Twin Cities Soccer Fans Unhappy with FOX 9′s Champions League Coverage
A week prior to the UEFA Champions League Final, a storm system barreled through the Twin Cities area dropping numerous tornadoes, the worst of them hitting right through a densely populated area of North Minneapolis. The twister killed two and injured many others and did damage to homes for several miles.
So it was understandable that the FOX affiliate in the Twin Cities, FOX 9 and the FOX News 9 staff, would be a bit cautious and preempt the UEFA Champions League Final coverage to break in and warn the area about a storm that was heading towards the metropolitan area. This storm brought the possibilities of tornadoes and severe thunder storms.
FOX News 9 chose to cut into the broadcast by eliminating the volume of the game and creating a split screen of the anchors and meteorologists with their weather maps.
Comments left on Fox 9's Facebook page by frustrated soccer fans
While this decision could certainly be understood, it was the manner in which the station dealt with the situation that irked many a Twin Cities soccer fan. FOX 9 claimed they had to preempt the program in this way because it was required by the FCC. Meanwhile CBS affiliate WCCO carried the HP Byron Nelson Golf Championship with only a few interruptions and kept Minnesotans aware of the situation by scrolling a ticker across the bottom of the screen. I guess someone didn’t tell WCCO they were required by the FCC to preempt the golf coverage.
Channel 9 chose to ditch the Champions League half time coverage for more storm coverage and when the game restarted the station went back to the split screen for almost the entire second half of the match. They also ditched the post game coverage.
The station certainly didn’t help themselves when several times the anchor called it “World Cup” coverage.
While most soccer fans watched at home or with others at parties, soccer bars across the Twin Cities like Brits, The Local, Nomad World Pub and the Sweetwater were full of fans watching what many consider the biggest soccer match of the year. Reports of anger at Fox News 9 and their disrespect for the importance of this game brought some of those soccer fans to start chants against the station with many encouraging each other to call the station, create Tweets and message them on Facebook to return to the Champions League coverage.
The outpouring of frustration by the fans certainly got the attention of the station’s on-air personalities as several times the FOX 9 staff told the viewers to stop Twittering them.
For those that had Direct TV, they eventually changed the channel to the Spanish FOX coverage, FOX Deportes.
The local coverage, or lack thereof, clearly showed a absence of understanding from the station of the immensity of the game and the level of support that soccer now has, not only in the US but in Minnesota and particularly the Twin Cities. FOX would not have carried the game on its main FOX network if they had not expected good ratings.
Soccer supporters are a group who were looked upon as fringe for years. But with the growing numbers they can no longer be overlooked by major media who need to educate themselves about this fast-growing demographic. FOX 9′s coverage and lack of respect for this game surely will hurt their ratings with soccer supporters in the Twin Cities.
To take a look at some of the messages that were sent to the Fox 9 Facebook page or to leave your own comment click the link.
To see the messages left with the @myfox9 Twitter account or to leave your own tweet go here.
Comments are closed.
Peter Liguori, President
Fox Broadcasting Co.
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213
(310) 369-1000
peterliguori@foxinc.com
askfox@foxinc.com
Couple thoughts from the Chaska/ Carver area
1- if your going to dominate the screen with the weather report why didn’t they keep the women with the tight blouse on screen……..one more button could have been left undone too……
2) the local Fox weather better check their radar equipment to see if it is working properly. We left the bar shortly after the 3rd Barca goal since the storm was heading in our direction. Outside, the actual conditions did not mirror what they were reporting. They skies did not look threatening IMO I think well over-hyped and over-reported.
3) The World Cup references are forgivable since your dealing with TV personalities/models. We shouldn’t raise our expectations too much for those doing aerobics in front of a colorful radar picture. Plus you’re dealing with the weekend help.
PS – some good Facebook comments shown above
I was hoping that you would do a piece on this. A former acquaintance of mine was an anchor at FOX 9 for many years so I know to expect the very worst in any situation where incompetence is possible. As soon as the first weather warning popped up on the screen I knew we were in for an afternoon of Send In The Clowns. Halftime is obliterated by the cable access weather woman who could not work the ridiculous doodads. And it was all downhill from there. Why employ an anchor who has not the faintest clue what his station is broadcasting? How can this same joker then bait his enraged audience by sarcastically apologizing for “tragically” interrupting the once a year event that his station is actively ruining? FOX isn’t doing themselves any favors with an anonymous troll called “Magel Baker” responding to each and every attack on Facebook. Pravda was less obvious.
I watched the game in Richester and was irate at the idiots at Fox that cut in with the stupid weather. Are you just a bunch of dumb idiots at Fox. Soccer fans coudl care less about this crap. Next time leave soccer to better channels. This is the same channel that kept talking about Michale Phelps at the last olympics and pissed me off. Stick to covering shit.
Fox are bunch of amateurs…between Manafey and Wynalda in the studio, it was painful to watch the pre- and post-game shows…pathetic…Manafey: please please NEVER enter a football studio again. You are as bad as the baseball guy they had on ESPN for the 2006 World Cup (Dave O’Brien). Awful!!!
I believe all of Fox 9′s problems could have been alleviated if they would have simply switched the game over to Channel 29. They were airing Paid Programming on 29. They could have done “make goods” with the paid programming folks…if necessary.
