This entry contained an error, ironic given that it claimed to be pointing out a sportswriter's error. In fact, the Raiders' blackout does result in CBS not showing an early game here. This map confirms it (no LaDainian (or Mewelde) for us), and Wikipedia explains further.
In this link I had misread the phrase "if the game is sold out" as "if the game is blacked out." That same article makes somewhat interesting reference to the NFL rules for secondary markets: Road games must be carried but home games are optional. The Sacramento CBS station drew lots of complaints after being forced to show Oakland at San Diego instead of New England at Dallas.
Do you think affiliates in that position (this notably also includes a CBS in Harrisburg, PA, that gets hosed whenever a Baltimore Ravens road game is on at the same time as a Steelers game) would run afoul of the NFL, or their network, if the ran a scroll explaining that NFL rules mandated which game they carried?
Posted by Matt Bruce at November 3, 2007 11:18 PMSame thing happened in Atlanta this past Sunday. Falcons-49ers were 3,000 short of a Georgia Dome sellout, so the game was blacked out and the Fox affiliate aired Chiefs-Packers instead.
The CBS affiliate, which was scheduled not to show the early game of the doubleheader due to the rules stated, still didn't air any game -- we received three hours of infomercials instead.
Posted by: James D. at November 5, 2007 07:05 AM