FAN morning host choice is Krystal clear

Apparently Andrew Krystal has impressed The FAN 590 so much in his first month on the job, the station has given him a major promotion. Sources say Krystal will become the all-sports station's morning show host after Calgary's Mike Richards turned down the FAN's offer last week.

The move may be temporary, though, with Krystal moving back to the 9-to-noon spot once a permanent host is found for the crucial morning slot. But if Krystal can score solid ratings over the next 12 weeks, he may get the job full-time.

CFL leads the way, edging out Sportsnet One

While only one of the Canadian Football League's Labour Day weekend ``classics" came close to matching the title, it was a pretty successful weekend for three-down football.

The high-water mark came Sunday when TSN set a regular-season ratings record for CFL games when an average of 1.34 million viewers watched Saskatchewan defeat Winnipeg. The rest of the games did pretty well, too, with one topping 1 million and the other two coming close.

The Blue Jays did well, too, with Rogers Sportsnet attracting more than 600,000 for each of its two weekend games. Friday's outing, we'll assume, didn't do as well.

Assumptions are necessary because the game was on Rogers Sportsnet One and Sportsnet isn't giving out those ratings. That's because it's still available only to Rogers digital customers and 4,000 people in Fenelon Falls. 

Judging by the flood of emails I've received from readers, the channel is rapidly becoming known as Sportsnet None. And it's not just angry Blue Jays fans who are airing their displeasure. A lot of soccer fans who bought Setanta Sports are more than a little peeved that some of their games have been siphoned off to Sportsnet One. Some are threatening to cancel Setanta, as well as their Rogers cable.

The most compelling come from Jays fans, though. If Rogers had had any idea who it was harming with this badly handled move, it might have reconsidered and maybe launched after the baseball season. Some of these stories are enough to melt hearts, though apparently not those at the cable companies.

 In addition to the dozens of seniors whose lives revolved around watching the Jays was one man who spent three evenings a week watching the Jays while undergoing dialysis. Because the hospital doesn't get Sportsnet One, he can't. How's that for shafting your loyal fans? 

This is a major fan uprising, dwarfing the revolt that surrounded the TSN2-Rogers battle. And the Jays revolution will seem like a mosquito on an elephant's butt in comparison to what will happen if this isn't settled before the first hockey games are scheduled to air on Sportsnet One.

Here the most-watched sports events on English-language Canadian TV over the weekend, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. CFL, Blue Bombers at Roughriders, Sunday, TSN: 1,340,000

2. CFL, Eskimos at Stampeders, Monday, TSN: 1,083,000

3. CFL, Lions at Alouettes, Friday, TSN: 914,000

4. CFL, Argonauts at Tiger-Cats, Monday, TSN: 879,000

5. MLB, Blue Jays at Yankees, Sunday, Sportsnet: 703,000

6. MLB, Blue Jays at Yankees, Saturday, Sportsnet: 631,000

7. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sunday, TSN: 426,000

8. Tennis, U.S. Open, Saturday, TSN: 268,000

9. Tennis, U.S. Open, Friday, TSN: 153,000

10. Tennis, U.S. Open, Monday, TSN: 128,000

OTHER STUFF : TSN anchor Dan O'Toole is part of a group planning a 650-kilometre bicycle ride to raise money for charity. Among the group leaving from Long Island on Saturday are former NHLers Steve Webb and Rob Zamuner. They're headed for Peterborough, Ont. and aim to be coming through Toronto on Sept. 18. Funds raised will go to Alzheimer's research and Webb's scholarship foundation. For details on how to donate, go to www.w20foundation.org. ... NFL junkies will have more to cheer about this season, as TSN2 is now airing games. It will air an early Sunday game, giving viewers an alternative if they don't like what's on CTV or the American channels. ... They'll also be able to get 42 live NFL games and the Super Bowl on their mobile phones, assuming they have the appropriate Bell Mobility phone. The Bell package also includes highlights and NFL Network programming.

