The Chicago Blackhawks’ long standing policy of refusing to televise home games will come to end in a few weeks when the club announces a small schedule of games airing on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
The first of about nine telecasts is expected to be Nov. 11 when the Detroit Red Wings visit the United Centre.
The death of Blackhawk owner Bill Wirtz last month triggered the change, although some were skeptical that his son Rocky Wirtz, the club’s new chairman, would make it. The Illinois Daily Herald quoted a CSC source as being “shocked” that Rocky had decided to overturn his father’s policy. The Wirtz long-time ban on home telecasts was a puzzler. It diminished the club’s profile in the crowded Chicago sports market and did nothing to stem the increasing number of no-shows at the arena.
Bill Wirtz was not a stupid man. His father, Arthur Wirtz, made the family fortune, but Bill kept the business, largely involving liquor retailing, successful.
The Chicago Tribune quoted sports marketing experts as saying it “shouldn’t be hard to drum up advertisers once the home games are scheduled. Sponsors are calling. They’re dialing the phone off the hook with a ton of interest.”
The Tribune’s Ed Sherman predicted, “Fans being able to watch home games on TV will fast-forward the revival of the franchise.”