Fox 9 has learned a good lesson, I think. Hopefully, Big Fox will have a word with KMSP regarding their constant interruption of sports programming that they (Big Fox) paid big dollars to broadcast.
I do feel Tim Blotz was out of line regarding his stearn voice to viewers about all of their comments on Facebook and Twitter and phone calls to the station. Other viewers do not agree with other choices made by your station, yet they do not get a similar on-air response.
At the same time, I think a lot of soccer fans were out of line, too. Not for what they said, but for how they said it. You can get your point across without using vulgar language.
We, soccer fans, are a smart group of people. Let’s show it at all times.
…..At the same time, I think a lot of soccer fans were out of line, too. Not for what they said, but for how they said it. You can get your point across without using vulgar language…..
I am right there with you on the acceptable boundaries point, but goodness me, if ever there was someone almost begging for abuse it was this yutz. He started with condescension and then opted for open mockery. The main weather guy was falling all over himself to cover for him (My parents are from Manchester! I was watching this game!) but there was only so much he could do.
I wish you guys could have seen how sportsnet and tsn treated it. I was very impressed with the level of respect sportsnet gave the game, the magnitude of it, and the teams and players involved. I think I might have taken it for advantage after reading this post from BQ. Maybe fire of an email to sportsnet.ca and see if the send you a recording of the match.
I’ve heard complaints on the way Fox 9 has interrupted tv shows with weather alerts in the past.
On May 10th of this year (pre-Mpls Tornado), Fox 9 cut off the last 2 minutes of a Glee episode and all hell broke loose on Facebook.
Safety first, but they Fox 9 was way over the top with the way they treated it. I would think a professional station would have had the occasional cut-in if weather conditions changed or worsened. But at least they hate teenagers and soccer fans the same.
But then again, Fox canceled Firefly. I hate them.
I used my Thunderbolt to record from my DVR the moment Tim Boltz decided to be a bit unprofessional towards soccer fans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjK-vH7xu4o
Such a class act.
The more I think about this…..of all the times I have watched Fox Soccer Channel for the past number of years I do not recall another time that they ever interrupted anything on FSC for any breaking weather.
Hmmmm they figured they finally had an audience?
It wasn’t on FSC tomASS, it was on Fox 9. Totally different deal.
To watch a game like this on non cable network tv was amazing. The ridiculus weather interuption was just heartbreaking. I’m curious what kind of ratings it got nationwide because that was one amazing game!
First of all Fox-9 is NOT required by the FCC to cut into regular programming and provide severe weather coverage at all. They are required by the FCC to provide a ‘public service’ to maintain their license. The licenses come up for renewal every few years and the public has a chance to comment on whether the station provides good community service. In the all the years of station license renewals, I don’t think a station has ever lost its license because it didn’t serve the community.
Next, the nature of the storm was one that seemed like to could be strong storms and maybe even be tornadic. But the storm track of the strongest cell was clear that the areas impacted were well south of the metro area in mostly rural and exurban areas like Jordan and New Prague. These are lightly populated areas. This situation deserved an occasional cut in and a constant scroll. It did not warrant wall-to-wall coverage with constant repetition of a quickly weakening storm system.
This, the anchors overreacted in their response to upset viewers.
I have a feeling if this was an NFL game or the American Idol finale and there was bad weather in the metro, there would be no wall to wall coverage. There would be quick 30 second cut ins and a scroll.
Brian – my bad then, but could have sworn when I left the house I checked the schedule and it showed be on FSN.
I assumed that’s the station the pub had it on also………….nevermind
I meant FSC
If you want to contact Tim Blotz about his disgraceful attitude during Saturday’s broadcast, his email address is tim.blotz@foxtv.com. His Twitter Handle is http://twitter.com/#!/TimothyBlotz
Really, the lack of respect for the game goes all the way up to Fox Sports National. I felt dumber for having seen ANY of the pre-game, featuring Curt Menefee, who has never watched a match in his life, reading script written by people who have never watched a game in their lives.
While I will grant that UK coverage of soccer often includes coverage of WAGs, did the ‘Pizza Hut Matchup of the Game!’ really have to be about what players were dating (hot) (known to Americans) celeb chicks? Really?
My wife and I lived TV-free for nearly 8 months. Between the resources available on the internet, at the library, and on the radio we were very well-informed as well as entertained. We discovered that major events like the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl are monopolized by broadcast networks and only available on “free tv.” Rather than invest in an antenna and converter box we subscribed to basic cable in order to have access to the events monopolized by “free tv.” Saturday’s match was the first time I had watched tv in 8 months.
I would have been better off enjoying lunch at a soccer bar and watching on an uninterrupted satellite feed rather than wasting $$$ on “free tv.” With the proliferation of cable and the internet I am shocked that local affiliates even still exist. I have a feeling that within 10 years local affiliates will go the way of the pay phone and nobody will have to suffer through arrogant tv personalities like Tim Blotz.
This is all-too-typical of the elitist media types. You see, scrolls, radar screens in the corner and beep-beeps can’t be used on video resumes to advance narcisstic careers. I agree with the other poster, local network affiliates are increasingly obsolete. BTW, just hope that a severe storm isn’t in the area when its time for Commercials because these hypocrits who are so “concerned” about us will cut the scrolls and the rest of the warnings in no time.