2007 Bengals/Browns TV Conflicts

[TvPat]

.......Cincinnati......................Cleveland
.9/9...Balt.(Mon)(ESPN)....7:00pm......Pittsburgh.... ..1:00pm
.9/16..@Cleveland..........1:00pm......Cincinnati.... ..1:00pm
.9/23..@Seattle............4:05pm......@Oakland...... ..4:05pm
.9/30..New.Eng.(Mon)(ESPN).8:30pm......Baltimore..... ..1:00pm
.10/7..Bye.............................@New.England... .1:00pm
10/14..@Kansas.City........1:00pm......Miami......... ..1:00pm
10/21..N.Y..Jets...........4:05pm......Bye
10/28..Pittsburgh..........1:00pm......@St..Louis.... ..1:00pm
.11/4..@Buffalo............1:00pm......Seattle.(Fox).. .4:05pm
11/11..@Baltimore..........4:05pm......@Pittsburgh... ..1:00pm
11/18..Arizona.(Fox).......1:00pm......@Baltimore.... ..1:00pm
11/25..Tennessee...........1:00pm......Houston....... ..1:00pm
.12/2..@Pittsburgh.(NBC)...8:15pm......@Arizona....... .4:05pm
.12/9..St..Louis.(Fox).....1:00pm......@N.Y..Jets..... .4:15pm
12/15..@San.Fran.(Sat)(NFL)8:15pm......Buffalo....... ..1:00pm
12/23..Cleveland...........1:00pm......@Cincinnati... ..1:00pm
12/30..@Miami..............1:00pm......San.Fran.(Fox) ..1:00pm

All games above belong to CBS unless otherwise noted. Conflicts occur on 9/23, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, and 11/25. An additional conflict may occur on 12/2 if NBC chooses to show a different Sunday night game instead of Cincinnati at Pittsburgh. All other weeks one of the teams is carried on a different network, one team has a bye, or they play each other. All conflicts require a choice by WBNS.

Here are my guesses as to what WBNS will show
9/23 Cincinnati at Seattle
10/14 Miami at Cleveland
10/28 Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
11/11 Cleveland at Pittsburgh
11/25 not sure

[festivus]

Man, here we go again. My guess is that Browns fans will get the shaft once again this year any time there is a conflict, except when the Browns play the Steelers on 11/11. So 4 games will be missed by Browns fans, 1 by Bengals fans. Also notice zero prime time games for the Browns. The NFL hates us.

Maybe I'll get tix for the 10/14 Browns game since I think that Cinci/KC will be shown instead.

The toughest thing for me to understand here is why the NFL won't allow WBNS to multicast on conflict weekends. It doesn't make business sense to me. It must be written in the contract with DirectTV.

[velvet396]

[FONT=Courier New]
Here are my guesses as to what WBNS will show
9/23 Cincinnati at Seattle
10/14 Miami at Cleveland
10/28 Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
11/11 Cleveland at Pittsburgh
11/25 not sure

I agree with those predictions. Wonder which, if any, will even be shown in HD? I know, I know, fight to actually see the games before complaining about quality.

You can voice your opinions to WBNS though, they really do read their email and reply. There's a thread somewhere on here about that when something came up last NFL season. It's not likely to make a difference, but if we don't say anything, how are they to know? They're still just going to look at the numbers, and the teams' records, and decide that way.

[festivus]

Yeah, Frank with WBNS will tell it straight. I don't blame him/them for airing the game likely to pull the best ratings. They're a business. That's what they need to do. I just don't understand why they're not allowed to multicast. They lose most Browns viewers when they show the Bengals and vice versa. It's a stupid business model that the NFL has created in my opinion. Especially in markets like Columbus where the fan base is almost evenly divided. Erie, Pa must be a nightmare too with Cleveland, Buffalo and Pittsburgh all being close.

