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Monday, June 30, 2008

Playing for Peanuts: Fitzgerald:  My Old TV Deal (In a Nutshell)

Deader than Count Benigno crispifrying in the noonday sun...John Fitzgerald and the pulling of “Playing for Peanuts” off SNY.

Also, SNY is loaded with bad programming. There really is no diplomatic way to say that. Take a look at any of the SNY staples - Beer Money, LoudMouths, Wheel House, etc. - and compare them to anything on YES or MSG. From a production standpoint, it isn’t even close. Now, when Mets fans - fans who are very familiar with the lackluster SNY shows that are promoted ad nauseum throughout Mets games and on SNY’s website - stumble upon “Playing for Peanuts,” they would logically think the show is bad. Think about it - if you know all of the promotion is going into bad SNY shows, it stands to reason that “Playing for Peanuts” would be WORSE because you’ve never even heard of it. And that wrong (but justified) assumption would be hammered home in every inning of every Mets game, as the other shows are promoted via commercials, signs behind home plate and mentions by the broadcast team. Meanwhile, they wouldn’t even list “Playing for Peanuts” in the programming section of their website or put up a banner ad.

After a few weeks of getting the runaround from SNY, I finally told them I was willing to pay for a promotion during a Mets game. After a few days of waiting - imagine, I was willing to give them money and they had no idea what to do or how to respond - I was told it would cost $5,500 to have “Playing for Peanuts” mentioned during a Mets telecast. That’s $5,500 per mention. Nice.

Mucho stakes to Can’t Stop the Bleeding.

Repoz Posted: June 30, 2008 at 10:59 PM | 9 comment(s)
  Related News: GeneralNY MetsTelevision

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   1. TerpNats Posted: June 30, 2008 at 11:50 PM (#2838555)
Jeez, from this description, SNY's programming makes MASN look good.

Having left the NY metro area before SNY's debut, what else does it have rights to, particularly in the fall and winter? I know YES covers Ivy League basketball, and I'm guessing the Big East remains on MSG, but didn't SNY grab, say, the Northeast Conference?
   2. Howie Menckel Posted: July 01, 2008 at 12:48 AM (#2838602)
I haven't seen the others, but "Beer Money" is just stupefying.

"For $10, name the Rangers' goaltender," a random schmo walking around in midtown is asked.
"Want to risk it all and go for $20?"

I think top prize is $100.

Yeesh.
   3. John Brill's #1 Fan (JMN) Posted: July 01, 2008 at 12:59 AM (#2838606)
This isn't even the best of the top three posts at Can't Stop the Bleeding.

Tyson Homosexual
   4. RMc is the President of the United States Posted: July 01, 2008 at 07:39 AM (#2838655)
There's absolutely nothing worth watching on SNY except the Mets. Including the Mets.
   5. HowardMegdal Posted: July 01, 2008 at 09:54 AM (#2838735)
Jeez, from this description, SNY's programming makes MASN look good.

Anything on MASN worth watching? I just subscribed because I wanted to get the extra Georgetown basketball games.
   6. Declino DeShields Posted: July 01, 2008 at 10:01 AM (#2838741)
Anything on MASN worth watching?


Well, let's see . . . There's ESPN News. And college lacrosse. And ESPN News. And early afternoon drive with some Baltimore sports talk lady who used to play women's football and posed for Playboy, although she's not very good looking, probably because she used to play women's football. And later afternoon drive with John Riggins and two sycophants, keeping in mind that Riggo himself is a sycophant since his radio show is the signature program of a station owned by Daniel Snyder himself. And Irish baseball documentaries. And the Heartland Poker Tour. And ESPN News. And the Nats and O's. And ESPN News.

So pretty much ESPN News.
   7. RB in NYC (Now with Christmas Spirit!) Posted: July 01, 2008 at 10:16 AM (#2838755)
Beer Money is like Cash Cab with no budget and writing staff that has access to no reference materials except a copy of the Daily News from last March.
   8. jwb Posted: July 01, 2008 at 11:36 AM (#2838840)
I bet the host of Beer Money is not as funny as Cash Cab's. The Tyson Homosexual line is even funnier than a similar headline in a Boston paper from about fifteen years ago: "School Budget is in the African American."

Stinks about "Playing for Peanuts." I saw it a few times, when it was on after baseball games, and enjoyed it. I had no idea what its schedule was or when it was rerun. With no promotion, a show is sunk these days. With hundreds of channels, you can't pick up a one page grid and figure out what/if you want to watch tonight.
   9. Properly Chagrinned (Met Fan Charlie) Posted: July 01, 2008 at 12:01 PM (#2838867)
If it has "Mets" stamped it, it will invariably suck.

Such is our lot these days...
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