CHSN-Comcast dispute tops our 10 biggest Chicago sports-media stories of 2024
Chicago is stuck in a time warp.
Most of our celebrities are still media types on TV and radio. The two sports-talk stations in town broadcast on the AM dial (though they also have HD2 signals). And a regional sports network launched that requires many viewers to watch via antenna.
Will the teams in town revert to using printed tickets in 2025? (I do miss saving stubs.)
That won’t happen, but keep those antennas handy. Fans will likely still need them to watch Chicago Sports Network, the new home of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox, unless they subscribe to DirecTV, Astound/RCN or CHSN’s direct-to-consumer service.
That’s because the fledgling network remains off Comcast, forcing about 1 million customers to either change their viewing habits or give them up altogether. Considering the struggles of CHSN’s tenants, Comcast is under no pressure to carry it, leaving the teams out of sight and out of mind to many.
The demise of NBC Sports Chicago, the teams’ previous TV home, was emblematic of industrywide problems that made launching an RSN risky. It could all work out eventually, but in the meantime, in a rare twist, it’s the RSN, not the cable company, that’s feeling the heat.
The sorry situation ranks as our No. 1 Chicago sports-media story of the year.
2. John Schriffen’s first season in Sox’ TV booth
It started on Opening Day when he asked Steve Stone why Sox fans were booing ex-Cub Javy Baez. It continued when he mispronounced former Sox owner Bill Veeck’s name, called out perceived “haters” on a home-run call and misstated scores. Like the team he broadcasts, there’s nowhere to go but up.
3. Leila Rahimi leaves NBC 5
After becoming the channel’s first female lead sports anchor in March 2022, Rahimi abruptly left in October. People close to the situation have remained tight-lipped. Rahimi continues to do fine work as a part-time co-host on The Score. But where she lands as a full-timer remains to be seen.
4. The Score has quite a year — in two months
In August, Danny Parkins left the station to join FS1. In September, Dan Bernstein reacted poorly to Barstool Eddie calling him “Bernstein.” That prompted Laurence Holmes to force his way to afternoons in place of Parkins. The station then hired former CBS 2 anchor Marshall Harris to join Bernstein. Got it?
5. Bears on ‘Hard Knocks’
Bears fans longed to see their team featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” during training camp, but chairman George McCaskey wouldn’t allow it. Finally, the NFL left him no choice, and fans got their wish. But the joke was on them because the show was largely bland and manipulated. No cussing? Come on, George.
6. Blackhawks fire Chris Vosters
After naming Vosters the successor to Hall of Famer Pat Foley in 2022, the Hawks abruptly changed their opinion of him, prodded by analyst Darren Pang. Vosters and Pang never clicked in their one season together, and fans had become very critical of Vosters. His replacement, Rick Ball, is great, but Vosters got a raw deal.
7. March madness for Courtney Cronin, Stacey King
In March, Bears reporter Cronin dropped an F-bomb on ESPN 1000 in frustration for hearing an echo of her voice. Two weeks later, Bulls analyst King fell for a fake X account that falsely reported former Bull Derrick Rose was retiring. For all you young broadcasters out there, don’t let either happen to you.
8. Joe Maddon, Terry Francona relive Game 7
In February, MLB Network aired a special in which the two managers from Game 7 of the 2016 World Series relived the instant classic, won by the Cubs 8-7 in 10 innings. Hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci gleaned many interesting insights, but Maddon still didn’t regret pulling Kyle Hendricks early.
9. ESPN’s emotional segment on ‘Mongo’
A 10-minute segment on former Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael and his quest for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame while battling ALS practically moved the members of ESPN’s “Postseason NFL Countdown” to tears. They weren’t the only ones.
10. Jim Nantz rips Matt Eberflus, Bears
The often sappy CBS broadcaster let the former Bears coach have it for mishandling the final sequence in the loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving: “Disaster in the making here. You’re gonna have to do something with it. Comes down to this play … incomplete, and the game is over. Completely BOTCHED at the end by the Bears.”