The Universal Cynic

No, I didn't write this. But I do love it.

Again, this is a cluster of posts from the period when the Senators thought they should (or rather, could get away with) charging their fans for games on pay-per-view. I got into a fair amount of trouble for these posts, both with the Ottawa Senators and Sun Media. In hindsight it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but at the time it surely wasn't pleasant. I didn't have to come down on them as hard as I did, but I was vehemently against their decision and took serious issue with the product. Of course, the blog is a looser format, and so I took advantage of that fact. Me and my mouth...err...fingers.

I'd like to think that I helped make a difference during this period - the Sens and media are constantly lurking around here for some bloody reason or other - but c'mon...I'm just a dumb girl blogger. [Insert picture of Malibu Stacy hunched over a laptop] Special acknowledgment goes to Rob Brodie, who stuck by me the whole time. He's good people.

Here are the most controversial posts from the Senators' short and sour PPV era:

Give me my Bloody HD

Soupe du Jour

The Vicious Revolt

Question The Answers

Pass the Buck

You may have noticed the glossed-over blogger segment on Hockey Night In Canada, prior to the Leafs-Pens game. Not much new under the sun there, although it should be ironically noted that Elliotte Friedman took part in the piece. Friedman is a moderator on the Sportsjournalists.com message boards -- a gathering place for mainstream sports media that's well-known for viciously denouncing bloggers.

***

Keep in mind that the Sens have another PPV coming up this Friday (from Dallas). What adventures will this broadcast bring? God only knows, given the history thus far. Just remember what Jim Steel (the team's VP of broadcasting services) said during the last snafu:

"I'm committed to doing HD (for pay-per-view broadcasts this season,)" he said. "I wish I hadn't (agreed, given what happened.)"

That's the kind of sentiment you want to see expressed, right? We pity your regret over attempting to give your customers what they want, Mr. Steel. Your fans regret that the team implemented pay-per-view in the first place.

From Chris Stevenson:

The Senators just announced the first game of their pay-per-view package this year, Nov. 22 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be available in high definition. That's what a lot of fans have been asking for, and rightly so, when you have to ante up $10.95 to see the game.

Senators VP of broadcasting Jim Steel said the club is looking into showing more of the other six games on Sens TV in HD. “We expect the majority, if not all, of the Sens TV games will be available in HD,” he said.

Alright, so we've been relatively absent for the past little bit -- mostly for good reason. The news coming out has been a vast vortex of crap, and uh, well...The Driver's Mom was hit by a car. Seriously. Thankfully she's going to be alright, but it's taken up a lot of our time. Strangely enough, this is a far more common occurrence in the Lakehead than one might think. When I was in high school, two kids were hit by cars. Well...rather, one was hit by a bus, and the other by a hearse (sans casket). He was fine, and we were given four years' worth of punchlines from the incident. Good times.

Anyway, we're off to the SBP this aft to observe the uniform unveiling. We're generally not big fans of change, but will attempt to keep an open mind. Expect a synopsis this evening. You can find our initial thoughts on this event here.

Also, the Sens PPV schedule was released today -- seven games this year, up from five. Here they are (with credit to Chris Stevenson's blog):

Nov. 22 home against Pittsburgh
Dec. 7 @ Dallas
Jan. 4 @ Buffalo
Jan. 29 @ NYI
Feb. 28 @ Philly
March 11, home against Boston
April 3 @ Toronto.

Yeah, you can trust we have thoughts on this as well. More later.

(Alternate title: Better Late Than Never)

Okay, so after the Lynx' Media Day I got a bit sidetracked and ran a few errands. Long story short, I'm about twelve hours behind posting. My deepest apologies, especially considering that traffic was exceedingly heavy following Tuesday's PPV -- a trend that has continued since the first broadcast game. PPV truly is good for one thing from my standpoint -- TUC's popularity. Thank you again for your support. (I sound like a Bartles & Jaymes commercial, and yes, I know I'm dating myself heavily by stating so.)

Alrighty then -- let's get to the game itself.

Firstly, I learned my lesson several games ago, and began viewing PPV broadcasts anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour after the puck was dropped. Here's an elementary math lesson for next year that I suggest all of you learn: PVR + PPV = freedom. Of course with the PVR, you can start the game on time and pause to grab a snack, answer the phone, go to the bathroom etc. But if you start late, it also allows you to fast forward through the lagging segments, thus reducing the frustrating nature of the broadcast itself. Pure genius. PVR is a necessary tool for any hockey fan to logistically survive the NHL's pay-per-view broadcasting. I highly suggest to anyone who's thinking of ponying up for this "service" again to invest in the box.

