Some info on HD

Here's a story that ran in the paper about the HD situation:

BY JOHN KIESEWETTER | JKIESEWETTER@ENQUIRER.COM
After being shut out last season, Time Warner customers may be able to see Cincinnati Reds games in high-definition from Fox Sports Net Ohio this year.

"We hope to be able to offer the Reds in HDTV this year," said Karen Baxter, public affairs director for Time Warner's southwest Ohio division.

FSN Ohio plans to televise 71 of its 145 Reds games this season in the wide-screen format.

Time Warner - the region's largest cable system, serving 640,000 customers from Cincinnati to Dayton - did not carry the initial 33 Reds HDTV games produced last year by FSN Ohio. Time Warner will release a statement about Reds' HDTV games this week, Baxter says.

"I don't have a full green light to make my announcement yet. But this is good news. We're excited about it," she said.


Insight Communications officials also were not prepared Monday to say if Reds would be back in HDTV next month. Insight, Northern Kentucky's major cable system, carried all 33 HDTV games last year.

"We have not yet made a decision as to whether or not we'll air them. I hope to have an answer for you Tuesday," said Maggie Woolf, Insight marketing director.

DirecTV and Dish Network also have access to the 71 FSN Ohio HDTV games, says Steve Pawlowski, spokesman for the Cleveland-based regional sports network.

FSN Ohio managers did not want to comment Monday about HDTV carriage by area cable companies.

"We understand that Reds fans want to see these games in HDTV, and we're happy to provide them. We're hopeful and confident that everyone will be able to see them," said Steve Liverani, FSN Ohio senior vice president and general manager.

The Reds TV schedule starts with Opening Day, as usual. But the 2 p.m. March 31 game with the Arizona Diamondbacks will not be in HDTV.

Reds fans will see five TV games in standard definition - two with Arizona, and the April 4-6 weekend homestand with Philadelphia - before a HDTV game from Milwaukee 8 p.m. April 8.

"It just kills me that we couldn't do Opening Day in high-definition. There just wasn't enough satellite HD transponder time for the game," Liverani said.

FSN Ohio televised the Reds-Yankees game Monday night from Tampa in standard definition. Two more spring training games in standard definition are scheduled: Reds-Tigers at 1:05 p.m. March 17, and Reds-Blue Jays at 7:05 p.m. on March 24.