This is why I am so angry about the Blackhawks fiasco with CHSN and the providers

I threw a tantrum online over this Blackhawks broadcast situation. It bothers me on several levels. This broadcast problem dates back years and to me highlights the incompetence of management and the disregard for their fans.

The Blackhawks obviously knew their contract with NBC Sports Chicago was expiring before the 2024 season. The organization began planning for the expiration of this contract while conducting contract negotiations with its two iconic broadcasters. Despite management's sob story about Hall of Famer Pat Foley not knowing how much more he wanted to broadcast, the organization forced him into retirement. He quietly goes along with the story so that he can become an ambassador and receive a very good salary for five to eight appearances per year. Edzo, our hockey dad, was originally offered a two-year contract by Jamie Faulkner, which coincided with the end of the NBC contract. This seems logical at first glance, until you consider that Chris Vosters received a five-year contract. Colby Cohen also had a longer contract than Edzo was offered. From what I understand, the Blackhawks went back to Edzo in the 11th minute with more playing time, but they argued about how many games and internationals there were and Eddie was too offended and too far along with Seattle. I would like to see the balance of the Foley and Edzo contracts compared to the Panger and Ball contracts and the Vosters and Cohen acquisitions. You can add Jamie's old friend from Texas and dedicated broadcast consultant Ralph Strangis to this ledger. I'm not sure how much she paid him to fix a problem that didn't exist, but if I were a real journalist with media access, I would ask the Blackhawks if they still care about the decision to hire Ralph Strangis Money costs…

So the decimation of our show is the first level of anger about it.

The second reason is that despite years of preparation for the separation from NBC Sports Chicago, they still haven't managed to get a deal done with the airlines in a timely manner. Now they can sit there and say that YouTubeTV doesn't want them and Comcast is holding them back on price. Whatever. To me that's nonsense. Regional sports networks are failing across the country. The organization's brilliant idea was to create its own in 2024 and partner with arguably the worst ownership in sports (Reinsdorf with Bulls and White Sox). Reinsdorf hired Jason Coyle as CEO of CHSN. Coyle was the former CEO of Stadium, the streaming sports channel. Jerry Reinsdorf bought controlling interest in Stadium after the previous owner, Sinclair Regional Sports, filed for bankruptcy. Stadium was not successful. Why would you hire the guy who couldn't gain market share at the previous station to run a brand new station? This is almost like hiring a GM from within to solve all the problems his previous bosses caused…

I would like to know what other options have been explored. I'm SURPRISED that the Blackhawks/CHSN don't have an app available for purchase like Marquee does, considering how long they knew this change was coming. Marquee charges $19.99 per month for its app. The Blackhawks have said you can get the games over the air “for free” if you have an antenna worth $20 to $40. Comcast is reportedly giving its customers like me a $4 to $8 discount because NBC Sports Chicago is now off the air.

Here's something else I don't understand about launching a regional sports network in 2024: It seems very expensive to operate. There are the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox, which make you money, but are also all SHIT products. In some cases, calling the best product “shit” can be generous. NO ONE watched NBC Chicago unless it was the pre-game/post-game shows. I was shocked to see the same old guard of Chicago sports media hosting shows on the network. Why start a brand new channel that feels obligated to fill time slots when the only things people will actually tune in to are the games and programming that immediately surrounds them? I'm just thinking out loud here. Maybe there is an answer. To me, as a newbie, it seems like a better idea to sell your games to a broadcaster that already has wide distribution locally, and then if you can't find a solution for cord cutters, offer them an app for the games and maybe some exclusive to on-demand content that you can cost-effectively produce using your in-house talent and hockey-related staff.

I mentioned Marquee above. You have an established network. You have an established app. I'm sure they would be happy to sell some programs that run October through April when the Cubs are off. Have the Blackhawks talked to Marquee about a partnership? Was the Wirtz-Reinsdorf relationship too strong to pursue anything else? I'm excited to see the level of due diligence that goes into making the Blackhawks easily accessible to their fans. That's the thing. So far, in my experience, it hasn’t been “easy”.

