THE WILD WORLD OF LOCAL SPORTS PROGRAMMING

Someone just told me that the Devils game isn't going to be on tonight, at least on the Dish.  So I consulted my online internets to find out what is actually going to be on Cablevision.  You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to find out nothing.

 

1. My Yahoo TV listings say the Devils are on "GAME5", which is only available to NHL Center Ice subscribers. 

2. So I looked on the Zap2It grid (which actually indicates if a program will be broadcast in HD or not), and this is what I got:

 

725 FSNYHD - NHL Hockey: Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders (Sport - Events) (Live)

720 MSGHD - NHL Hockey: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers (Sport - Events) (Live)

701 INHD - NBA Basketball: New Jersey Nets at Philadelphia 76ers (Sport - Events) (Live)

408 OLN - NHL Hockey: Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes (Sport - Events) (Live)

 

Okay, so the Isles (not in playoffs) will be on in place of the Devils (1 point out of first in the division) on FSNY HD (725).  INHD (701) is sometimes an overflow station for OLN, but Carolina doesn't have HD; it won't be tonight anyway since the Nets are on.  The Yankees game will probably be on YES HD (715), even though it's not listed anywhere.  One other HD overflow station is INHD2 (730), but I can't configure Zap2It or Yahoo to show it on the grid--but that doesn't matter, since that will be undoubtedly be the Mets/Braves game (SNY).

 

3. According to Newjerseydevils.com, the game will be on "FSN NY2", but I'm not sure what that is (but I know it will be an ugly SD station). Those overflow games used to be on Channel 60, but that's now SNY (SD version of the Mets game).

 

4. Cablevision.com, of course, says something completely different. It says Channel 72 is NJ @ MTL (and 725, even though I don't think Montreal does HD), and Flyers @ Isles on Channel 75. Huh?

 

5. So let's break it down:

Mets => 2 stations

Isles => 2 stations

Rangers => 1 or 2 stations

Nets => 1 station (or 2?)

Yankees => 2 stations

Sabres => 1 station

Devils => 0, 1 or 2 stations (?)

 

As usual, it's a crap shoot, and I won't know until 7:00 PM.  So the area team with the greatest number of championships in the last 10 seasons (uhm, not including the Yankees) may or may not even be on TV. 

 

What a disaster.  

 

First of all, Cablevision is a piece of shit cable company, but I hear they're all incompetent.  Second, it's time for the Devils to move somewhere less cluttered where they'd be appreciated.  I vote for New Brunswick, and not the one in Jersey.