(Aside: Does it sound like I could sell PVRs? I have a traditional digital box in my bedroom, and it might as well be a Betamax. The thing is useless. I've heard of people becoming addicted to TiVo in the States, and now I totally understand. I swear, one of these days I'll be out and about, and will raise my hand as if I'm holding a remote control, attempting to pause and rewind real life.)

Alright, so we all know what happened -- the game cut out with approximately four minutes left in the second period. The Senators put up a "technical difficulties" slate, and all of sudden we were on the Devils' feed. (Rob Brodie reports that Bell ExpressVu fans were even less fortunate.) We weren't privy to much of the Devils' broadcast -- the tale end of a discussion regarding Lou Lamoriello and a commercial was all that was shown, before the Sens feed returned. We caught the last bit of Roy Mlakar interview, and the 3rd period began at 19:30.

Now the Sens aren't going to think much of this, but remember that moment in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy stepped out of her tornado-blown home, and into that magical land? That's what the Devils' feed was like to me. Colour...clarity...legible words...it was fantastic. And then it was gone. I'm not kidding -- I was crestfallen.

For the record, we also received a moment of foreshadowing in the 2nd when the feed suddenly switched to a screen listing the channels for an MLB preview. I sent a friend an SMS when the first glitch occurred. Here's what he sent back:

"Consider that an upgrade. Expect an extra $5 on your next cable bill."

Cut to this morning when the major fallout obviously began. The cable companies allegedly won't take the blame, because they state the problem had nothing to do with their end of the broadcast (in other words, the delivery of the feed to customers) -- it should be noted however, that some have been handing out full or partial refunds. During an interview with J.R and Garry Galley on the Team 1200 yesterday aft, Jim Steel, the Sens' V.P. of broadcasting, made a feeble attempt to smooth things over. The reason the Sens are offering (via Steel) is that the company providing many franchises and sports (MLB, NHL etc.) with the routing of the feeds, had a major glitch. Hence the loss of the feed -- hence the loss of many other feeds from other games. Long story short, don't blame the Sens.

Hmmm. I guess the Devils don't use said company to route their broadcasting. Funny that.

However, the highlight of the interview came when J.R. brought up the clarity of the broadcasts themselves. The reason Steel gave (and I'm paraphrasing because I was listening in the car) was that the Sens played most of the PPV games on the road in older buildings (i.e. Mellon Arena, MSG etc.). These buildings have poor angles for cameras to use, which accounted for the disappointing quality of the feed.

Mr. Steel, two questions: 1) Did the Penguins and Rangers supply the Sens with that subpar camera lens we're all forced to view the broadcast through; 2) What possible reason do the Senators have for the equally poor feed from Scotiabank Place itself, during a PPV game on March 8th? Granted I wasn't here during construction, but if the Sens' arena was built in the Precambrian Era, that's news to me.

The interview wrapped up with the perpetual dangling carrot known as HD PPV being thrown out once more ("at least two years away...definitely not next year, but we're seriously looking into it"), and I was left rolling my eyes in frustration.

The Sens can claim that there will be growing pains, and all teams had them when they made their initial foray into PPV. As a paying customer, I've earned the right to be impatient, and to expect more. I don't really care if someone is feeling their way through a process -- I'm spending my money on a service that this team is providing. Nearly everyone expects better for their $10.95, and the last thing they want to hear after a decidedly subpar attempt at five PPV games, are a multitude of excuses about remote cards and decrepit arenas.

They can dangle the carrot, but let me state right now that I won't be taking a nibble until it's within biting reach. To put it plainly: I have absolutely no intention of purchasing any other PPV games until the Sens broadcast the games in HD. End of story. They threw down the gauntlet -- let's see if they actually have it in them to pony up. This might mean that on weeks next year when games are on PPV, certain columns will not be Sens-related. I don't think many readers would have a problem with that.

Finally, let's finish this ramble off with an email from reader Mike, who made the unfortuate error of experiencing his first PPV game on Tuesday night. Think things are better at the bars? Think again.

Don't know if you're collecting PPV thoughts from readers this time,
but I thought I'd send along my first experience with the Sens PPV.

