SaberCats reach TV deal with FSN Bay Area
March 2, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Mar. 2, 2007) - The San Jose SaberCats have reached an agreement with FSN Bay Area to have the local sports network televise seven of the team's eight road games live and in High Definition during the 2007 season, the SaberCats and FSN Bay Area jointly announced on Friday.
"This agreement makes sense in a number of ways," stated SaberCats' vice president Hank Stern. "FSN Bay Area has done a tremendous job working with the other local professional sports organizations and partnering with them will help increase our visibility in the Bay Area's sports landscape."
In addition, FSN Bay Area will produce and air 'SaberCats Weekly', a 30-minute show dedicated to the Arena Football League and the SaberCats with the first edition set to air on Wednesday, March 7.
"We are pleased with our new San Jose SaberCats partnership," said Jeff Krolik, Senior Vice President and General Manager, FSN Bay Area. "Hank Stern and their executive team has done an excellent job in making the two-time ArenaBowl Champion SaberCats one of the leading franchises in the Arena Football League. FSN Bay Area is committed to rewarding fans with the best television coverage of the league's most exciting team. We look forward to being partners with the SaberCats well into the future."
Coverage begins with the season opener at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 4 from Los Angeles. Four of the seven games will be aired on FSN Bay Area, including the opener, which is available on Comcast Cable channel 40, DirecTV channel 654 and Dish Network channel 419. Two games will be shown on FSN Plus, available on Comcast Digital Cable channel 410, DirecTV channel 655 and Dish Network channel 444-453. High Definition is available on Comcast Digital Cable channel 720 and DirecTV channel 96.
FSN Bay Area reaches nearly 4 million households in Northern California and Northern Nevada. In addition to SaberCats arena football, FSN Bay Area's programming includes Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants baseball, Golden State Warriors basketball, San Jose Sharks hockey, and San Jose Stealth lacrosse, In Focus On FSN, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and The FSN Final Score. Visit www.fsnbayarea.com for more information.
FSN Bay Area is owned and managed by Rainbow Sports Networks. Rainbow Sports Networks is a division of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow Sports Networks owns and manages Fox Sports Net regional networks in two of the nation's largest markets: New England and San Francisco. FSN reaches more than 81 million households nationwide.
2007 SaberCats FSN Bay Area Schedule
Channel/HD Channel/HD
Dat, Date Opponent Time (PT) Network Comcast DirecTV Dish
Sun., Mar. 4 at Los Angeles 7:00 pm FSN 40/720 654/96 419
Fri., Mar. 9 at Chicago 5:00 pm FSN+ 410/720 655/96 444-453
Fri., Apr. 13 at New Orleans 5:00 pm FSN+2 TBD/720 TBD/96 444-453
Sat., May 5 at Arizona 7:00 pm FSN 40/720 654/96 419
Fri., May 25 at Nashville 5:00 pm FSN+ 410/720 655/96 444-453
Sat., Jun. 9 at Utah 6:00 pm FSN 40/720 654/96 419
Mon., Jun. 25 at Las Vegas TBD *FSN 40/720 654/96 419
* Tentative
The SaberCats' other road game during the 2007 season, Saturday, March 24, at Georgia, will be shown live on NBC11, the Bay Area's NBC affiliate, at 4:00 p.m. The SaberCats Sideline Report, which will air every Sunday at 11:50 p.m. during the season, also returns to NBC11 with the first show slated for Sunday, March 4.
KNBR 1050 AM will once again serve as the SaberCats flagship radio station and will broadcast all 16 regular season games live. Three games: Sunday, March 4, at Los Angeles; Saturday, April 21, vs Los Angeles; and Saturday, May 5, at Arizona, will also air on KNBR 680 AM.
San Jose begins its 13th season in the AFL on Sunday, March 4 at Western Division rival Los Angeles and plays its first home game on Saturday, March 31 against the Tampa Bay Storm. A premier franchise in the AFL, San Jose has captured two ArenaBowl titles, six Western Division championships, seven consecutive playoff appearances and owns the league's best regular season record this decade.
Individual game tickets are on sale starting as low as $17 and can be purchased through any Northern California Ticketmaster outlet, by phone at (408) 998-TIXS, online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the box office at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Season and group tickets are available now by calling (408) 573-5577 or by visiting the team's official website - www.sanjosesabercats.com.
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