While We’re Waiting…The Cavalier plan is ???
January 10, 2013Cavaliers major in damage control in win over Hawks
January 10, 2013Many of our friends down in Columbus know what it’s like to not know exactly which games will be on TV every week. I’m sure it’s a pain in the neck, but know that it could be worse. Apparently being caught between the Bills, Browns, Steelers, Eagles and Lions in varied proportions has made Erie Pennsylvania the most tortured NFL TV market according to Deadspin.
Sweet, sweet victory! Fifty-four percent of Erie’s Sunday afternoon games involved one of 2012’s s****y teams, including 10 Bills games (63 percent of Buffalo’s Sunday afternoon games) and nine Browns games (56 percent). Despite being further west, Erie still managed to pick up four Eagles games (33 percent) and four Jets games (29 percent); what’s more, Erie wandered a little close to the Midwest and got hit with three Lions games (25 percent). To top it all off, the city got only nine Steelers games, just 75 percent of the team’s Sunday afternoon total.
I have known people from Erie all my life and I know that it used to be a much stronger Browns market. Obviously the Steelers have made inroads there since the 90s when the Browns were (even more) irrelevant. In all seriousness, this is one of the battlegrounds where Jimmy Haslam can pick up some marginal Browns fans. There is a history of Browns fans in Erie at least historically. Maybe he can find a way to re-ignite it. Plus, if the Browns were a good and exciting team, they would no longer become a knock on the TV.
[Related: Mike Polk blasts Browns coaching search with (tragic) comedy]
9 Comments
I would think Mr Haslam has more things to worry about than strengthening the fan base in Erie PA. Sucks for the Erie residents that they get the broadcasts that they get, but hey, if I were in Erie PA, I’d be thankful for any football on tv.
That is a shame but that’s why they have NFL packages these days where you can watch every game played. Imagine having to live in one of those towns oh lets take Cleveland for example before NFL packages were around and having to watch crap football. Say starting around 1999 or so. 😉
Let’s worry about getting rid of these NEO “Life-long” Steeler Fans before we worry about Erie, PA
There’s one of those at our church. He wears his ratty Steelers parka to Mass. smh.
He probably goes for the free wine.
I think Haslam should take a page out of the Reds playbook when it comes to rallying the fanbase.
Every Winter, they do the “Reds Radio Caravan Tour” and visit all the radio affiliates. I used to work at one of their small-market affiliates, and it was a lot of fun to have them come through town. We’d get the chance to talk to Dusty and Marty, and the small markets would really feel the love. Good stuff…
They are 100 miles from CLE, 128 to Pitts and 94 to Buffalo. Network probably aired whatever game they thought people would tune into the most. If they had noticably higher ratings with any one of the teams, they would have probably aired more of one team than another. My vote would be to air Steelers games. They are in PA, and closest to Pitts in PA. If you are a Browns fan, Directv or go to a bar that shows the game (or drive the 100 miles to see the game).
Ive lived in Erie my whole life and I can attest to how awful it is. The Super Bowl success of the Steelers magically turned every single person that never cared about football into instant die-hard Steeler fans. Fat, uneducated women in Hines Ward jerseys from K-Mart horde the streets like zombies. My only moment of glory was slapping a Browns bumper sticker on one fan’s “Terrible Truck” , which he didn’t notice for a few months and paraded around town with “Go Browns!” amongst his 57 Steeler stickers.
Networks don’t have a choice. The NFL declard that Erie is in the Buffalo TV market. Local stations have been complaining about it for decades.
The Steelers are adding to this worse TV market also. Typical steeler fans. Lets see how many steeler fans are in Erie after this year. They are not so obnoxious in loosing seasons.