Indians games too pricey, cable official tells council

COLUMBIANA -- Mayor Lowell Schloneger wants Columbiana area residents to know it's not council's fault that America's favorite pastime isn't being enjoyed by dedicated Cleveland Indian fans.
In fact, Comcast Cable subscribers will not have the opportunity to catch the games anytime soon. Mike Smith, director of government and public affairs for Comcast Cable, explained why at Tuesday's council meeting.
It's the Indians organization itself that's to blame, Smith said.
The organization pulled out of Fox Sports Ohio to create its own network, Sports Time Ohio. The new network has approached Comcast to enter into a contract with a price close to what ESPN charges the cable company, even though ESPN offers more programming, Smith said.
Comcast declined the offer, saying it was of no value for their customers. Smith said Comcast conducted a phone interview with 132 customers in Columbiana County, and the "vast majority were not willing to pay more money to watch the Indians," especially since they used to watch them on Fox in the past. Council did not find the survey to be adequate, saying it did not specify the exact amount customers would have to pay.
Customers of Comcast/Cleveland, Armstrong and Time Warner can find the Tribe games on their cable stations, as can satellite TV customers. But Councilman Bill Kimpel asked Smith to look into the possibility of Comcast's offering the games on Pay Per View.
Smith also said Comcast will continue its negotiations with Sports Time Ohio in hopes that it will better its offer.