And I still have not found a way to contact the NFL other than through snail mail. It makes no sense for a Browns fan in Columbus to switch to direct tv and buy the insanely expensive nfl package just to be able to see 3 or 4 games each year that they otherwise wouldn't see.

[TvPat]

Columbus is unique in that it is a large TV market adjacent to two NFL cities from the same conference. The NFL tries to avoid that. For example, when Jacksonville entered the NFL, the NFL insisted that they be in the AFC so the same situation would not occur in Orlando between Jacksonville and Tampa Bay.

When the NFL realigned they could have moved Cleveland or Cincinnati to the NFC, but it would have been a shame to break up that rivalry.

[festivus]

That makes sense. Still, I don't understand why multicasts on conflict weekends are prohibited. Seems that everyone would win. Except maybe direct tv. It would be nice to be able to contact the NFL via email or some type of online submission form.

[fwillson]

Hello all,

Festivus, we would love nothing more than to be able to multi-cast the games but, as you mentioned, it’s a violation of CBS' contract with the NFL and they won't allow it. I’m not going to comment on the DirecTV deal but as viewers write me and say “…because you’re not showing that game, I’ve got to go purchase that NFL package…” Think that speaks for itself. (For the record, WBNS-10TV receives no part of the revenue from the NFL Sunday ticket and we are not involved in it in any way. That’s between CBS and DirecTV.)

Currently we're tracking 5 weeks of conflict, our lowest in years.

We have made no arbitrary decision over who will be the priority (Browns or Bengals.) We'll get a little closer to the season and see how it pans out.

As mentioned, when Cincinnati or Cleveland plays Pittsburgh we will make every effort to get that game.

One question that is inevitably asked every year is "Why don't you do a poll." The reasons are two-fold.

1) CBS would prefer us not to because, even though the poll says we should have one game, they still have the final decision of what to air and they also must consider national coverage and penetration. It puts both of us in a position to have to answer why the poll was ignored.

2) There's no way to do it accurately. The minute we launched the poll, chat rooms for the teams would be driving all of their members to vote, skewing the results.

One last point. As Festivus mentioned, we are a business. We have a responsibility to our viewers and to our advertisers to show the game we believe will be of highest interest and garner the most viewers. What skews those ratings at the end of the day are not the die-hard Browns or Bengals fans who will watch their team religiously. Those ratings are more impacted by the average fan that simply wants to see a good game and isn't particularly loyal to one team over the other. Your team is playing well, you’re more likely to see it on 10TV.

I’m often accused of being a Bengals fan or a Browns fan and that is why I chose this game over that one. Let me go on record. I’m neither. To me this is a business decision and I’m void of passion one way or the other. I track ratings week to week and season to season.

Most Sunday’s you’ll find me watching NASCAR (with the game on another TV to make sure we don’t screw up and you guys yell at me )

I do try to answer every e-mail (as long as it is polite.) So, as usual, I welcome your comments.

I’m packing up my hotel room and leaving the National Association of Broadcasters meeting in Las Vegas. Yesterday I finally got to see Ultimate HDTV for the first time. WOW! Don’t want to get in over my head with those smarter than me but I believe the resolution was 3x regular 1080i. It was amazing. If you ever have the chance to see it, it’s well worth the experience.

Enjoy your weekend!

[ja5477]

Hello all,

Festivus, we would love nothing more than to be able to multi-cast the games but, as you mentioned, it’s a violation of CBS' contract with the NFL and they won't allow it. I’m not going to comment on the DirecTV deal but as viewers write me and say “…because you’re not showing that game, I’ve got to go purchase that NFL package…” Think that speaks for itself. (For the record, WBNS-10TV receives no part of the revenue from the NFL Sunday ticket and we are not involved in it in any way. That’s between CBS and DirecTV.)

Currently we're tracking 5 weeks of conflict, our lowest in years.

We have made no arbitrary decision over who will be the priority (Browns or Bengals.) We'll get a little closer to the season and see how it pans out.

