Ch. 28 picks up Buccaneers game Monday, pre-empting Charlie Brown Christmas and Boston Legal finale

As a TV critic who gets his Christmas specials mostly through DVDs, I constantly underestimate the impact of the regularly scheduled showings of holiday animated classics like The Grinch, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and a Charlie Brown Christmas.

But even I realized that, once WFTS-Ch. 28 picked up a simulcast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Carolina Panthers Dec. 8 game on ESPN's Monday Night Football, the station would pre-empt two major TV events: the finale of long-running drama Boston Legal and the December showing of the Peanuts cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (picture courtesy of AP).

Corporate cousin ESPN allows ABC affiliates to also air MNF games featuring hometown teams for area fans who don't get cable or satellite. Station officials made the decision to pick up the game months ago, before they could have known ABC's plans, said Rich Pegram, WFTS general manager.

Fortunately, the good folks at WFTS have come up with a solution. ABC will air the Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. WFTS will move the two-hour Boston Legal finale to Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. If you're online, you can see the Boston Legal finale on ABC.com the day after it airs nationally, on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

It may not be the ideal situation, but at least football fans digging the local team's drive to the playoffs can have their Bucs and eat their Peanuts too. (Yes, that may be the most awful pun I have ever allowed to see print under my name.)

Here's a sample of the Peanuts classic:

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Comments

[beltwaybandit]

The Bucs would get the nod, hands down.

Because while Dancing With the Stars is a hit for ABC, the Bucs are a bigger hit in Tampa than anything.

[tbpirate]

What would ABC 28 do if the game was on the same night as say the Dancing with the Stars finals or on Thursday night with that big ABC line up? Would they still show the Bucs game?

[Alan Shore]

What Denny said!!

[Denny Crane]

Go Carolina!

[beltwaybandit]

Actually, FiOS is a far superior technical product than cable or satellite. Remarkable picture quality in both standard and high definition, and Internet speeds far faster than Roadrunner on a consistent basis.

However, their customer service is beyond a joke.

Just the other day I called and spent close to 45 minutes either on hold, talking to their technical support unit who told me it was a billing issue and getting transferred to billing, only to be told it was a technical support issue and getting bounced there.

But the good news...if you like Boston Legal and Charlie Brown...is that Sarasota ABC station is in fact carrying that programming and not the Bucs.

You can record those shows on DVR and watch them after the game. Or in my case, my wife can.

"Are you ready for some football?"

MNF

[gman]

For those of you that have Verizon Fios...it will probably not be working since it is such a crap product from a crap company...so you will not get to see the game, Captain Kirk, or Charlie Brown...you will be on the phone for 4 hours trying to find someone at Verizon that speaks english AND gives a crap about your problem.

[drinklime]

OMG how will we know what happens on charlie brown this year???

[andy]

Wahh What I like is more important.

[Eric Deggans]

If they aired the pre-empted shows on their digital tier, only a fraction of area households would be able to see them...

The wrong thing to do. Period

[Edward Ringwald]

I cannot believe Channel 28 pre-empting a Christmas special and the Boston Legal season finale for a Bucs game - in my opinion, Channel 28 is doing quite a disservice to the Tampa Bay area. I know the Bucs are close to winning a division title and (hopefully) a Super Bowl repeat right here in Tampa.

After all, Channel 28 has two digital signals - one the main feed (Bright House 628) and the weather feed (Bright House 627). Why can't Channel 28 air the pre-empted ABC programs on its secondary feed?

[Jimmy Mack]

I can't believe I have to miss the Boston Legal season finale...What would Kirk do???

[Frankie]

Glad to see that you're featuring such important news on your homepage...

Now I won't have to ask a friend to tape the game for me (a critically important game), and then try hard, for
10 hours, to not hear who won, and then play back the tape as if I were watching it live (minus the commercials). Good move WFTS.
As long as Peanuts and Boston Legal fans get their shows fairly quick, all should be happy.

[Jimmy Delach]

WFTS bought the rights to syndicate the Bucs-Panthers game here as they have done with all ESPN NFL offerings involving the Bucs (it is an NFL requirement that cable games must be shown over-the-air in the participating home cities). They were surely unaware what ABC was going to air eight months from when the football date was made. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (for which I am a Peanuts fan) will be on again next week (12/16). As for "Boston Legal" (for which I don't watch at all), you can just go to ABC.com and watch the finale online as early as Tuesday so you don't need to wait for WFTS to air the show on Sunday afternoon.

[robk]

If you have Verizon Fios Tv you have 2 ABC channels......Tampa WFTS (11) and Sarasota WWSB (7) .

Assuming the Sarasota station isn't carrying the football game...you'll be able to watch the programming that WFTS isn't showing, regular ABC programming.......

but now I see someone has already mentioned it...

[Tom]

The right thing to do. Period.

[Dave]

What a stupid decision! They have a responsibility as a network affiliate to show the NETWORK shows!

[What?!?!]

28 is money hungry.. leave the game on ESPN - that is what it's there for and let the rest of us HAVE A CHOICE

[Ned]

GOOD CHOICE! BL is BS.

[Happy Jordan]

BOO HISS - not everyone's a Buc's fan and who wants to watch a regularly scheduled show that they've been watching all season on SUNDAY AT 4???

[dawn]

Because Mr. Bill now everyone has 28 and 28.1

[LockBull]

For us people with Verizon FIOS, the Sarasota ABC affiliate provides an alternative....

[mr bill]

there is channel 28 and 28.1, what's the problem