Warriors feuding with CSN
# The team, already upset by the station's programming moves, files a suit
related to Giants' status as part owners
By John Ryan
MEDIANEWS STAFF
Article Launched: 04/17/2008
In a budding feud that already might be hindering the Bay Area sports
fan's
viewing experience, the Warriors have filed a lawsuit aimed at the new
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
In a suit filed Thursday in Alameda County Superior Court, the team asked
for declaratory relief that would allow the Warriors a closer inspection
of
the channel's ownership to determine whether the new deal breaches their
broadcast contract.
Among other complaints, the Warriors take issue with the Giants'
acquisition
of a reported 30 percent ownership stake in the rebranded channel.
According
to the suit, before the Warriors agreed to a contract in May 2002, they
requested but were denied permission to see other teams' arrangements
because of confidentiality concerns. The Warriors say they received a
pledge
of confidentiality and that the Giants' new status as station owners
violates that pledge.
Comcast isn't named despite its controlling interest; the defendants are
SportsChannel Pacific Associates, Pacific Regional Holdings, Regional
Pacific Holdings II, and "Does 1 through 20, inclusive." The Warriors are
asking the court to "pierce the corporate veil" in order to see if any of
the defendants' shareholders can be held liable as well.
The Warriors aren't yet asking for specific damages. Warriors spokesman
Raymond Ridder and his Comcast counterpart, Tim Fitzpatrick, declined to
comment.
But signs of hostility have been evident for weeks. On March 26, Comcast
hosted a ritzy "Night of Legends" dinner at San Francisco's Westin St.
Francis Hotel. The Warriors were the only broadcast partner that wasn't
represented at the head table, didn't have its TV voices in attendance and
didn't provide an autographed picture for the partygoers' gift pack.
Furthermore, recent programming decisions have gone against the Warriors,
whose ratings are, on average, nearly three times the Sharks'. On March
21,
the Rockets-Warriors game remained on the less visible FSN Plus while
Sharks-Ducks was on FSN; after the conversion to CSN, a crucial Warriors
game in San Antonio wasn't picked up for telecast because of conflicts
with
the Sharks and the A's home opener. (Comcast has close ties to the NHL,
airing games on its Versus cable channel.)
On Monday night, too, the Warriors' last-gasp game against Phoenix was on
CSN Plus, while the Diamondbacks and Giants held the main channel.
A case-management conference is scheduled for Aug. 27. Warriors owner
Chris
Cohan is no stranger to the civil courts, nor is Comcast. So it's hard to
see either one blinking.
If next season rolls around and the Warriors are brushed to CSN Plus more
often -- or if Comcast has trouble launching its planned Warriors pregame
and postgame shows, which will require heavy cooperation from the
franchise -- this might be why.
Contact John Ryan at jryan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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