As mentioned, when Cincinnati or Cleveland plays Pittsburgh we will make every effort to get that game.

One question that is inevitably asked every year is "Why don't you do a poll." The reasons are two-fold.

1) CBS would prefer us not to because, even though the poll says we should have one game, they still have the final decision of what to air and they also must consider national coverage and penetration. It puts both of us in a position to have to answer why the poll was ignored.

2) There's no way to do it accurately. The minute we launched the poll, chat rooms for the teams would be driving all of their members to vote, skewing the results.

One last point. As Festivus mentioned, we are a business. We have a responsibility to our viewers and to our advertisers to show the game we believe will be of highest interest and garner the most viewers. What skews those ratings at the end of the day are not the die-hard Browns or Bengals fans who will watch their team religiously. Those ratings are more impacted by the average fan that simply wants to see a good game and isn't particularly loyal to one team over the other. Your team is playing well, you’re more likely to see it on 10TV.

I’m often accused of being a Bengals fan or a Browns fan and that is why I chose this game over that one. Let me go on record. I’m neither. To me this is a business decision and I’m void of passion one way or the other. I track ratings week to week and season to season.

Most Sunday’s you’ll find me watching NASCAR (with the game on another TV to make sure we don’t screw up and you guys yell at me )

I do try to answer every e-mail (as long as it is polite.) So, as usual, I welcome your comments.

I’m packing up my hotel room and leaving the National Association of Broadcasters meeting in Las Vegas. Yesterday I finally got to see Ultimate HDTV for the first time. WOW! Don’t want to get in over my head with those smarter than me but I believe the resolution was 3x regular 1080i. It was amazing. If you ever have the chance to see it, it’s well worth the experience.

Enjoy your weekend! I just gotta say that I think it is great that you posted this. To see someone who works for CBS telling it like it is, well it is refreshing to say the least.
Correct me if I am wrong, but bottom line is whoever is winning gets aired for the most part. Being a Browns fan I was spoiled for years because no matter how bad the Browns were, the Bengals were worse so the Browns got the call. Now the shoe is on the other foot, but if either team rips 4 or five wins they will be the team that gets aired. That being said, this is still a Browns town unless you count young teenage boys or women who like the stripes!!!!

[TvPat]

NBC had the rights to AFC games from the 1970 merger through 1997. Channel 4 used to lean heavily towards the Browns during that time. This was understandable. The split among Columbus NFL fans was 60% Browns, 30% Bengals, and 10% Steelers. They would, however, throw us Bengals fans a bone and show a Bengals game over a Browns game, usually the Steelers game. Channel 4 would agonize over the decision just as channel 10 does now.

CBS gained AFC rights in 1998. There were no Cleveland Browns that year, so every Bengals game was shown. The Bengals siezed the moment to capture the hearts of Columbus NFL fans that year by going 3 and 13.

In 1999, every Browns game was shown. If there was a Bengals-Browns conflict, the Browns were shown, period. This continued for the next couple years.

It has only been recently that WBNS has chosen to show select Bengals games over the Browns. Last year was the first year in my 20 years living here that the Bengals actually won the "TV conflict" game. If the Browns move out of the basement of the NFL, look for them to trump the Bengals on TV most of the time.

[fwillson]

Keep in mind one very key point. Overnight ratings started in Columbus in 1996. Before then, television stations had no way of getting immediate viewership numbers.

Festivus hit the nail on the head. Your team is compelling to watch... more people will watch. It's not about the die-hard fans, they'll watch regardless. It's about who recruits the casual fans. That's the game that will have more viewers.

[Maurice Clarett]

I maybe know two cincinnati fans here in columbus, and one of them is from cincinnati. Columbus is by far mostly browns fans. I dont really see how the browns got cut off after having a few bad years, and the bengals had one winning season over the last 15 years and then are on tv every week. I dont think anyone can show me a cincinnati fan club or bar in columbus.