After listening to the first 4 PPV games on the radio, my wife and I
decided at the last minute to meet friends at the pub for a beer and
the game. That's where we ran into our first problem. We live in
Barrhaven and our usual spot when we go out for Sens games is
Greenfields. However, we got there and discovered that they hadn't
ordered the game. We moved on to the Barley Mow and discovered the
same thing. Finally we moved on the Broadway B&G which we knew would
have the game and just barely snagged the last table in the place (in
a less than primo location obviously) just as the anthems were ending.

So our first discovery was that uptake of the the PPV, at least in
Barrhaven, was less than stellar. Only one of the 3 main bars in
B'haven had. Not that B'haven is a typical bar scene, but in one of
the largest suburbs, we had a tough time finding the game. I don't
know if uptake is similar elsewhere.

We couldn't really hear the audio, so I can't comment much on the
broadcast itself. I will sadly never know what Chris Phillips had to
say about his shed, nor will I know the answer to "Who is funnier Dean
or Gord". One thing I did notice (and annoyed me) was that on the two
screens I could see, there was no sign of the game clock or score. I
think this might have just been Broadway's set-up though. The
"technical difficulties" apology message was cut off on one screen but
visible on the other.

At one point during the game the menu for MLB Extra Innings popped up
for about 30 seconds. I'm not sure if this was a mistake by someone at
the bar, or if it was the feed but I assume the former.

Of course the topper was the outage late in the second period.

I can't imagine having paid for PPV. I know I'd be among those calling
Rogers this morning if I had, and I wouldn't be a repeat customer.

Grade for Tuesday night's broadcast: D

Final PPV Grade: Honestly, I'm hovering between a C- and D. I get a twinge of sympathy approximately once a fortnight, and I seem to be coming down with it at present. If you have seen some (or all) of the games, send in your grades and I'll post them later.

After last night's utter debacle on pay-per-view, you can trust that I have a parting shot for the final game we were privy to (and I use that phrase loosely) vs. New Jersey.

However, at the moment I'm tied up with some prep work for the Lynx' Media Day tomorrow (thank God), and I have no intention of filing a half-assed overview/sob story column, in lieu of actual research. I've PVRed the game, and there are a couple of things I want to review first. Anticipate my final thoughts sometime this afternoon...after I call Rogers Cable, of course. Somehow I doubt I'll be the only one.

From the "They Said It So It Must Be True" category (regarding PPV):

"(Roy) Mlakar said the Senators get last choice of the games to show, but will try and spread the games out over the schedule a little better next year."

After all, it's easy to see why all networks would lack total interest in games versus Detroit, Pittsburgh and Toronto. There's absolutely no interest or potentially positive ratings for them to garner at all.

UPDATE:

Reader Mike writes in: "Listened to the interview and one thing that Stevenson didn't mention that JR followed with a question somewhat calling Mlakar on the BS, asking if he really thought that no one would pick up the Leafs game. Mlakar actually admitted that they specifically requested the Leafs and Wings games this year and that they weren't leftovers. Although they didn't follow up on it any more, at least JR called him on it for a moment.

Don't know if you heard the interview, but Mlakar also mentioned:

- the number of games will likely increase to somewhere between the
current number and the number offered by Vancouver

- there are plans for HD, but it likely won't be next year"

No, I didn't hear the interview, so thanks to Mike for that.

Just to confirm, there are 17 Canucks games on PPV this year -- $159.95 (!) for all, and $11.95 individually. They also receive a 30 minute pre-game show.

Just a query -- does anyone honestly think the idea of future PPVs in HD is plausible? I'm not saying personally that I don't want it, and I know there's a market it for it, but seriously...could it ever happen? Is this a feeble attempt to placate the disappointed masses with a carrot that'll perpetually be dangled just out of reach?

...because we can always use a reminder. (By the way, that photo came from the CBC's own broadcast of the Leafs-Habs game on Saturday.)

Alright, so we're 80% done with the PPV for the year -- last night's tilt was shot from the world's tallest ladder in Pittsburgh. Care to zoom that angle in any more? I think we could get the ice shots down to 1 sq. ft. if we just tried harder. But as long as we're not getting a choppy image or shots from MSG, we'll put up with it, right? Reader Steve writes:

"The picture quality for the Leafs game March 8 was unacceptable,
frequent freezing and pixelating of image. I complained to Rogers and
got a refund. Didn't get the Rangers game cuz I was out of town. (Fair
to mention, given others' complaints, that the 'regular view' Rangers
games from MSG have been of poor quality as well.) Quality of last
night's game was fine."