CFL dominates weekend TV ratings

It's long been said that the Canadian Football League season doesn't really start until Labour Day in both intensity and fan interest. If that's the case, the CFL is in for a heck of a fall.

Its two games dominated the weekend ratings once again, with Saturday's Saskatchewan-Edmonton game topping 1 million viewers. The Calgary-B.C. game was next with 771,000 viewers.

What's impressive about those numbers is that both games involved the league's worst teams, with both B.C. and Edmonton entering them with 1-6 records. 

Here are the top weekend sports ratings in English Canada, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. CFL, Roughriders at Eskimos, Saturday, TSN: 1,050,000

2. CFL, Stampeders at Lions, Friday, TSN: 771,000

3. MLB, Tigers at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet, 501,000

4. MLB, Tigers at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 448,000

5. Auto racing, NASCAR NAPA 200, Sunday, TSN: 378,000

6. LPGA, Canadian Women's Open final round, Sunday, CBC: 252,000

7. Auto racing, F1 Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 239,000

8. PGA, The Barclays third round, Saturday, TSN: 157,000*

9. MLB, Diamondbacks at Giants, Sunday, Sportsnet: 153,000

11. LPGA, Canadian Women's Open third round, Saturday, CBC: 124,000

12. Track and field, Diamond League, Saturday, CBC: 106,000

13. PGA, The Barclays final round, Sunday, TSN: 101.000*

14. MLS, Salt Lake at Toronto FC, Saturday, Sportsnet: 57,000**

* CBS viewers not calculated

** Two channels only

OTHER STUFF: For the ninth straight year, all 82 Toronto Raptors games will be on TV, which should keep hoops fans happy. But there's a catch: 23 of them are on Rogers Sportsnet One. But don't expect the kind of revolt that broke out when the TSN2-Rogers battle kept viewers in the dark. That time, because Rogers is the dominant cable company in the Raptors home territory, a goodly number of Raptor fans were shut out. This time around, they'll be able to get the channel. Whether they'll be willing to pay is another matter. ... Hardcore Sports Radio (Sirius channel 98) has changed its name to theScore Satellite Radio (misuse of lower case their decision not mine.) It's all part of associating itself more with The Score and its numerous properties. There will be some new programming, too, including Tim and Sid: Uncut, The Basketball Jones and more Cabral Richards. Program director Mike Gentile says the station is going to de-emphasize its ``no-holds barred" approach to expletives. ``We're going to let the callers say what they want, but our hosts won't be using strong language," he says. ``We want that freedom, but we don't want it to define us."  ... Bill Hayes has replaced Greg Brady as host of The Bill Watters Show on Toronto 640. ... CBC sports reporter Tom Harrington is moving over to the news side to become co-host of Marketplace. 

No shortage of hockey on TV in 2010-11

The NHL announced its national television schedules for the 2010-11 season on Wednesday and, as usual, there will be no shortage of hockey on Canadian TV.

Hockey Night In Canada has an 87-game lineup, including two pre-season match-ups and 29  all-Canadian tilts.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans can rest easily, knowing their team will be on almost every Saturday night -- in Ontariio, at least, and probably nationally. The only two Leaf-free Saturday nights are Oct. 16 and Jan. 8, because those are the only two Saturdays the Leafs don't play.

TSN and TSN2 will combine for 124 games: 76 on the main network and 48 on TSN2. For its big investment, TSN will have 70 games featuring Canadian teams. It will also air 10 doubleheaders.

The NHL Network is offering 31 games, including the Boston-Phoenix game from Prague on Oct. 10.

South of the border, Versus released its 78-game schedule -- 13 more than it aired last year.

Big chair shuffling at TSN and Olympic group offices

New titles were being handed out like candy at the TSN and Olympic broadcast consortium headquarters Tuesday.

It's an interesting list, even for those who might not collect broadcast executive trading cards.

First, Stewart Johnston replaces Phil King as president of TSN, a pretty big move for a guy who was named head of programming only three years ago. But Johnston learned at the foot of the master programmer -- King -- and no doubt learned something from him as he sat in the big chair at TSN.