[festivus]

Browns are .500 this far into the season for the first time in years. They play at 1:00 on 10/28. But on 10/28 we'll be forced to watch the Steelers most likely maul the Bengals at 4:15. The only game on TV at 1:00 will probably be some obscure NFC matchup on Fox that no one around here cares about.

I've said it before that I don't blame wbns for this. I blame the nfl for its horrible scheduling and stupid restrictions like no multicasting. I also blame CBS for not negotiating things like multicasting into the nfl contract for markets like Columbus. And when we do get a Browns game it's in SD half of the time.

Oh well, 10/28 is a day for exercise, errands, and working in the yard I guess. But so is 10/21 when the Browns have a bye. 2 open weeks in a row for fans in central ohio. Nice going NFL and CBS.

[bucks17]

So we get to trade Festivus...I did yardwork this weekend during the Browns game...I'll get to watch the Bengals on the 28th.

Growing up in Dayton, as far as I can remember, the conflicting games all defaulted to the Bengals because we were 45 min from Cinci.

I agree, the split market here blows.

[jchiso]

...
I've said it before that I don't blame wbns for this. I blame the nfl for its horrible scheduling and stupid restrictions like no multicasting. I also blame CBS for not negotiating things like multicasting into the nfl contract for markets like Columbus....
Neither CBS nor WBNS has access to broadcast additional games. These rights were exclusively purchased by DirecTV for their Sunday Ticket package.

[festivus]

Neither CBS nor WBNS has access to broadcast additional games. These rights were exclusively purchased by DirecTV for their Sunday Ticket package.

Bingo! D* and the NFL are the villains here. Does the NFL really expect a Browns fan in Columbus to pay roughly $60/game to see the estimated 4 Browns games missed each year? I love my team and the NFL, but they're not worth $60/game. Heck, I can buy game tix online for $40.

I also blame Fox and CBS for not negotiating a bit harder with the NFL to take exclusive multicasting away from D* and also give it to the broadcast networks, at least in mixed markets.

[jchiso]

Bingo! D* and the NFL are the villains here.

One man's villain is another man's hero. To me Sunday Ticket is one of the best things on DirecTV, and removes Dish Network or local cable providers from any serious consideration. I love my team (the Giants) and even in years when they stink I'd gladly pay $300 or more per season to see every game.

[TvPat]

Here are my guesses as to what WBNS will show
9/23 Cincinnati at Seattle
10/14 Miami at Cleveland
10/28 Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
11/11 Cleveland at Pittsburgh
11/25 not sure

Looks like I'm 4 for 4.

http://www.wbns.com/?sec=stationinformation&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200609/714260088.html

[festivus]

No doubt. What does your crystal ball now say for 11/25? My guess is that the team with the better record as of 11/11 gets shown. WBNS has to pick the game 2 weeks ahead of time.

I think way too much about this stuff, but it really bothers me that the NFL can accommodate the fact that the 2 NY/NJ teams play all of their home games in the same stadium. But they can't deal with Bengals/Browns scheduling conflicts.

I think that WBNS has done what they have to do based on the crazy NFL restrictions. But steeler fans will be in an uproar in the coming weeks. Looks to me like they won't be on TV in weeks 11, 14, 15 and 17. However, if WBNS ever chose to air an out-of-state team over an in-state team, I would probably be pretty irate and would switch back to watching WCMH for my local news.

[rossl]

Nov 11 is looking like an interesting day.

Browns at Steelers at 1

Bengals at Ravens at 4

Why can't we have it that way all the time ???

[Scott]

Nov 11 is looking like an interesting day.

Browns at Steelers at 1

Bengals at Ravens at 4

Why can't we have it that way all the time ???

WBNS has already stated that they have to pick between the two games on the 11th and they are going to choose the 1:00 PM game - "extending the courtesy to Browns fans on November 11th"

[TvPat]

I think way too much about this stuff, but it really bothers me that the NFL can accommodate the fact that the 2 NY/NJ teams play all of their home games in the same stadium. But they can't deal with Bengals/Browns scheduling conflicts.

