Yeah the search feature comes thru yet again. Thanks in advance for your help. I was excited to hear the news but after going to NHL.com for the season schedule there are a ton of games that are not in HD.

May 2008:

At the annual NCTA conference in New Orleans, FSN Networks President Randy Freer announced that FSN, the industry’s largest group of regional sports networks, will begin transitioning to round-the-clock HD telecasts in the first quarter of 2009.

This ambitious initiative means that FSN will have the capability to produce its entire slate of more than 3,000 Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and NCAA Football and Basketball events in HD—far and away more than any other sports TV provider in the U.S.

Said Freer: “This is the next step in the evolution of FSN’s commitment to being the leaders in HD sports production. It’s one of the best ways we can serve the local sports fans throughout the country, and it also allows us to offer tremendous value to our team partners and distributors.”

Added Mike Hopkins, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Affiliate Sales & Marketing for Fox Cable Networks: “HD is one of our distributors’ and their customers’ highest priorities, so it’s incumbent upon us to offer them our most popular services in HD. We have consistently found that sports drives the adaptation of new technologies, and the deep emotional commitment local fans have to their teams will accelerate the HD and digital transition.”

The 16 owned-and-operated FSN regional sports networks are already the most prolific producers of HD sports programming in the country with more than 1,700 live high-definition telecasts of the MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA Football and Basketball. Since debuting its HD telecasts nearly five years ago with approximately 200 games, FSN has essentially doubled its HD schedule every year, making its RSNs the largest providers of local HD events in America.

FSN’s transition to full-time HD in 2009 will be made possible by Fox Networks Group investment and construction of the nation’s largest and most technically state-of-the-art television transmissions center, Fox Network Center Houston. The 184,000-square-foot facility will be able to handle more signal traffic than any other similar facility, including as many as 40 live games in a single day.

FSN will determine HD roll-out plans for each of its individual regional sports networks based on several factors including team telecast rights and distribution agreements.

Besides its regional sports network events, Fox Networks Group already provides HD versions of its flagship FOX and FX networks, National Geographic Channel, SPEED and its most recent new service, Big Ten Network, which produces more events in HD than any new network in television history.

Fox Networks Group, a primary operating unit of News Corporation (NYSE:NWS), consists of Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Cable Networks, FOX Sports and Fox Networks Engineering & Operations. These units produce, program and transmit much of America’s most popular entertainment, sports and informative content via 34 owned-and-operated TV networks, video on demand and other media platforms. FOX is America’s most-watched network, and Fox Cable Networks span FX, FX HD, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Fox Reality Channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fuel TV, FSN and 16 regional cable sports networks, SPEED, SPEED HD, Big Ten Network, Big Ten Network HD, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox College Sports and Fox Sports en Espanol. FOX Sports represents the industry standard for production innovation and excellence across its NFL, MLB, NASCAR and other coverage; and Fox Networks Engineering & Operations is equally recognized as a leader in physical production, transmission and facilities expertise.

What about their studio shows? Are those going to be in HD as well by April or no?

What about their studio shows? Are those going to be in HD as well by April or no?

FSN May Trim National Lineup
FSN looks to scale back national programming like “Best Damn Sport Show Period” on regional sports networks
By Ben Grossman, Broadcasting & Cable, 9/29/2008 (Alex Weprin contributed to this story)

FSN is considering significantly scaling back national programming across its army of profitable regional sports networks as soon as early next year, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

Fox Sports executives declined to comment, but sources said that with the success of the RSNs coming on the back of local programming, the company will scale back and could eventually eliminate the expensive production of national original programs that run across the network of regionals. That would mean the end of national shows fed across the RSNs such as FSN's veteran talk show Best Damn Sports Show Period, which sources said may be the first to go.

While sources said the move is completely unrelated, that show is losing its executive producer, John Entz, who is leaving to join Major League Baseball's new network as senior vice president of production. He will be in charge of all in-studio and game coverage, reporting directly to network chief and former CBS Sports executive producer Tony Petitti. An announcement of that move is expected this week.