Mark Milliere gets a bump from head of production to  senior vice-president in charge of all things on screen while Shawn Redmond moves from marketing into Johnston's old job.

But the most interesting appointment involves the naming of Adam Ashton, a long-time TSN marketing guy, as president of the CTV-Rogers Olympic broadcasting consortium. Ashton replaces Keith Pelley, who moved downtown to head Rogers Media -- the equivalent of Brian Burke leaving Toronto to run the Montreal Canadiens.

I'm told Pelley's name is no longer allowed to be uttered at the Agincourt bunker.

According to the consortium press release, Ashton will oversee the day-to-day operations for the London Games. That means everything from sales and marketing to productioin and digital operations. In effect, he's in charge of the entire show.

Ashton's team includes TV production vet Rick Chisholm, sales and marketing v-p Dan Cimoroni and money man James Cooke.

The first thing you'll notice here is that all the appointees are TSN guys. King says that's no coincidence.

``We have proven that TSN has a wealth of talent," King said Tuesday. ``There is a reason why TSN is by far the biggest specialty channel, by far the biggest sports channel."

The other is that Ashton, unlike Pelley, isn't a TV production or programming guy. He's a marketing man, by all reports a very good one. King says that's also no coincidence.

``We already have an unbelievable production team," he said. ``We've already proven to ourselves that the consortium can do a big event like the Olympics. What we need now is a businessman. But Adam has a lot of experience outside sales and marketing.

``The production side is in top-notch condition with Rick Chisholm running it."

Having a businessman at the top will come in handy as the consortium attempts to recoup some of its losses from Vancouver. It won't admit to any, but the general consensus is that the Games looked like gold but finished in the red.

Blue Jays hit the heights. Too bad about Friday's game.

Now here's a rarity on the summer sports scene: A Toronto Blue Jays game managed to draw more viewers than a Canadian Football League contest.

Granted, the CFL game was a dog with fleas, but still this doesn't happen very often. But as happy as the folks at Rogers Communications must be at seeing their team draw an average of 713,000 for last Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox, they have to be girding their loins for the viewer onslaught they will face Friday.

That's the next Jays game scheduled for Sportsnet One, the new channel that's available only on Rogers and to the 4,000 homes that subscribe to Cable Cable in Fenelon Falls, Ont. Yes, that breakthrough is the only cable deal Rogers has managed to secure for its new cash-grab channel, meaning more than half the country can't watch Friday's game at this point.

Sportsnet Junior's first week of Jays games drew flies, so you can be sure viewer outrage will be high as hundreds of thousands of Jays fans find that once again they've been shut out..

While Rogers is trying to get itself out of the mess it created with Sportsnet One, the CFL has to be a little worried about Friday's numbers. An age-old traditional rivalry between two teams based in the country's most populous region should be doing a lot better than 650,000 viewers -- even if it almost a touchdown-free game.

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-language televison over the past weekend, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. MLB, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Saturday, Sportsnet: 713,000

2. CFL, Tiger-Cats at Argos, Friday, TSN: 650,000

3. MLB, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Friday, Sportsnet: 558,000

4. MLB, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Sunday, Sportsnet: 441,000

5. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Saturday, TSN: 347,000*

6. NFL, Vikings at 49ers, Sunday, TSN: 267,000*

7. PGA, Wyndham Championship final round, Sunday, Global/CBS: 234,000

8. MLS, New York at Toronto FC, Saturday, CBC: 182,000

9. Tennis, ATP Cincinnati final, Sunday, TSN: 178,000*

10. PGA, Wyndham Championships third round, Saturday, Global/CBS: 171,000

11. Athletics, Diamond League track and field, Saturday, CBC: 149,000

12. Tennis, Rogers Cup, Friday, TSN: 137,000

* Viewers for U.S. networks not calculated

Sportsnet One's debut shuts out Jays fans

It probably doesn't happen that often, but I  understated the case in my Monday column when I knocked Rogers for shutting out tens of thousands of Blue Jays fans by putting Saturday's game on Sportsnet One.

