Cox cable to televise KC Royals' games in 2009
Local cable television provider Cox Communications finalized an agreement with Fox Sports Southwest on Tuesday afternoon on a package that includes 50 Royals games for the 2009 season.
The deal is a major breakthrough for the Royals, the closest MLB franchise to Northwest Arkansas. Kansas City's games have not been shown in Northwest Arkansas for years because of Major League Baseball's longstanding blackout rules.
The Royals have sought a larger presence in Arkansas, particularly Northwest Arkansas, but have been hampered in their efforts by their lack of TV exposure. The 2008 debut of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Royals' Class AA affiliate located in Springdale, has helped increase demand for their broadcasts.
"That's absolutely fantastic," Naturals General Manager Eric Edelstein said. "That feels good, like there's tangible progress here. We've heard from Royals fans who have been asking for coverage for years, to no avail.
"This is huge for the Royals, and it's huge for us."
The Royals games are scheduled to air on Fox Sports Southwest Plus, Channel 39, in Northwest Arkansas, which is frequently referred to as "The Cardinals Channel." Also scheduled to the broadcast on the channel this season are 15 Houston Astros games and 129 St. Louis Cardinals games.
The Cardinals' regular-season opener Monday was not shown because an agreement for the 2009 season had not yet been reached, but their Tuesday night game against the Pittsburgh Pirates was available.
"It's been a wild 24 hours, but we're very, very pleased with the way things worked out favorably with Fox Sports Southwest," Cox Communications spokesman Kelly Zega said. "For Cardinals fans, it's going to look like the package we've had in the past, but there are now going to be Royals games."
Under the MLB blackout rules, Cardinals and Royals games are supposed to be blacked out in Northwest Arkansas, in favor of Astros and Texas Rangers games. But because of strong local demand, a supplemental channel was established years ago to bring Cardinals games to cable packages in the area.
Tuesday's agreement will bring additional games involving the Rangers this season and NHL's Dallas Stars next season.
Those games will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest, Channel 27, in Northwest Arkansas.
"We're excited to be bringing Royals games into Arkansas, especially with the popularity of the minor-league team there," said Ramon Alvarez, the public relations director for Fox Sports Southwest. "A lot of this had to do with there being more interest in their games. There's going to be a lot of baseball [in the Northwest Arkansas area] this summer."
Earlier this week, Cox and Fox Sports Southwest reached a similar agreement in Oklahoma, bringing 50 Royals games to cable packages in the state.
Oklahoma, like Arkansas, had been blacked out from getting Royals games for a number of years, but had received Cardinals games on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.