I'd accept this if the feeds on the 13th were MSG's, but they weren't. They were the Sens'. And may I remind all of you that there have been no visible improvements in any of the broadcasts thus far. Just because Rogers improved their feed (removing any chance of pixelating) doesn't justify the amount that the Sens are charging for what is, in essence, an A-Channel broadcast.

You don't have to settle for a subpar product. Nor should you.

Most of the emails last night (less than usual seeing as a lot of you refused to pony up), concentrated on the PPV's on-air talent -- amusing, but largely unprintable. I've taken to referring to the PPVs as "Prozac-Per-View", because I'm convinced the broadcast's foursome are being paid by the compliment. I'd really love to know what would happen if one of them dared to drop some constructive criticism. Personally, I'm getting visions of them being dragged off by the front office hierarchy, and put through the plastic bag over-the-head/I.V. routine that Paul McCrane received on 24 this year. Just imagine someone holding down Grant Ledyard while Roy Mlakar is screaming in the background, "4 cc's!" The sad thing is, I know a lot of people that would pony up the $10.95 to watch the above scenario play out. My readers are sick. Funny, but sick.

Grade for last night's broadcast: C-

Grade for PPV overall: C-

Next PPV: Tuesday, April 3rd

(Aside: ***POSSIBLE 24 SPOILER*** It seems pretty damned obvious to me that the moptop imbecile teenager that's supposed to be Jack's nephew, is actually his son. He has the I.Q. of margarine, just like Elisha Cuthbert's character. It would stand to reason that they'd be related -- but that would mean the lack of intelligence was coming from Jack. That can't be true, can it? I really don't know what the deal is with Audrey. Dead maybe? All I know is that if Jack hooks up with the teenage boy's mother (possibly again), I'm going to rage. I'm already bitter they killed off the Billy Van/Assad character, and made Aaron Pierce into a handmaid that goes fruit shopping for the mentally unstable ex-First Lady. Meanwhile, I'm expecting big things from Martin Gerber and Wentworth Miller on Prison Break after leading us on a bloody wild goose chase for 16 eps. Yes, I care about these things too much. What can I say? I love my shows.)

Finally, did you see on Saturday when they announced the winner of the Kraft Hockeyville competition? North Bay was the winner, and they had live cameras situated in a North Bay bar to capture some of the local reaction. I swear to God, when their city's name was announced, someone starting screaming and it sounded just like former U.S. Presidential candidate, Howard Dean. "And we're going to Abbotsford, and Moncton, and Yorkton, and Cochrane...and then we're goin' to North Bay for Kraft Hockeyville! YAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGH!"



Leftovers to come. More later.

Alright, first things first...

1) Best take from TUC HQ last night:

Me: "I'm bored."

The Driver: "Here, make your own fun." (proceeds to rewind the PVR five seconds to show Joe Corvo getting decked by Petr Prucha in slo-mo);

2) Thank you for exploding my inbox last night...much obliged;

3) To answer your most frequently-asked question...



No, I did not write this. Firstly, I never sign missives with both initials. Secondly, I know where I am -- and regardless of my location, 9 times out of 10 I will sign, "from Thunder Bay". I like to remind people that I don't consider myself an Ottawan.

(Aside: In regards to the question itself, and frankly I don't know why they aired it -- I'm always suspicious of fake emails read by the Ottawa media. Why? Because I was asked to "create" some in the past during a guest stint on Ottawa Sports Radio. Surely they must be receiving real ones from real people by now. I hope.)


Once again...here are (some of) your emails:

"Okay, that's it. I'm not putting up with this (expletive) anymore. I think they shot this from Central Park West. I know I'll never be able to make out the names on the sweaters, but now I can't see the numbers." -- William

"(First intermission after the "Hockey Talk" segment, I think it was Ledyard talking about some highlights) 'All that happens here is Wade gets beat off the boards once again.' Worth the $10.95 right there I'd say." -- Ryan

"Rob Brodie wrote this on his blog and I have a big problem with it:

'There have been suggestions that, in this market at least, the number of pay-per-view games will grow to some massive number in the future. They cite the 17 PPV games the Vancouver Canucks offer as an example. Here's the difference: I believe there were 16 Sens games not slated to be televised by any network this season (five of which wound up on PPV). That's certainly not the case in, say, Toronto or Montreal, where there's TV demand there for every game.'