The Jays two games on the West Coast scored more than 480,000 viewers apiece on Rogers Sportsnet. Saturday's game, available only on Sportsnet One to Rogers customers, drew substantially less than that. BBM Canada originally reported the audience at 31,000, but admitted today that there were errorrs in its calculations.

Suffice to say, though, that it didn't make enough mistakes to drive up that number to 400,000.

It should be noted that any numbers for Sportsnet One right now are not national because Rogers sphere of cable influence doesn't extend to the West and many parts east of Ontamrio.

In addition, most viewers were probably unaware that Sportsnet Junior even existed. One reader tells of calling Rogers in Toronto and finding that even some of their employees didn't know what Sportsnet One was or what channels it was on.

This will eventually change. After all, TSN2 scored some pretty dismal ratings in the early going and is doing just fine now. But in the meantime there are legions of irate Blue Jays fans wondering what they did to deserve this treatment.

Here are the weekend's most-watched sports events on English-language television, according to BBM Canada ratings:

1. CFL, Alouettes at Argos, Saturday, TSN: 829,000

2. CFL, Tiger-Cats at Blue Bombers, Friday, TSN: 817,000

3. CFL, Eskimos at Stampeders, Sunday, TSN: 768,000

4. Golf, PGA Championship final round, Sunday, TSN: 530,000*

5. MLB, Blue Jays at Angels, Sunday, Sportsnet: 484,000

6. MLB: Blue Jays at Angels, Friday, Sportsnet: 481,000

7. Golf, PGA Championship third round, Saturday, TSN: 427,000*

8. Tennis, Rogers Cup second semifinal, Saturday, CBC: 364,000

9. Golf, PGA Championship second round, Friday, TSN: 314,000

10. Tennis, Rogers Cup first final, Sunday, CBC: 299,000

11. Track and Field, Diamond League London, Saturday, CBC: 224,000

12. Tennis, Rogers Cup first semifinal, Saturday, CBC: 221,000

13. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sunday, TSN2: 217,000

14. Soccer, West Brom at Chelsea, Saturday, Sportnset: 130,000

* Viewers for CBS not calculated

Keith Pelley now heading Rogers Media

Keith Pelley, who oversaw the CTV-Rogers consortium's coverage of the Vancouver Olympics, has been named president of Rogers Media.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning. Pelley will replace Tony Viner, who has retired.

Pelley, who rejoined the CTV group after a stint as president of the Toronto Argonauts, will oversee all aspects of Rogers media properties from television (Sportsnet) to radio (including the FAN 590) and magazines.

His departure from the Olympic Consortium means that it will be seeking someone to oversee the 2012 London Olympics.

Little love for Toronto FC on television -- yet

The CBC had better be right about Major League Soccer.

The people's network recently jettisoned the Raptors because it felt ratings weren't quite good enough to justify those weekend time slots. On the other hand, it expressed deep and abiding love for Toronto FC, which would give its left halfback to get the kind of ratings the Raptors drew.

Witness Saturday's poor draw, the latest in a series of poor ratings for the MLS club.Since its inception, the Toronto team has been a major hit at the gate and a semi-disaster on television.

But this isn't a case of the CBC not realizing that ratings aren't calculated like golf. Low numbers are bad, not good, in the TV game.

The CBC's faith in TFC stems from its belief that adding two more teams in Canada over the next two years will ignite interest in MLS. A Toronto team that barely draws flies on television will see ratings soar once it has more Canadian rivals in Vancouver and Montreal is how the CBC sees it.

It could happen. But it also could be a repeat of what we saw when there were two NBA franchises here: Apathy.

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the CFL continues to dominate the summer ratings, though a near perfect game and a late playoff run by the Toronto Blue Jays helped their numbers soar.

