As the sun rises on 2024, a lot of light is shining on the future of sports and its relationship with broadcast television. For fans, things seem to be getting more complicated. Many games are only available through subscription, be it cable, satellite or a streamer. For the first time ever, most of the country had to pay to watch an NFL playoff game in January.

The immediate risk of going behind paywalls might not initially seem huge for some teams. Devoted fans are likely to follow their teams wherever they are — and the beat goes on … for now.

But where do the new fans come from? How does someone become a fan of something they can’t sample for free? What happens to franchises that are still in the process of establishing rabid fan bases?

And as of right now, streaming isn’t working for everyone — and that is going to impact the casual fan. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the NFL playoff game I mentioned earlier — Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins, streaming on Peacock — was the lowest-rated wild-card playoff game dating back to 1991-92.

Built by Broadcast

It’s important to remember the NFL wasn’t always the juggernaut it is now. There was a time it was firmly behind baseball and the product was — for quite a while — considered to be inferior to college football. The legend of the NFL’s growth dates to December 28, 1958, when Johnny Unitas led the Baltimore Colts to the NFL championship in a nationally televised game that changed the future of the league. A fan base — and the NFL’s legacy — was truly born that day. Less than a decade later, the Super Bowl existed and the marriage of broadcast TV to professional football was forged.  

Could that have happened behind a paywall? 

There are reasons for optimism for broadcast sports. Our sister Gray Television station in Phoenix is now showing Phoenix Suns and Mercury games over the air across the state. Here in Atlanta, we’re proud to be showing 10 Hawks games across our stations in early 2024 — returning the NBA team to WPCH, where it aired over 30 years ago. 

The reaction on social media when we announced this over the holidays was tremendous: “Awesome News!!” “That’s Outstanding.” “People should always be able to see some of their local teams’ games on TV, period.” “Awesome. About time.” 

It’s not just viewers who are excited. Our sales team is talking to new advertisers who want to be a part of live sports.

Live and Local

We’ve also launched the Peachtree Sports Network with the goal of sharing live sports all across Georgia — from pro basketball and hockey to lacrosse and the Ultimate Frisbee Association, as well as high school sports. The idea is to give fans the games they want but also to grow more fans — people who can watch a game for free, then watch another game, then another …

I grew up in a household of casual sports fans just interested enough to know who won each game in some sports, but certainly not watching nightly. Would I have become the crazy sports fan I am if I hadn’t watched football, baseball, basketball and hockey for free on broadcast television as a kid? Televised games on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings were what did it.

At their best, sports bring the people in this country together. We root for our teams, buy the gear, read about them, watch and listen to shows that talk about them. In many cases, we even pay the taxes that help fund stadiums and arenas. All of that became possible once fans didn’t actually have to attend the games to be part of the action. From listening to reports of the World Series over the telegraph to the evolution into radio and television, mass broadcast created mass fan bases. 

Now, suddenly, we’re at a crossroads. Are sports going to remain something that everyone can be part of, or will they become private games played in publicly financed buildings available only to people willing to swipe their credit card?

The promise of rights fees may be alluring, but teams that go behind paywalls are  putting a ceiling on how big their businesses can be. In the end, no matter what someone is selling, if people don’t know what the product is, they’re just not going to buy it. 

Peachtree Sports Network launches Sunday, October 1 on WPCH Atlanta’s channel 17.2. Known as Peachtree TV, WPCH is an independent station that’s owned by Gray Television. Besides being available over the air, Peachtree Sports Network will be on Comcast and Spectrum cable.

The sports network will later air on Gray-owned over-the-air channels across the state, including stations in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah. 

“As a lifelong sports fan, I know firsthand I became a fan by watching my local teams play on broadcast television,” WANF-WPCH VP and general manager Erik Schrader said. “While existing fans may follow their teams behind paywalls, there’s no question that new sports fans are born watching broadcast stations. Georgia has so many tremendous teams that simply need an audience and so many sports fans that just need a station where they can watch live events. We’re proud and eager to be at the very beginning of what will become a legacy sports tradition across our state.”

Peachtree Sports Network will broadcast live games from the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G-League, high school football through Score Atlanta, hockey from the Atlanta Gladiators and the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL, the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League and the Atlanta Hustle of the American Ultimate Disc League.

The first live sporting event will be Friday, October 6, from sports marketing company Score Atlanta, when Cass takes on Cartersville at 8 p.m. 

