Mike Breen urges NBA to value local broadcasts: ‘That’s your connection to the team’

Mike Breen and Adam Silver agree the NBA’s RSN model is broken, but they have very different visions for the future of local broadcasts.

There are regional sports networks that have been in bankruptcy and even forced to shutdown in recent years, while others are on the brink. To appease cord-cutters and combat declining legacy media, Silver wants more games on national networks and streaming services. But according to Breen, there is still value to local broadcasts.

Breen recently spoke to Geoff Maggliochetti of Ballislife about the New York Knicks and NBA media. And during the conversation, the longtime voice of the Knicks and the NBA urged the league to not overlook RSNs as it enters a new media rights era with Amazon, NBC and ESPN.

“Some of the changes are not for the better for the RSNs,” Breen said. “I think we have to be careful not to lose the RSNs because, for fans, that’s your connection to the team. Usually the local announcers, whether it’s TV or radio, they become part of the family. That’s the way I felt growing up, listening to Marv Albert, when he was with, whether it was Cal Ramsey that he was working with or John Andariese, it just felt like that you knew them so well and they were part of your family. I feel the same way about my favorite baseball teams.

“It’s something that I think is a staple to becoming a fan of a team, and we can’t lose that. With all the new national media rights to different broadcast outlets, the emphasis on the regional sports networks, that seems to be less and less. For example, this year, there are no playoff games that will be on regional networks for the first time, and I think that’s a mistake. Yes, I understand that the national outlets, including the one I work for, they pay a lot of money and they want that exclusivity. But I don’t think having a little side for the original broadcasters just to do some of the important games, I don’t think that there’s that much of a factor ratings-wise to impact them. So I wish they would reconsider that, but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

Breen expressed his disappointment in the NBA stripping early round playoff games off local RSNs last season. And while he appears to have reasoned with the fact that the playoffs won’t be coming back to RSNs in the future, Breen hopes the NBA can still see the value in having local broadcasts for regular season games.

“I just think that we can’t lose sight of the fact that the regional networks are important to the fans, and I hope that they don’t keep becoming less of a less and less of a presence for the basketball fans,” Breen told Ballislife. “Because I think that’s a big part of why the younger generation develops that true passion for their team, when they’re watching the home broadcast.”

While Breen sees value in local broadcasts for a fanbase, Silver views RSNs as a roadblock for getting games to those same fans. But just because Silver wants to see more broadcasts go from RSNs to streaming services, doesn’t mean those games can’t still be called by local announcers. Because even if RSNs are discounted, Breen is right for noting the connection local announcers have with a team’s fanbase shouldn’t be overlooked.