11 million people in New York, 1 million people in Columbus. That is the same reason the Jets at Bengals game was at 4 last Sunday. The NFL doesn't want the Jets and Giants playing at the same time, even though one is on the road.

[mikegodwin]

But steeler fans will be in an uproar in the coming weeks. Looks to me like they won't be on TV in weeks 11, 14, 15 and 17.

Who cares?? ;)

[jchiso]

11 million people in New York, 1 million people in Columbus. That is the same reason the Jets at Bengals game was at 4 last Sunday. The NFL doesn't want the Jets and Giants playing at the same time, even though one is on the road.

Actually, as a condition of the merger the Jets and Giants can never have games scheduled to start at the same time. I did strike me as strange that last week's Giants' game was a 1:00 (10:00 AM PDT) start, given that they played the 'Niners.

[rossl]

WBNS has already stated that they have to pick between the two games on the 11th and they are going to choose the 1:00 PM game - "extending the courtesy to Browns fans on November 11th"

The NFL is stupid.

I won't watch the Browns lose. This Bengal fan will turn on the radio and rake leaves or something.

The NFL is stupid.

[festivus]

Actually, as a condition of the merger the Jets and Giants can never have games scheduled to start at the same time. I did strike me as strange that last week's Giants' game was a 1:00 (10:00 AM PDT) start, given that they played the 'Niners.

That really freakin' bugs me. Screw that crap. Let them suffer through conflicts just like we have to do.:mad:

[jpdublin]

Just get Directv then get the NFL Package and the worries go away, just like the coin I throw down every year.

[TvPat]

That really freakin' bugs me. Screw that crap. Let them suffer through conflicts just like we have to do.:mad:

Actually, New York City suffers a lot more than us. By NFL rules, you cannot show a doubleheader game if it conflicts with a home televised game. In New York there is a home game every week, so they rarely get anything but the Jets and the Giants. For example, this week, the nationally televised Washington at New England game is blacked out on Fox in New York because a Jets home game is on CBS at the same time. They did loosen up the home blackout rules a few years ago, but New York still gets screwed a lot.

There is an option. It's called the NFL Sunday Ticket, and it costs hundreds of dollars.

[rossl]

No way am I going to pay $ for directv and the NFL Sunday ticket.

I am more of a casual fan, and I will elect the choice of... I won't watch.

The NFL is stupid, they are losing viewers.

Besides, I have NFL network on WOW cable and they show the replays later in the week.

[festivus]

No way am I going to pay $ for directv and the NFL Sunday ticket.

I am more of a casual fan, and I will elect the choice of... I won't watch.

The NFL is stupid, they are losing viewers.

Besides, I have NFL network on WOW cable and they show the replays later in the week.

I agree with your first statement. I will never shell out hundreds of dollars to see the 3 or so Browns games that I miss every year. To pay the NFL and DirectTV nearly $100/game just feeds this stupid monster IMO.

Having said that, if I lived in Arizona and wanted to watch the Browns I probably would pay for the Sunday ticket. At least then it would be worth it.

The NFL needs a different model for markets like Columbus.

Re the NY fans, at least they get to see their home teams every week. Unlike us. That's really all that I care about. No big deal to me if I didn't get to see NE pound Wash 52-7.

[Maurice Clarett]

Next to the way the NFL handels this is the little joke CBS like to pull on Cleveland fans nearly every week with no HD. Up until this week the Ram, the team that was tied for last place with a record of 0-7 has had every single game in HD....until they play cleveland. It seems that unless they are playing the steelers or an undefeated team CBS wont show a cleveland game in HD. Every week the cleveland game is the only game on cbs not in HD. I mean come on, this is the NFL, this league makes more money then any other leauge. The Browns are worth nearly as much as the yankees. CBS pays probably a billion a year just to show the games, and they cant do all of them in HD, and for some reason decide that instead of having some rotating schedule for HD, they just do it to the same team every week.