Since Fox formally launched FSN in 1996, it has often tried to bolster its national programming presence. One method was the introduction of an array of studio shows. But more recently, it increasingly ceded that territory to ESPN and instead successfully found a groove by concentrating on local coverage, which is built around a dominant aggregation of local professional- and college-sports-rights deals. That lineup has led FSN to be a major profit center for the company.

Even if FSN completely jettisoned original productions such as Best Damn Sports Show Period, as well as Sport Science, Amazing Sports Stories and Baseball's Golden Age, it would continue to provide national coverage of sporting events it has under contract to all of its RSNs. By contract, FSN regional networks need to have national programming in the case of local blackouts and other situations where a national feed is needed.

The talk of cutting back national original programming at FSN comes as the prominence of the RSNs within the News Corp. structure was demonstrated by a recent restructuring at Fox National Cable Networks.

thanks ken

Any news or movement on this?

I'm not seeing anything going on here with FSN North (Minnesota). Maybe we'll see a lot more HD than last year when the MLB broadcast schedules start coming out...

Any news or movement on this?
Not that I've heard, but we are in Q1 2009, so expect something soon.

TWC LA doesnt even have a dedicated channel for FSN West HD and FSN Prime Ticket HD like fios, dish and directv do.

I believe today is the day FSN Houston is the first to go all HD. Expect more FSN channels to follow.

Hope this happens soon. FSN's SD coverage of Hurricanes hockey is terrible.

I believe today is the day FSN Houston is the first to go all HD. Expect more FSN channels to follow.

I see that ALL of the rest of the Rocket's home games will be broadcast in HD -- that is a good start.

TWC LA doesnt even have a dedicated channel for FSN West HD and FSN Prime Ticket HD like fios, dish and directv do.

Comcast in Atlanta only has one part-time channel for both FSN South and SportSouth HD, which causes some conflicts occasionally...

FS Detroit is showing a Pistons home game in April in SD, as well as five other games between now and the end of the season.

while theres no dedicated channel for FSN West and FSN Prime Ticket for me, i have gotten every lakers home game for the past 2 seasons in HD. the lakers game always takes precedent if theres another game on FSN Prime Ticket so i cant complain there. i only watch FSN for lakers games and the occasional dodgers game anyway.

FSN-Ohio has yet to show a single fsn-hd national broadcast (like ACC sunday night hoops or saturday night football). No Xavier or UC games in HD either. It has a long way to go.

As noted elsewhere, MSG+ (FSN-NY) shows whatever the national feed has in HD as well as pretty much all Islanders and Devils games in HD, home and away (only times when it's not in HD is when it's on MSG+ 2).

FSN-Ohio has yet to show a single fsn-hd national broadcast (like ACC sunday night hoops or saturday night football). No Xavier or UC games in HD either. It has a long way to go.


FSN Pittsburgh shows the Sunday Night NCAA MBB games and the Saturday NCAAF games but all are in 2.0 audio.

I'm not surprised that Houston is the first to go live with all HD. Aren't they the hub for a good number of the FSNs in the region. I know that the St. Louis Cardinals games on FSN Midwest are routed through FSN Houston because when they had the flooding a few years ago in the Houston area, FSN Midwest lost their video signal and told everyone to please excuse them because of technical difficulties due to weather at their regional switcher.

Likewise, FSN Midwest (for Kansas City) during a Cardinals-Royals game randomly switched to an FSN South broadcast in the middle of an inning. So, I think that FSN Houston controls both FSN Midwests (or KC if you prefer) and FSN South.

FSN Pittsburgh shows the Sunday Night NCAA MBB games and the Saturday NCAAF games but all are in 2.0 audio.

