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Lack of cable deal symbol of rough start for Clippers. (Up Front).


The Lakers aren't the only team off to a lousy start this year.

After a promising 2001-2002 season in which they made big strides toward building up a local fan base and narrowly missed the playoffs, the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850.  Clippers were 7-13 late last week and once again looking up from near the bottom of the National Basketball Association's Pacific Division.

And despite a new 25-game package with KTLA-TV (Channel 5), there is an impasse between the Clippers and Fox Sports resulting in about a dozen fewer games aired on television this year than last.

Officials for Fox, whose Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports 2, carried about 40 Clippers games per year for the past five years, say they remain open to negotiating a new deal for the second part of the season. But Andy Roeser, executive vice president for the Clippers, said last week that was unlikely to happen.

"We intend to revisit the cable issue next year with Fox," Roeser said. "Both parties agree that it would be good to continue to carry the games, but we weren't able to make a deal this season."

The lack of a cable deal comes at a crucial time for the Clippers, which has had a tough time competing with the Lakers in generating a local fan base. Last year, the team saw a surge of popularity that lifted its average attendance at Staples Center This articlearticle or section has multiple issues:
* Its neutrality is disputed.
* It may contain original research or unverifiable claims.
* It does not cite any references or sources.
 to about 18,000 from 14,600 the year before, the third biggest jump in the league.

"Obviously, it's unfortunate for their growing number of fans," said Bill Sanders, director of marketing for BDA BDA Battle Damage Assessment
BDA Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände (German: Confederation of German Employers' Associations)
BDA British Dental Association
BDA Blu-ray Disc Association
BDA Bund Deutscher Architekten
 Sports Management, which represents Clippers' Michael Olowokandi and Marko Jaric. "Long-term loyalty comes through exposure to the team."

People with knowledge of the negotiations said the Clippers balked balk  
v. balked, balk·ing, balks

v.intr.
1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump.

2.
 when Fox tried to cut its licensing fee by up to 20 percent and insisted on a long-term deal of up to eight years.

The impetus for Fox seeking a lower rate stems from the NBA's new television contract, which permits the league's national cable partners, TNT TNT: see trinitrotoluene.
TNT
 in full trinitrotoluene

Pale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene.
 and ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network , to overlap some games carried by teams' local cable broadcasters.

"With the new NBA NBA
abbr.
1. National Basketball Association

2. National Boxing Association

NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (=
 rights deal, we didn't think the NBA rights were worth as much as they were in the past," said Steve Simpson, vice president and general manager of Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports 2.

The Clippers' 25-game deal with KTLA KTLA KCBS TV in Los Angeles  means that only 11 fewer games will be shown locally compared to last season, Roeser said. "I don't agree with the premise that we've disappeared," he said.
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Title Annotation:Los Angeles Clippers
Comment:Lack of cable deal symbol of rough start for Clippers. (Up Front).(Los Angeles Clippers)
Author:Satzman, Darrell
Publication:Los Angeles Business Journal
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Dec 9, 2002
Words:427
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