Marlins and Fox Sports Florida Drop Tommy Hutton

[Party]

League has been trying to get rid of Loria for a long time. MLB did not want the Loria ownership group to be the ones that moved the Expos to Washington. The league tried to force him out but Loria threatened to file an antitrust suit. At the same time Henry was looking to get out of South Florida after failing with the Bicentennial Park site. The Marlins were Loria's consolation prize. It was detailed in "Feeding the Monster."

It's as simple as the league does not care about the Marlins and the Dodgers are more important. The league wants all 30 of its franchise to be as healthy as possible -- it improves everyone's bottom line. That and the Marlins play in a market that is an international gateway and in the 3rd largest state. The team is also in a better position for long term revenue growth, as opposed to the Rays who are years away from a new ballpark. Lots to gain by having a strong team in Miami.

[Maddawg]

League has been trying to get rid of Loria for a long time. MLB did not want the Loria ownership group to be the ones that moved the Expos to Washington. The league tried to force him out but Loria threatened to file an antitrust suit. At the same time Henry was looking to get out of South Florida after failing with the Bicentennial Park site. The Marlins were Loria's consolation prize. It was detailed in "Feeding the Monster."

It's as simple as the league does not care about the Marlins and the Dodgers are more important. The league wants all 30 of its franchise to be as healthy as possible -- it improves everyone's bottom line. That and the Marlins play in a market that is an international gateway and in the 3rd largest state. The team is also in a better position for long term revenue growth, as opposed to the Rays who are years away from a new ballpark. Lots to gain by having a strong team in Miami.

Then get Loria out. I think Loria would lose any case he & Samson were in, just because a jury would find them extremely distasteful, and unsympathetic - even if they stole a freight train in view of thousands, just their smugness & arrogance would put a jury off.

[emkayseven]

Jeff Nelson is joining the studio staff (???)

https://twitter.com/FOXMarlins/statu...71974714937345

[Madman81]

sweet

[Nick]

I swear they spend more money on the broadcast team than on the actual team.

Remember when the broadcast team was just Rich, Tommy and Craig? (Occasionally Frank Forte)

[nny]

Two theories:

-They are trying to make the TV broadcast as good as possible and as high as ratings as possible to help with renegotiating their TV deal

-They have constantly failed at getting people to the stadium, whereas TV ratings haven't ever really been bad IIRC. So now investing in there.

[Jay]

Two theories:

-They are trying to make the TV broadcast as good as possible and as high as ratings as possible to help with renegotiating their TV deal

-They have constantly failed at getting people to the stadium, whereas TV ratings haven't ever really been bad IIRC. So now investing in there.

Why would you invest in the TV broadcast if the ratings haven't ever really been bad? I agree that renegotiating the TV deal is important to maximize income, but focusing on improving the one thing that is doing good while ignoring how everything else is horrible seems like a pretty bad business decision.

[Nick]

Well....

[emkayseven]

just strange as all our studio analysts have always been guys who played for us at one point, and Nelson is a national guy with gigs on MLBN Radio, so I'm not sure a) why we're paying him, b) why we need him (with Craig and Carl), and c) why he's interested

[Todd]

Two theories:

-They are trying to make the TV broadcast as good as possible and as high as ratings as possible to help with renegotiating their TV deal

-They have constantly failed at getting people to the stadium, whereas TV ratings haven't ever really been bad IIRC. So now investing in there.

It is hard for me to be sympathetic to their shit TV deal when MLB and the other owners told Loria/the Marlins not to take it and they ignored them.

[nny]

Why would you invest in the TV broadcast if the ratings haven't ever really been bad? I agree that renegotiating the TV deal is important to maximize income, but focusing on improving the one thing that is doing good while ignoring how everything else is horrible seems like a pretty bad business decision.

Because maybe there's better returns by investing in TV. Treat attendance like a sunk cost because there is no improving it. Just because it's better doesn't dictate there being worse returns.

Much more likely sweetening the TV contract, though.

[Jay]

Because maybe there's better returns by investing in TV. Treat attendance like a sunk cost because there is no improving it. Just because it's better doesn't dictate there being worse returns.

Much more likely sweetening the TV contract, though.

I'm not familiar enough with revenue sharing rules or ticket prices but thinking in terms of where money should be invested it's the main product which is the team as that will drive all revenue streams. By only improving the TV broadcast, you can only expect returns on that revenue stream.

I crunched a few numbers and by selling 250k more tickets at ~$30 a ticket, you generate $7.5mill more revenue. That puts the team at 2 mill ticket sales which would be 25th in the league (2015). I'd say that amount of yearly income is going to be more than any move to increase the TV deal contract will generate.

[rmc523]

Jeff Nelson is joining the studio staff (???)

https://twitter.com/FOXMarlins/statu...71974714937345

Should I know who that is?

I swear they spend more money on the broadcast team than on the actual team.

Remember when the broadcast team was just Rich, Tommy and Craig? (Occasionally Frank Forte)

Well, they about do about the same on management/front office.....employing 18 managers and GMs simultaneously.

[Party]

Why would you invest in the TV broadcast if the ratings haven't ever really been bad? I agree that renegotiating the TV deal is important to maximize income, but focusing on improving the one thing that is doing good while ignoring how everything else is horrible seems like a pretty bad business decision.

I'm pretty sure the Marlins don't hire broadcasters and FSFL pays their salaries and such. That is not to say they don't have control over what is said, but the TV operations are all managed by Fox Sports as part of their agreement with the team.

I was trying to look for an article to back it up but, IIRC, ratings are nowhere where they were 6 years ago.

[rmc523]

Wasn't that new guy supposed to start already? I have yet to see him.