Three out of those five games were against Toronto, Pittsburgh and Detroit. You tell me on what planet would those games normally go untelevised. You know networks wanted those games, but the Sens knowing that they had PPV on the horizon wouldn't give them up. They wanted them for themselves to pull the biggest numbers." -- Gary

"I love how I'm supposed to be eased into this. One PPV game in January and then 3 in 11 days. I chose to go game by game because I wasn't sure I'd like the format. Now I have to put over 30 dollars on one Rogers bill. I'm a regular working guy and I feel stuff like that." -- Jamie

(Ed. Note: I think this is an excellent point, BTW.)

"No broadcast improvement in 3 games. Three strikes and your (sic) out, Senators." -- Peter

"Erin, do you think that there's a market for PPV in HD?" -- J.P.

(Ed. note: Yes, I do. It's growing, and it's definitely vocal -- I've seen threads bringing up this issue in the Sportsnet forums, and on the HF Boards. Is it an option for the Sens? No. But the fact remains that people are used to watching high-quality broadcasts because they've become readily available. The Senators showing a subpar quality PPV only aggravates traditional HD viewers even further.)

"I'm counting on you to keep telling us about the PPVs from now on. I've given the Senators enough of my money." -- Rick

"WTF was up with that segment with (the Citizen's) Wayne Scanlan babbling on about the Stanley Cup? That could not have been anymore painful." -- Stephanie

(Ed. note: If anyone wants to know what segment Stephanie is talking about -- email me.)

"Whenever the Sens release those PPV numbers I'm not gonna believe them. I've heard people complain non-stop about how bad the broadcast looks. The purchases will drop after the first spike, which probably happened when we played the Leafs." -- Trevor

"That about does it for me. Count me out for good because I refuse to pay for that garbage." -- Ann

Alrighty then.

On the plus side (again) -- I actually did enjoy the segment featuring Dean Brown and MSG. Unfortunately, it's now become plainly obvious that the Senators have no intention of ever improving the quality/clarity of the overall broadcast. And based on the emails above, it's going to become an issue for them, if it hasn't already.

Grade for last night's PPV: C

Overall rating: C

Next PPV broadcast: Sunday, March 18th

...which means it's time for another PPV.

Once more (and we wish we could put this 72-point, boldface font):

For the majority of begrudging viewers who are putting up with these broadcasts, it's not about the frills (i.e. the between-periods interviews, or pre-game rituals that we'd normally never see). It's about the broadcast quality itself. The game, and only the game. I don't know how I, or anyone else, can make that any more clear. The quality of the broadcast is subpar, and the price point ($10.95) only exacerbates that fact.


I'm inviting you to send your thoughts on the game to me again -- I'll post them on here later tonight. (Email address can be found in the profile.)

P.S. I've heard (and read) some suggestions from people to not buy the PPV altogether. Due to my position, that is not an option for me -- I have to see the games. That's why I won't let this issue drop.

A few questions to answer here regarding Thursday's PPV post, so let's get to it.

Q -- Do you have proof of the Leafs fan giving the alleged finger?
A -- You tell me. Check out what appears to be the man's daughter attempting to keep her father in check. Funny.

Q -- Where are you getting these photos of the broadcast from?
A -- I record the games via PVR, pause the PVR on something noteworthy, whip out my digital camera, and the results end up on the blog. Some will look better than others, and that largely has to do with the quality of the broadcast feed (hint, hint).

Q -- When Rob Brodie referenced your blog and wrote that you had included the printable comments, what did that mean? What didn't you include?
A -- That actually had to do with an email conversation I had with Brodie before that post was made. I mentioned to him that I had received feedback from the readers about the PPV, and that the printable comments were to appear on my blog. What didn't I include? Anything mean-spirited or lascivious, but a lot of it centred around the "suspicious questions" -- as one reader put it -- sent to Dean and Gord via email during the game. One query in particular, really rankled a lot of readers. I can't remember the exact wording, but to paraphrase -- it first complimented D & G on their ability to criticize the team, and then asked if they dealt with any negative attitudes from the team because of it. Obviously an unbelievable amount of irony comes into play here, considering that the duo are notoriously known for handling the Senators with kid gloves.

Q -- What were you doing watching the game at home on PPV when you have a seat in the press box?
A -- The Driver and I have a long-standing policy of not attending Leafs-Sens games. The crowd's multiple personality disorder puts both of us in a horrible mood. In addition, I wanted to see if any improvements had been made to the overall quality of the PPV broadcast, and wanted to do so without having to sit through 5 hours of hockey.

(Aside -- why did it take Sens fans this long to realize that they should be booing Mats Sundin in retaliation for the Leafs fans treatment of Daniel Alfredsson? Talk about taking the scenic route to one's cerebral cortex.)

