As a Packers fan living in the Twin Cities, it is often frustrating when the Packer games are not on tv. I usually end up going to a bar that has the game on, or finding a friend with DirecTV that will have the game on. This year I solved my problems by purchasing a Slingbox (more on that later).
What is the most frustrating, is that last year I assumed a few times that the game would be on TV here because the Packers were not on at the same time as the Vikings or were on different networks and was disappointed to find that the games were STILL blacked out. I have emailed the local FOX station a letter asking them to list for me which games will be aired, or at least what the restrictions are for Fox to air Packers games in the Vikings’ primary marketplace. If I get a response I will be sure to update this article. Update 10/2: FOX has written me back and I’ve posted an update.
Here is what I know:
- Whenever the Packers play at the same time as the Vikings and they are both on FOX, the Vikings game is aired and not the Packers.
- Week 2 was NOT blacked out. Packers were at noon on CBS, Vikings were at noon on FOX. I do not know if it works the other way around, though (Packers on FOX, Vikings on CBS at the same time).
Here is what I DO NOT know:
- FOX might not be allowed to show the Packers in the Twin Cities metro area when the games are not nationally televised, even when the schedule doesn’t conflict with the Vikings. Last year there was a game that fell into this scenario and FOX played a damn infomercial instead of the Packers. I was not happy that day.
Here are the games that will certainly be blacked out, as they are to be aired on the same network (FOX) at the same time:
Week 3: Sun 9/27/2009 @ St. Louis Rams 12:00pm on FOX [was blacked out, both games on FOX at noon]
Week 7: Sun 10/25/2009 @ Cleveland Browns 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings @ noon on FOX]
Week 11: Sun 11/22/2009 vs. San Francisco 49ers 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings @ noon on FOX]
Here are all the POTENTIAL games that will be blacked out:
Week 6: Sun 10/18/2009 vs. Detroit Lions 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings @ noon on CBS, so probably blacked out]
Week 9: Sun 11/8/2009 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings Bye, but still might be blacked out]
Week 10: Sun 11/15/2009 vs. Dallas Cowboys 3:15pm on FOX [Vikings @ noon, but still might be blacked out]
Week 14: Sun 12/13/2009 @ Chicago Bears 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings @ noon on CBS, but still might be blacked out]
Week 15: Sun 12/20/2009 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings @ 7:20 on NBC, but still might be blacked out]
Week 16: Sun 12/27/2009 vs. Seattle Seahawks 12:00pm on FOX [Vikings play Mon night, but still might be blacked out]
Week 17: Sun 1/3/2010 @ Arizona Cardinals 3:15pm on FOX [Vikings @ noon on FOX, but still might be blacked out]
Solutions:
- Get a Slingbox and set it up at your friend or relative’s house in good ol’ eastern WI. Basically the slingbox streams your tv (cable, antenna, satellite, whatever you have) on the web, and you can log in and access it from anywhere. This is what I’ve been doing this year, works pretty well if you have decent bandwidth at both the source and where you are watching from.
- Get DirecTV w/ the NFL Sunday Ticket (cha ching! expensive…)
- Go to a bar that has the game on
Bars in the St Paul area I’d recommend:
- GB Curly’s
- Grumpy’s Pub in Roseville
- Gabes by the park has new ownership and has removed the “packer bar” label, and taken the fun away from the place — boycott it
Good luck Twin Cities Packer fans, and GO PACK!
Kevin