DMA 18 (ORLANDO, FL)
WKMG Explains Why It’s Airing NFL’s Jaguars
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – An Orlando television station has issued an on-air explanation for why it’s airing the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars while many NFL fans probably would have preferred seeing the Denver Broncos-New York Giants game, a possible Super Bowl preview featuring the Peyton and Eli Manning.
WKMG TV issued the scrolled message on Sunday. It read that NFL policy states the station must carry all Jags away games. At the end the message said: “We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Viewers then took to Twitter to remark on what many saw as an apology from the station.
But WKMG Vice President and General Manager Skip Valet says the arrangement is nothing new. He says for nearly two decades Orlando has been designated the secondary Jaguars market and has carried all the away games. As he put it: “I know it’s frustrating, but as a CBS station in this market you have to carry the away games.”
Jaguars scored an NFL-low 2 points last week and are coming off the worst season in franchise history. They have missed the playoffs 11 of the last 13 years.
Comments (1)
Keith ONeal says:
September 16, 2013 at 9:58 pm
The problem is two-fold: 1) Orlando is in what I refer to as a “Double Blackout” zone because we are in the Blackout zone radius for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaquars. Both teams have had more losses than wins in the past few years and sellouts are rare (That’s why the Saints @ Buccaneers game that aired yesterday on FOX 35/FOX 51 Orlando/Ocala was a pleasant surprise to me). 2) On the other hand, Orlando was designated as the secondary market for both teams, which is why all the Jacksonville away games and all the Tampa Bay away games MUST air here in Orlando. Fortunately, the Jacksonville game ended early, and we got to see the last few minutes of the “Manning Bowl” anyway.