[festivus]

A co-worker of mine told me today that the end of the Browns game was on cbs/wbns since the Bengals game ended first. Of course, I wasn't watching the Bengals game and was instead trying to view the Browns game on my PC.;) I lost my PC feed midway through the 4th quarter :mad: and was scrambling to try to get it back without success.:mad: I ended up listening to it on the radio not knowing that cbs/wbns switched to it.:mad:

Of course, I have tickets to this weekend's game against Seattle which will be in HD on Fox.:mad: Amazingly though, they'll also be in HD on 11/11!:D Yes, I finally smiled.

[Maurice Clarett]

Every team in the NFL has had at least 75% of their games in HD, except for one team.


Guess who....



Yep, cleveland.


CBS is a joke.

[festivus]

From the WBNS website:

REGARDING DECEMBER 9TH GAME: On November 7, CBS announced that they are exercising their Flex Scheduling option and moving the New England vs. Pittsburgh game from 1:00 to 4:15pm on December 9th. Currently, WBNS-10TV is projecting to air Cleveland vs. New York Jets at 4:15pm on December 9th.:D WBNS will make the decision on November 26th on which game to air.:eek: All game assignments are pending final approval by CBS. We will announce the game being aired on this website. Stay tuned to WBNS-10TV and www.10tv.com.

I can't believe that WBNS is even considering bumping an in-state team with the largest following in the market. I'll be anxious to see the decision come 11/26.

[mikegodwin]

From the WBNS website:

REGARDING DECEMBER 9TH GAME: On November 7, CBS announced that they are exercising their Flex Scheduling option and moving the New England vs. Pittsburgh game from 1:00 to 4:15pm on December 9th. Currently, WBNS-10TV is projecting to air Cleveland vs. New York Jets at 4:15pm on December 9th.:D WBNS will make the decision on November 26th on which game to air.:eek: All game assignments are pending final approval by CBS. We will announce the game being aired on this website. Stay tuned to WBNS-10TV and www.10tv.com.

I can't believe that WBNS is even considering bumping an in-state team with the largest following in the market. I'll be anxious to see the decision come 11/26.

Since in the next paragraph they write:

=============================
NOVEMBER 18 GAME: WBNS-10TV confirms we will air the Cleveland vs. Baltimore game at 1:00pm. Cincinnati is on another network. Pittsburgh vs. New York Jets will not be seen as it is a late game and FOX has the double header. We chose Cleveland vs. Baltimore for 2 reasons. 1) Our priorities are always the Ohio teams and 2) Cleveland vs. Baltimore is a rivalry that is important to our Cleveland fans.
=============================

I guess on November 26th we'll see what their priorities really are.

[aaronod]

Honestly, I think the Pittsburgh VS New England game would get more ratings than a Browns VS Jets stinker of a game. Some people just like to watch good football games and don't have a favorite team (or their favorite teams are out of state.) I have a friend who is from Iowa who is a Green Bay fan and a brother who is a Bears fan and they seem more pissed off than me (a Steelers fan) about the possibility of WBNS showing the Jets and Browns game over the Patriots and Steelers. I just wish they could show games on 10.1 and 10.2 like the NCAA tournament.

[festivus]

It will come down to anticipated ratings I'm sure. That's what it's all about. I notice when trying to get a good seat in a sports bar when the Browns aren't on local TV vs when just another good game (Pats/Steelers for example) aren't on local TV. Big difference in the size of the crowd. I don't know if that equates to ratings, but it seems that it would.

I'm with you on multicasting 10.1 and 10.2. Too bad that the NFL won't allow it. Blame the NFL/DirectTV contract.

[Maurice Clarett]

It will come down to anticipated ratings I'm sure. That's what it's all about. I notice when trying to get a good seat in a sports bar when the Browns aren't on local TV vs when just another good game (Pats/Steelers for example) aren't on local TV. Big difference in the size of the crowd. I don't know if that equates to ratings, but it seems that it would.

