Remember that drop in TV ratings reported during the season?

[dalgreen]

Lower ratings for a season is what usually happens when the team's season is essentially over by May 15th, as it was this season. Had the Cubs even been just hovering around .500, or as I call it mediocrity, I still believe they would've beaten the Sox. But let's not turn this into "The Tribune needs to spend more money" game, because if Hendry can't manage a $95 million payroll correctly, then what would make you think he could manage a $120 million payroll?

[Guest]

How are TV ratings measured? Is it the amount of signals pulled? Explain somebody.

I'd also like to know this. Do they count the people that tune in for only a part of the game? For example, I know I usually couldn't make it past the 3rd inning this year.

 

I think they're measured by having some households a device that tracks their TV viewing habits. This is then extrapolated to the entire region.

 

I don't know how you could do that though. You just don't take 1 or 5% of the city, take the percentage of those who switch on the game, and then extrapolate from that, to 100%. It's just not going to be accurate. I always thought it worked like radio in that they could simply detect the signals coming in and when they switched off.

 

It's not going to be perfectly accurate, but it's going to be close. And, according to goony's link, they also do phone calls on top of the sampling

 

I've never known anyone who has known anyone who was a Nielson household.

 

now you do.

[goonys evil twin]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

I like this part...

 

The network will also expand its "Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" coverage to up to 26 weeks per season, an increase from 18 weeks.

 

I hate that part. Fox games of the week just means I can only watch a Yankees or Mets game.

[CubmanPi]

Lower ratings for a season is what usually happens when the team's season is essentially over by May 15th, as it was this season. Had the Cubs even been just hovering around .500, or as I call it mediocrity, I still believe they would've beaten the Sox. But let's not turn this into "The Tribune needs to spend more money" game, because if Hendry can't manage a $95 million payroll correctly, then what would make you think he could manage a $120 million payroll?

Unfortunately, "incentive to win" and "brains to take the actual steps toward winning" are two completely different concepts, and if we're lucky, we'll see one of the two sometime soon.

[MustangMike]

Maybe this is why they are willing to raise the payroll to 115 million.

 

Maybe we can hit them where it hurts...in their pocketbook! Tickets may have been sold, but it was obvious people weren't going and now this supports less people were even watching. Good to hear.

[dalgreen]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

I like this part...

 

The network will also expand its "Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" coverage to up to 26 weeks per season, an increase from 18 weeks.

 

I hate that part. Fox games of the week just means I can only watch a Yankees or Mets game.

 

I still don't get why they won't allow all FOX games or any afternoon start to be shown on Extra Innings. Even the NHL allows all the regional NBC hockey games to be shown on Center Ice.

[wastra]

I was Nielsen home for two years until I moved, and a friend of mine and his wife still are.

 

They profile you before giving you the box to find out what your demographics are.

 

For example, at the time, I was late 20s, single white male, income $XXXXX-XXXXX, etc.

 

They use all kinds of data to extrapolate that to how many people and what kinds of people watched. So for every 20,000 single males in that demographic group, they give one a box.

For every 20,000 households with X number of children between ages of X and X, they give them a box.

 

So they're not randomly distributed, either, but statistically allocated.

[soccer10k]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

I like this part...

 

The network will also expand its "Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" coverage to up to 26 weeks per season, an increase from 18 weeks.

 

I hate that part. Fox games of the week just means I can only watch a Yankees or Mets game.

 

I get Giants/Dodgers/A's games every Saturday.

[Andy]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

I like this part...

 

The network will also expand its "Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" coverage to up to 26 weeks per season, an increase from 18 weeks.

 

I hate that part. Fox games of the week just means I can only watch a Yankees or Mets game.

 

I get Giants/Dodgers/A's games every Saturday.

And I get Cubs or Cardinals games usually, which is why I like it.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

And in non-Cubs related news, TBS will broadcast one league championship series every October. They will alternate every year and start with the NLCS in 2007. The deal runs through 2013.

I like this part...

 

The network will also expand its "Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week" coverage to up to 26 weeks per season, an increase from 18 weeks.

 

I hate that part. Fox games of the week just means I can only watch a Yankees or Mets game.

 

I get Giants/Dodgers/A's games every Saturday.

 

The same plus the Angels and Padres for me. Fox's games are just a California-only thing.

 

I did get the Cubs-Yankees in 03 (the game where Hee Seop Choi collided with Kerry Wood) and I've gotten a couple Mariner games over the years.

[Drew Doughty]

That Cubs-Yankees game was weird because it was Wood-Clemens and Clemens was gunning for 300. I was supposed to get Dodgers and someone else I think, but that got rained out so the entire country ended up getting Wood-Clemens. Karros homered in that game too in relief of Choi, right?

 

That game was amazing.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

That Cubs-Yankees game was weird because it was Wood-Clemens and Clemens was gunning for 300. I was supposed to get Dodgers and someone else I think, but that got rained out so the entire country ended up getting Wood-Clemens. Karros homered in that game too in relief of Choi, right?

 

That game was amazing.

 

Yeah, Karros had the go-ahead HR once Clemens exited. You're right, it was on in LA because Roger was going for 300 (here in LA, Fox Sports West was going to air the Dodger game).

[goonys evil twin]

That Cubs-Yankees game was weird because it was Wood-Clemens and Clemens was gunning for 300. I was supposed to get Dodgers and someone else I think, but that got rained out so the entire country ended up getting Wood-Clemens. Karros homered in that game too in relief of Choi, right?

 

That game was amazing.

 

Yeah, Karros had the go-ahead HR once Clemens exited. You're right, it was on in LA because Roger was going for 300 (here in LA, Fox Sports West was going to air the Dodger game).

 

Best atmosphere I've ever witnessed at a regular season game, from beginning to end. I remember seeing Urlacher strolling around outside the stadium. Everybody was there. Plus, I think somebody was going for the triple crown that day, and the race was shortly after the game.