I'm not surprised that Houston is the first to go live with all HD. Aren't they the hub for a good number of the FSNs in the region. I know that the St. Louis Cardinals games on FSN Midwest are routed through FSN Houston because when they had the flooding a few years ago in the Houston area, FSN Midwest lost their video signal and told everyone to please excuse them because of technical difficulties due to weather at their regional switcher.

Likewise, FSN Midwest (for Kansas City) during a Cardinals-Royals game randomly switched to an FSN South broadcast in the middle of an inning. So, I think that FSN Houston controls both FSN Midwests (or KC if you prefer) and FSN South.

All of the News Corp and Liberty Media owned FSNs are controlled from the brand new FSN master control center in The Woodlands north of Houston.

FSN Pittsburgh shows the Sunday Night NCAA MBB games and the Saturday NCAAF games but all are in 2.0 audio.All FSN audio is DD2.0 at this time.

All of the News Corp and Liberty Media owned FSNs are controlled from the brand new FSN master control center in The Woodlands north of Houston.

If you want to see FSN's new master control facility outside of Houston via Google Earth, put the below address in the "Fly To" field:

3908 Research Forest Dr, The Woodlands, TX

The FSN Facility is south of the Reasearch Forest Dr / Technology Forest Pl intersection.

Note the 25 or so satellite dishes on the north side.

Fox Sports Houston set for new identity
Houston Business Journal
by Christine Hall Online News Manager

New Comcast channel is all Houston Rockets, all the time
Fox Sports Houston will complete its transition to a standalone Fox Sports Network affiliate on Jan. 12.

On that day, the regional sports network will begin providing 24-hour local programming following its separation from Dallas-based Fox Sports Southwest.

The new feed allows the station to provide more local content and have its own identity, as well as show replays of Houston Rockets and Astros games, which the station had not been able to do before, according to Ramon Alvarez, spokesman for Fox Sports Houston. Previously, Fox Sports Southwest’s feed was carried in Houston for most non-event programming.

“There was a need to have a separate operation for Houston because it is a Top 10 market and because of the Rockets and Astros,” he said.

Fox Sports Houston reaches more than 4 million households in Houston and surrounding markets in Texas and Louisiana. It offers local sports programming, including 130 Astros games, 62 Rockets games, Astros and Rockets shoulder programming, Houston Texans weekly shows during the National Football League season, coverage of Big 12 Conference events including football and basketball, local high school games and college coaches shows, and customized regional shows and specials.

The affiliate will begin operating out of a new high-definition studio and editing facility in the 4 Houston Center downtown in March. Right now, the studio used is in Dallas, Alvarez said.

Steve Tello will be general manager for the affiliate, which employs about 25 people.

The 19 regional sports networks throughout the country are operated out of The Woodlands, Alvarez said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/01/05/daily29.html

This is all well and good. But for those with D* or E* it doesn't mean much if these sat providers don't carry the channel full time which they don't the last time I looked. Last summer I contacted Sports Time Ohio with this question, and was told D* would carry STO full time commencing in Aug. or Sept. of 2008. It didn't happen. STO told me E* had no plans to carry STO full time.

This is all well and good. But for those with D* or E* it doesn't mean much if these sat providers don't carry the channel full time which they don't the last time I looked.
DirecTV carries 19 full-time HD RSNs, IIRC.

This is all well and good. But for those with D* or E* it doesn't mean much if these sat providers don't carry the channel full time which they don't the last time I looked. Last summer I contacted Sports Time Ohio with this question, and was told D* would carry STO full time commencing in Aug. or Sept. of 2008. It didn't happen. STO told me E* had no plans to carry STO full time.
The main thing in HD is the live games. As long as the various providers carry all of them, which the number available now from FSN will dramatically increase, all will be well and good.

The main thing in HD is the live games. As long as the various providers carry all of them, which the number available now from FSN will dramatically increase, all will be well and good.

I agree, of course. But FSN-OHIO, and especially STO, have "local" programming in HD that I often watch.