I'm with you on multicasting 10.1 and 10.2. Too bad that the NFL won't allow it. Blame the NFL/DirectTV contract.

When the browns arnt on tv, i have to go almost 2 hours ahead of the start just to get a decent seat.

[mikegodwin]

Honestly, I think the Pittsburgh VS New England game would get more ratings than a Browns VS Jets stinker of a game. Some people just like to watch good football games and don't have a favorite team (or their favorite teams are out of state.) I have a friend who is from Iowa who is a Green Bay fan and a brother who is a Bears fan and they seem more pissed off than me (a Steelers fan) about the possibility of WBNS showing the Jets and Browns game over the Patriots and Steelers. I just wish they could show games on 10.1 and 10.2 like the NCAA tournament.

Maybe, but I think there's a bigger fan base in Central Ohio for the Browns and I know most of the Browns fans I know could really give a damn about the steelers. That's why we pack the bars when the Browns aren't on local TV. The 2 bars I go to when that happens will have 1 TV on the steelers game for the 3 steelers fans and all the rest for the 50+ Browns fans.

[festivus]

Hopefully yesterday's games will help push WBNS to show the Browns/Jets. Anything can happen in the NFL.

[rossl]

Hopefully yesterday's games will help push WBNS to show the Browns/Jets. Anything can happen in the NFL.


The Patriots next six games.

Sun 11/25/2007 8:15 PM vs Eagles
Mon 12/3/2007 8:30 PM @ Ravens
Sun 12/9/2007 4:15 PM vs Steelers
Sun 12/16/2007 1:00 PM vs Jets
Sun 12/23/2007 1:00 PM vs Dolphins
Sat 12/29/2007 8:15 PM @ Giants

If the Pats are still undefeated after the Eagles and Ravens games, there will be lots of interest in watching the Steelers.

I think WBNS would be making a good choice to show Patriots-Steelers if the Pats go to 12-0.

That last game on Saturday night 12/29 will draw a lot of interest if the Pats are still undefeated :D

[festivus]

That would be similar to the CBS stations in Harrisburg and in Johnstown (central PA) showing the Browns/Ravens game instead of Steelers/Jets this past weekend. If that actually happened, I will be be OK with WBNS (central OH) not showing the Browns on 12/9.

[JeffInHD]

The Browns are in a playoff race at this point for the first time in years.

As a Browns fan, I would be pretty ill if they showed the Patriots/Steelers because

1) I could root for the Patriots (which would make me barf) so that the Browns move up in the division race

2) I could root for the Steelers (which would make me barf twice as hard) so that I can stop hearing about how awesome the Patriots are

Either way, the game is making me sick. Solution: obey your own priorities and show the Browns. This shouldn't even be an issue. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF OHIO! Should we start showing LSU instead of OSU next year if they are undefeated and OSU isn't?

[mikegodwin]

If I was a steelers fan, I wouldn't want to watch the Jets again either... :p

[festivus]

Yes!:D
From 10tv.com:

DECEMBER 9: CBS Sports presents the Cleveland vs. New York Jets game at 4:15pm. The Pittsburgh vs. New England game will not be seen.

WBNS-10TV's decision is based on the following factors: 1) Cleveland is in the playoff hunt for the first time in years. 2) Pittsburgh's roll in the national picture was diminished after their loss to the Jets. 3) We have always maintained that WBNS-10TV will program the games that the majority of viewers wish to see. We believe our NFL fans wish to support Ohio's Cleveland Browns in their pursuit of a playoff bid. We know Pittsburgh has a strong fan base in central Ohio and we appreciate your understanding.

[festivus]

Looks like WBNS made the right choice in airing the Browns/Jets game. The other game was a rout.

Browns/Bills this week. Big time wildcard implications. And possibly AFC North title implications. I'll be at the game so I'll leave the TV coverage critique to you guys.