Like a good little boy who just wants to watch his favorite team, I bought an antenna even though I already pay for Xfinity, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount. The result…not great.

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And I wasn't alone

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These are the Blackhawks fans. Some of their best fans. People buying tickets. People who buy merch. People who consume a lot of content so you can sell ads. People who actively want to watch this team, even though it was bad for seven years. People who continue to support this team despite scandal and incompetence. The organization has failed them.

Not an exact science, but I conducted a survey out of curiosity

Over 80% of casual sports fans in your market did not purchase the antenna to watch the games. Once again, the Blackhawks are at risk of losing a generation of fans in a huge market with starved sports fans.

Here's another thought out loud: The Blackhawks sucked and got lucky and traded on Connor Bedard. An exciting talent capable of attracting new fans. In the same way, Toews and Kane made the Blackhawks the hottest show and ticket in town 15 years ago. Their skills and Rocky's televising of the games ensured that hockey EXPLODED in this market. The Blackhawks have a chance to benefit from this formula again. You should be in growth mode. They should try to get their loyal companion and their best asset in front of as many eyes as possible. In my opinion, which admittedly doesn't know all the details, you should do a damn deal, even if it means it's not financially ideal in the short term. You could gain new fans that will earn you money back over the next 50 years.

And perhaps the biggest factor here is that the Blackhawks have no credibility whatsoever. Seemingly a scandal every year. Complaints. Lying to the fans. Do you remember this statement?

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They created this blue ribbon committee for the GM hiring process. Hossa was in Slovakia and Sharp was with me in Vegas when they interviewed candidates. They only used big names because they didn't have the trust of the fans. A little birdie told me that Sportsology gave them a list, but Jamie Faulkner wanted to exclude Greenberg from their ties to the Cubs. Danny, trying to empower his CEO, gave her the authority to hire Greenberg, even though he was reportedly leaning toward Kyle Davidson. Jamie offered Greenberg, Greenberg accepted, then Rocky came and vetoed it, and that's why Kyle Davidson is the GM. Greenberg was kept on as assistant GM, more to save face, and he wanted to create new internal hockey analysis for the Blackhawks. No word on the progress made as he took over the Detroit Tigers GM job, crediting them with being one game away from the ALCS. Greenberg is successful in the sport he has spent his entire career in. I don't want to go too far off track here, but it was so obvious that Stan Bowman was a DISASTER in Chicago for years. Really going back to 2010. He was carried by superstars inherited from previous GMs and was the greatest coach of that era. Despite all the failures from drafting to cap management to Colliton…the Blackhawks promoted him. He'd probably still be here if it weren't for the Beach scandal, and we'd be even more reeling than we are now. It feels like Danny and Jamie were stunned to learn that Bowman had left the closet completely barren. It should have been obvious to anyone paying attention.

I hate complaining about the Blackhawks. The scandals, the broadcast, the TV problems, the pathetic teams on the ice, the premature end to the golden era, etc. It's been a long 9 years for Blackhawks fans. I don't ask for much. Put the games on TV. I've been lucky enough to see three Stanley Cup winners here, and chances are good that nothing will ever happen to these teams. Well, not even me need or expect another cup to be a hardcore fan. I just need the honest and competent pursuit of a trophy. I really don't think that's too much to ask.

I think Kyle Davidson is doing a good job (although I have some dark thoughts from time to time) and I think he will have this team in the playoffs in 2027. I like Danny Wirtz on a personal level. I think he's a good guy. However, it seems that every decision made outside of hockey that impacts fans has been a bust. Someone needs to be held accountable. I also find it strange (at best) that there has been so much turnover on the business side. Faulkner completely cleaned the house when she got the job. Which I think is her right to hire the people she wants, but just because it's your “right” doesn't mean you should too. One could criticize the previous regime, but the purpose of criticism is to separate the wheat from the chaff, not to burn the entire crop. In many cases she also had to replace spare parts. These are some stories that brighten up the apparent chaos. It feels like this TV distribution problem is just the latest manifestation of a larger problem. I hope I'm wrong. I hope we get answers. I hope we get games on TV.