Last season, I was able to watch the Seattle Mariners in HD on FSN Northwest. Having FSN go HD 24/7 would be really sweet!

FSN Pittsburgh finally started publishing what it's HD programming is on the Comcast channel guide. I don't have to try and guess anymore when they will actually broadcast a game in HD.

Three FSN Regional Sports Networks Go Full-Time HD

Written by Kyle Deering
Thursday, 05 March 2009 18:30

Liberty Sports Group today announced that the company has transitioned its three regional sports networks to broadcast full-time in high definition. FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Rocky Mountain (and sub-region FSN Utah) combined deliver more than 900 events per year featuring the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Penguins, Utah Jazz, Pac 10, Big 12, Big East and more.

A leading provider of sports programming and production in all three regions of the country, the move by Liberty Sports Group reinforces its commitment to viewers by offering expanded high definition coverage and an improved viewing experience.

“We have moved in to an era where applying new technologies to our daily routines is no longer unique, it is essential; so local sports television can’t afford to be behind the curve in meeting the demands of our viewers,” said Mark Shuken, President and CEO of Liberty Sports Group. “Sports fans and television experts alike agree that game action is the absolute best application of the high-definition technology and so we’ve married what our regional sports networks do best with the best format in which to present them.”

Liberty Sports Group is offering the HD channels to all cable and satellite distribution partners in every region to ensure that as many fans as possible receive the three RSN’s complete HD offering. The networks have already worked with many local cable operators to secure technology that would enable what was a part-time, event-based HD channel to transition to an around-the-clock high definition programming viewing experience.

Liberty Sports Group is comprised of three regional sports networks, including FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Rocky Mountain . The three networks combined reach more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 states and own exclusive programming and distribution partnerships with more than 23 professional and collegiate teams.

Liberty Sports Group is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Entertainment Group (Nasdaq: LMDIA).

http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3043:three-fsn-regoinal-sports-networks-go-full-time-hd&catid=57:television&Itemid=122

I wonder if DirecTV will be getting those channels? :D

I wonder if DirecTV will be getting those channels? :D

They already do.

They already do.
Whoops, they certainly do.

Three FSN Regional Sports Networks Go Full-Time HD

Written by Kyle Deering
Thursday, 05 March 2009 18:30

Liberty Sports Group today announced that the company has transitioned its three regional sports networks to broadcast full-time in high definition. FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Rocky Mountain (and sub-region FSN Utah) combined deliver more than 900 events per year featuring the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Penguins, Utah Jazz, Pac 10, Big 12, Big East and more.

A leading provider of sports programming and production in all three regions of the country, the move by Liberty Sports Group reinforces its commitment to viewers by offering expanded high definition coverage and an improved viewing experience.

“We have moved in to an era where applying new technologies to our daily routines is no longer unique, it is essential; so local sports television can’t afford to be behind the curve in meeting the demands of our viewers,” said Mark Shuken, President and CEO of Liberty Sports Group. “Sports fans and television experts alike agree that game action is the absolute best application of the high-definition technology and so we’ve married what our regional sports networks do best with the best format in which to present them.”

Liberty Sports Group is offering the HD channels to all cable and satellite distribution partners in every region to ensure that as many fans as possible receive the three RSN’s complete HD offering. The networks have already worked with many local cable operators to secure technology that would enable what was a part-time, event-based HD channel to transition to an around-the-clock high definition programming viewing experience.

Liberty Sports Group is comprised of three regional sports networks, including FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Rocky Mountain . The three networks combined reach more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 states and own exclusive programming and distribution partnerships with more than 23 professional and collegiate teams.

Liberty Sports Group is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Entertainment Group (Nasdaq: LMDIA).

http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3043:three-fsn-regoinal-sports-networks-go-full-time-hd&catid=57:television&Itemid=122

Remember that these are the 3 channels not owned by FOX, but owned by Liberty Media. Good for folks in those regions, but it probably doesn't have to line up with the other, FOX owned, FSNs.