to only get undercut by 50% pricing a month or two later.

They are basically saying screw you.

I feel like i paid 50% over value for that game.

@canton-mike said:

Mike

Unless things have changed, this is an NFL rule. The Browns have no say in the matter.

Steeler SChuck said:

Regards

..... an'at

.

Shut the xxxx up, Steelerschuck. Your team is full of bandwagoners. You watch. One losing season, and you xxxxers will jump off the bridge.

Anyway, I dunno why we ain't selling out. That sux.

Steeler SChuck said:

Regards

..... an'at

.

Hey chuckles, we are talking about a preseason game here.

And should you really talk when tickets are still available for the Steeler preseason home game TOMORROW vs. ARZ?

Regards

..... an'at

.