More later...and once again, golf claps to the Sun's Rob Brodie for his mention of TUC on Remote Control.

Gord Wilson eats up the dirt on Sens' coach Bryan Murray, during a between-periods interview on tonight's PPV

Yet another uneven offering from the Sens' pay-per-view department tonight, with little made in the way of visible improvement since their first attempt. Most aggravating (yet again) was the overall quality of the broadcast feed itself. It actually reminded me of the old UMD Bulldogs closed-circuit hockey feeds that I used to watch from Duluth, Minnesota in the early '80's. I also had some signal issues with my feed (I'm a Rogers customer) and other readers with Rogers service were also confirming signal glitches.

But before I receive any binary-encoded vitriol from the parties involved*, I think we should go to the email. That's right -- don't blame me...blame my readers. All names have been included to incriminate the truculent and impertinent.

"Since when did the A-Channel become pay-per-view?" - Josh

"This signal looks like hell. Please tell me more people are complaining about this." - Trevor

"I don't think it's too much to ask that they get the camera off the Leafs fan giving the finger." - Michelle

"Please...I'm begging you...go to commercial." - Gary

"Here's the thing about pay-per-view. If you're going to not take breaks, the personalities running the show have got to be entertaining/engaging/informative. Dean and Gord aren't those guys. The non-stop cheesy crap is too much to bear." - Pat

"Do you think Barbara Walters ever ate soup on camera during an interview?" - Dorothy

"If we pay for this can we vote to not have Gord Wilson?" - Josh

"'All aboard the A-Train, folks, all aboard'. I actually screamed when (Gord) Wilson dropped that bomb." - Ann

"How do the Senators spin this broadcast as being commercial free? There were two scrolls during the game of all the bars and restaurants that had bought the PPV and a list of all the movie houses. Total BS, not to mention that the scroll was totally distracting and bush league." - Michael

"Bottom line...if I'm paying more I expect more. I'm debating giving them another chance, but is this honestly going to get better? My instincts say no." - Tim

But don't worry guys, it's not all bad. I'll personally give you credit for the post-game locker room camera. Nice touch.


Tonight's broadcast grade: C

Overall PPV grade thus far: C-.

Next PPV game: Tuesday, March 13th.

_________________________

* One must understand something: If you're going to make an attempt to join the media (and for lack of a better term, that's what this is, as the Sens are producing their own broadcast), you have to be willing to accept the criticism that comes with it -- especially when customers are hardly enthralled with your choice of concept.

Check out Rob Brodie giving advance shame warnings to the media regarding the whole Centre Ice vs. Pay Per View argument that we're sure to run into again. Here's a clip:

The Senators are on pay-per-view again Thursday night, and we can already hear the griping starting to build.
And, no doubt, this particular complaint will probably lead the bitch-fest once again: I pay for NHL Centre Ice. So I shouldn't have to pay extra for a Senators-Leafs game.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
And shame on anyone in the media who perpetuates this myth.
Just examine the fine print (hey, there's always fine print) about Centre Ice that you should have read before you called your cable operator or satellite provider to purchase it.
Very clearly, it states that Centre Ice is an “out-of-market” premium package. As in, for non-Senators games.

Anyway, when I wrote about this subject, I pointed out the troubles involving the exact situation Brodie is referencing, except I centred on the opposition's supporters here in Ottawa -- which is a legitimate issue. After all, not every Ottawan is a Sens fan.

Personally, I don't know why this is coming up now, but if someone is going to make an issue, here's my two cents: How would the Senators like it if I used my readily-available Centre Ice with its probable HD feeds and began to solely follow one of these "out-of-market" teams? Maybe I'll start attending that team's games as well -- Montreal, after all, is only two hours away (and remember that the majority of the games I see are spent as a regular patron, and not in the press box). Bryan Smolinski is in Vancouver now...maybe I should use Centre Ice to become a Canucks fan.

Yes, there's a heavy amount of sarcasm being used here, but within it lies a kernel of truth: Don't rankle fans that are notorious for turning on a dime when it comes to their highly lucrative support. You want to implement pay-per-view? There are two ways of doing it: 1) Lower the price point to justify the quality of the product you're trying to push or 2) Broadcast the games in high definition.

Finding neither choice to be a legitimate option? That's not your customers' problem. I, like the rest of them, can afford to be militant in this rare situation. After all, the customer is always right, and any successful business knows that rule is infallible.