While not necessarily Bears-centric, television blackouts have been a minor problem in the NFL in recent years - and hey, it's not "Yet Another Workstoppage Newspiece" - or YAWN.
According to Brad Biggs, a non-profit organization has asked the FCC to end blackouts of sporting contests, including those of the NFL.
According to the filing by SportsFans.org (how creative):
In the recurring smack-down negotiations between big broadcasters and big pay-TV companies, games are pulled right before the action starts, leaving fans in the cold. Fans who are vital to the success of sports and who have contributed through multiple public and private expenditures are treated like fumbled pigskins.
More specifically, the group is targeting retransmission disputes, which led to seven regular-season home games for the Buccaneers being blacked out, as well as the dispute between Fox and Cablevision which prevented New York City from watching the first two games of the 2010 World Series. The filing does, however, cover the elimination of sports blackout rules:
SportsFans.org has asked the FCC to eliminate sports blackout rules, network non-duplication rules and syndicated exclusivity rules.
What do you think, WCG?