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-language television over the weekend, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. CFL, Blue Bombers at Tiger-Cats, Saturday, TSN: 858,000

2. CFL, Roughriders at Alouettes, Friday, TSN: 853,000

3. CFL, Stampeders at Lions, Saturday, TSN: 795,000

4. MLB, Rays at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnets: 760,000

5. CFL, Argonauts at Eskimos, Friday, TSN: 649,000

6. MLB, Rays at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 493,000

7. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sunday, TSN: 448,000

8. MLB, Rays at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 446,000*

9. PGA, Bridgestone Invitational final round, Sunday, Global/CBS: 339,000

10. NFL, Bengals vs. Cowboys, Sunday, TSN: 305,000**

11. PGA, Bridgestone Invitational third round, Saturday, Global/CBS: 255,000

12. Auto racing, NASCAR Nationwide, Satuday, TSN: 182,000

13. MLB, Red Sox at Yankees, Sundady, TSN2: 164,000

14. MLS, Chivas at Toronto FC, Saturday, CBC: 134,000

* 3 channels only

** Ratings for NBC not calculated

Tennis Canada changes up with relaunched website

Just in time for the annual Rogers Cup events in Montreal and Toronto, Tennis Canada is relaunching its website with a whole new approach. And the new way of doing things means less focus on stuff like the Rogers Cup and more on those who play the sport.

Not that the racquet-swingers have anything against Canada's biggest tennis tournaments -- in fact, Rafael Nadal will be at the CN Tower on Friday to launch the new site at 4 p.m. -- it's just that the organization believes it has to speak more directly to those who play the sport than to those who watch it. More importantly, it believes it needs to allow tennis players and organizers to speak more directly to Tennis Canada.

Right now, the focus is on the elite of tennis: the pros, the up-and-comers, the top amateurs. That will all change as Tennis Canada tries to reconnect with its roots.

``It's not about us," says Tennis Canada spokesman Michael Cvitkovic. ``It's about the 4.5 million Canadians who pick up a racquet."

Part of the new campaign is a new web address. Instead of the old www.tenniscanada.com, it's now www.lovemeansnothing.ca. (Thank God they didn't go with lovemeansneverhavingtosayyou'resorry.ca or lobslabourlost.ca.)

The message, Cvitkovic says, is that ``tennis is spoken here." There's also a message that Tennis Canada is going to wear its headband at a jauntier angle, too.

A commercial that will air during this weekend's Rogers Cup shows a dog chewing on a tennis ball and offers that if you think this is abuse of a ball, then you're Tennis Canada's kind of person.

There'll be more opportunities for tennis nuts to interact with each other and tell Tennis Canada what they're thinking. Among other features, tennis instructor Bob Brett will answer questions and give video tips in response. 

The elite players won't be abandoned, but even they will take on a more interactive role. One plan is to get Canada's top players to file live video updates from tournaments. There will also be live chats with Rogers Cup participants as well as athlete and expert blogs.

``The new website will be open to all," says Cvitkovic. Sounds like a good idea all around.

BY THE NUMBERS: It's summer, so the CFL and Blue Jays must be dominating the sports ratings. But maybe the most interesting number from the weekend came from Formula One racing. Getting an average of 336,000 to watch a car race at 8 a.m. on a holiday weekend is no mean feat. Getting them to watch it at 5 a.m. on the West Coast is even more amazing.

Here are the most-watched English-language sports broadcasts for the past weekend, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. CFL, Tiger-Cats at Roughriders, Saturday, TSN: 1,035,000

2. CFL, Blue Bombers at Stampeders, Saturday, TSN: 884,000

3. CFL, Lions at Eskimos, Friday, TSN: 801,000

4. MLB, Indians at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet: 573,000

5. MLB, Indians at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 526,000

6. Auto racing, NASCAR Pennsylvania 500, Sunday, TSN: 429,000

7. MLB, Indians at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 412,000*

8. Auto racing, F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 336,000

9. Track and field, Canadian championships, Saturday, CBC: 197,000

10. Extreme sports, Summer X-games, Sunday, TSN: 196,000

11. CFL, Pre-game show, Friday, TSN: 157,000

12. Athletics, ITU Triathlon, Saturday, CBC: 145,000

* 3 channels only