AT&T U-Verse and Blackouts

[mshaeffer]

I live in Dayton Ohio and I get Sports Time Ohio on AT&T U-verse. My question is, why are all the Indians games blacked out? I understand the blackouts in the local market, but I assume Im not in the local market, am I? I can get the games with MLB.tv and they are NOT blacked out there. So is it STO or AT&T that is blacking them? Anyone know? Id rather not pay the $120 for MLB.tv.

Thanks for any help

[Squints]

It may be due to the fact that mlb may consider you to be in Reds territory and black out the games from STO because of this. Where I live in NW PA, Fox Sports Ohio blacks out the Blue Jackets games because this area is considered Penguin territory. It could be a similar situation. However, we receive both the Pirates and Indians games up here, but it may be because this area is more equidistant between Cleveland and Pittsburgh v.s. Dayton being much more near Cincinnati than Cleveland. Just an educated guess on the situation.

[pup]

Pretty sure you can only get live broadcasts of your home market if you live in someone's home market. Especially if it is in the same time slot. In Cleveland, we do not get Reds games even though they are on Fox Sports Ohio. It is an MLB thing. I assume you cannot get Reds game on MLB.TV because of blackout restrictions as well.

[Govbarney]

It may be due to the fact that mlb may consider you to be in Reds territory and black out the games from STO because of this. Where I live in NW PA, Fox Sports Ohio blacks out the Blue Jackets games because this area is considered Penguin territory. It could be a similar situation. However, we receive both the Pirates and Indians games up here, but it may be because this area is more equidistant between Cleveland and Pittsburgh v.s. Dayton being much more near Cincinnati than Cleveland. Just an educated guess on the situation.

Thats exactly what it is, Its a reds market. I was stationed at WPAFB for a little while , and got in a big fight with Direct TV over this issue , in the end I was lucky b/c I lived next to the biggest Browns Backers bar in the city , and they had the MLB package, and would show all the Tribe games. Plus at night WTAM comes in crystal clear in Dayton.

[fairvis]

Hell, at night, WTAM comes in crystal clear here in Alabama. Nothing like listening to Hammy driving around Huntsville.

The MLB blackout policy needs to go. It was designed in an age where everything wasn't easily accessible, and there weren't so many regional sports networks on a national scale. Quite frankly, I think the only reason that it may exist now is so that people pay extra for MLB.tv when they're an out-of-market fan.

[Squints]

^^^^^^^^

Exactly, but more importantly, what the hell kind of radios do you people have? I live two hours from Cleveland and can barely get WTAM. Some times, it is ok, but then it goes in and out of static. The same thing with the Erie affiliate when I get 15 minutes outside of Erie. All is solved when I got XM with my new car about a year ago, but I find myself going back to the over the air stations when they are away. Hamilton through some static is better than hearing the "home team" crystal clear.

[Govbarney]

^^^^^^^^

Exactly, but more importantly, what the hell kind of radios do you people have? I live two hours from Cleveland and can barely get WTAM. Some times, it is ok, but then it goes in and out of static. The same thing with the Erie affiliate when I get 15 minutes outside of Erie. All is solved when I got XM with my new car about a year ago, but I find myself going back to the over the air stations when they are away. Hamilton through some static is better than hearing the "home team" crystal clear.

That's funny b/c I grew up in Euclid , and I always remember there being certain areas of the city where WTAM would not come in or come in like shit, but then I would get it crytsal in CBUs , or Missouri. I always figured Euclid had to have been built on top a radioactive dump or something.

[T_N_T]

^^^^^^^^

Exactly, but more importantly, what the hell kind of radios do you people have? I live two hours from Cleveland and can barely get WTAM. Some times, it is ok, but then it goes in and out of static. The same thing with the Erie affiliate when I get 15 minutes outside of Erie. All is solved when I got XM with my new car about a year ago, but I find myself going back to the over the air stations when they are away. Hamilton through some static is better than hearing the "home team" crystal clear.

Have a smartphone? Get MLB at Bat, 14.99 for the year, you get the Cleveland Indians Radio Network feed(sans local commercials + sans affiliate ids) its worth it to hear Hammy's voice crystal clear instead of having to mess with the antenna on my radio at night when WTAM's 50,000 WATT signal bounces off the atmosphere. No blackouts with the radio feeds.

iOS

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mlb.com-at-bat/id493619333?mt=8

Android/Google Play Store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bamnetworks.mobile.android.gameday.atbat2012.full&hl=en

Windows Phone

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/apps/74da7b1f-fcbe-46f7-b4ce-b292cc9e364d

Blackberry

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/92046/?lang=en

[peeker643]

Have a smartphone? Get MLB at Bat, 14.99 for the year, you get the Cleveland Indians Radio Network feed(sans local commercials + sans affiliate ids) its worth it to hear Hammy's voice crystal clear instead of having to mess with the antenna on my radio at night when WTAM's 50,000 WATT signal bounces off the atmosphere. No blackouts with the radio feeds.

I second this. Great to have and I've used it while traveling and while watching kids play volleyball or soccer closer to home. There's a bout a one minute delay but you can listen to Tribe broadcast as well as listen to any other west coast games you might want to fall asleep too. Vin Scully still has his fastball.

Includes in-game highlights, etc.

Worth either the $14.99 or try it for $2.99 month and see if you agree it's worth it.

[T_N_T]

If you listen to the Indians broadcast on MLB at Bat something like 30 minutes before the game starts you can hear the pre-feed which is just music and then some guy comes on and says something like "all Cleveland Indians Radio network affiliates, at the tone the broadcast starts in 30 minutes" and then it repeats saying that again at 20 minutes,15 etc. It is telling the affiliates when to start airing the broadcast over the airwaves. Pretty neat to hear for a radio junkie like me. The feed you are getting says it is from "WTAM" on at Bat, which it is, but, in reality what you are hearing is the feed that stations/affiliates get(the network feed)

[Squints]

It's all good. XM, STO and WRIE pretty much does it for me and does not justify the cost of At Bat. I just find it funny that sometimes I can barely get WTAM 2 hours away with all the variables in my favor, but yet we have people in Alabama and wherever saying WTAM comes in clear. That's all.

I did catch Vin Scully for an inning Sunday. I thought he was just doing TV as I see him on MLBN with Steiner on the radio, but he must do both. Bonus for me. I'm going to see if he's available to commentate my daughter's soccer games.