“Peachtree Sports Network gives us the opportunity to bring all sports together on one television platform,” Score Atlanta president I.J. Rosenberg said. “This is an incredible opportunity to give athletes more exposure, and develop more programming focused on high school sports.”

Meredith Corp. named Deborah Collura VP and general manager of its Atlanta duopoly, which comprises CBS affiliate WGCL-TV and WPCH-TV.

Corey Hanson was promoted to VP and general manager of Meredith’s WALA-TV, Mobile, Ala.

Both appointments are effective immediately.

Collura most recently had been president and general manager of Tegna's WCNC-TV, Charlotte. She replaces Lyle Banks at WGCL-TV, which laid off four newsroom staffers last week.

“Deborah has a proven track record of ratings excellence and market-share success,” said Patrick McCreery, Meredith Local Media Group President. “She has a passion for journalism and multi-media content innovation that has led to multiple awards, including Edward R. Murrow, George Peabody and an Alfred I. du Pont for journalism excellence. I am thrilled to have Deborah join Meredith and look forward to having someone with her experience lead our talented team in Atlanta.”

Before WCNC, Collura was VP of news for KPRC-TV, Houston. She was also corporate VP of news for the Post-Newsweek Stations. Earlier in her career she held posts at WDIV-TV, Detroit, WTVJ-TV, Miami, KSTP-TV, Minneapolis, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, WTEN-TV, Albany, N.Y., and KSDK-TV, St. Louis.

“It is a great privilege to lead the team at WGCL and WPCH in one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing communities in the country,” said Collura. “The team at WGCL and WPCH has made great strides building a strong investigative brand and creating exciting opportunities for advertising partners. I look forward to continuing that momentum as we find new and innovative strategies to serve our audiences, our clients and the Atlanta metro community.”

Hanson had been station manager of Meredith’s duopoly in Portland, Ore. She replaces Gary Yoder. 

“Corey’s results-driven leadership has been a huge part of our success in Portland, and I’m confident she will be a great leader for the WALA Fox 10 team and the greater Mobile and Pensacola communities,” said McCreery.

Hanson joined Meredith in 2004 as an executive producer in Portland at KPTV and KPDX. Before joining Meredith, Hanson held posts at two other Portland stations KOIN-TV and KGW-TV.

“While Portland will always hold a special place in my heart, I am thrilled to be leading the team at WALA Fox 10,” said Hanson. “This is an exciting time to be in local broadcasting and I can’t wait to get started.”

The FCC has approved the sale of Time Warner's WPCH-TV Atlanta to Meredith for $70 million.

The application was filed in February and was part of the strategy to avoid FCC review of the AT&T-Time Warner merger.

Related: Time Warner Selling WPCH to Meredith

Had Time Warner still owned the station, AT&T would have had to submit the merger for FCC review of that license transfer instead of simply submitting it to the Justice Department for antitrust review. The FCC's review goes beyond whether a deal is anticompetitive to look at its pro-public interest benefits.

Meredith has a JSA with WPCH — formerly Turner's Superstation WTBS — for more than 15% of ad time, so it already has an attributable interest in the station. It already owns WGCL-TV there, but the market is large enough to accommodate duopolies.

Time Warner has some other FCC licenses — for internal links between CNN field trucks and studios — but AT&T had signaled those will not be part of the deal either.

The assignment of license was granted April 14, but the FCC had not yet released the public notice of the approval at press time Tuesday (April 18).

Time Warner has filed an application with the FCC to sell its lone TV station, WPCH Atlanta, to Meredith Corp. Meredith has been operating the station for Time Warner, so it would not be a big change.   

The purchase price is $70 million, according to the agreement, which was filed with the FCC today (Feb. 23).

Meredith has a JSA with WPCH--—formerly Turner's Superstation WTBS—for more than 15% of ad time, so it already has an attributable interest in the station. It already owns WGCL-TV there.

AT&T has said its deal to purchase Time Warner would not have to be filed with the FCC—which presupposed the sale of that station, since if the license transferred to AT&T, the FCC would have to review it on public interest grounds. 

Time Warner has some other FCC licenses—for internal links between CNN field trucks and studios—but AT&T has signaled those will not be part of the deal either.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai would not comment on whether the FCC would use that WPCH sale to get at the larger AT&T-Time Warner merger, but that would appear unlikely from the deregulatory Republican.

There had been speculation that Time Warner would either have to sell the station or place it in a trust to avoid the FCC review.