#distephano

[please-call-us-useless]

I could go into a lengthy essay, a thesis even, as to how abusive the people on the USM Auriga are towards Ellen Ripley, and all her her clones. They are all shit people (except Distephano I love him).

[sportsminorityreport]

A talk with CU’s Chancellor & the latest on the PAC Media deal... Plus a hidden explanation on why it is taking so long?

While I was putting together the last few articles, things have happened (or not happened, depending on your point of view) in PAC circles.

There is a new article today talking with the Chancellor of the University of Colorado, Phil DiStephano.  There were some candid moments that I love about college football articles when a leader is euphoric with the moment.  There is a moment where he basically says, “I love that I hired Deion Sanders because prior to hiring him we were so bad the fans and the boosters weren’t just talking about firring the coach, they weren’t just talking about firing the Athletic Director, they were actually talking about FIRING ME.  Now with Deion here, no one is talking about THAT crazy thought and I can get back to my job.”

“Oh and I expect we will see a new media deal SOON...”

Yeah.  He went there.  Another PAC leader saying “a deal would be done soon”.

Just two weeks ago Pete Thamel, another highly respected realignment reporter said “no deal is expected for a few more months.”

Look...If Thamel said it, that is the case. The real question then becomes WHY did DiStephano say otherwise?  Was it a PR thing?  Was he just being optimistic?  Is he being told new information?

He also said that the deal may be worth more than all but the SEC and Big Ten deals after all... This is a comment with optimism we haven’t heard in AGES about the PAC media deal and absolutely demanded follow up...but was not.

So...What’s in the water at these PAC meetings?

Is the PAC close to a deal with the 3 headed dog of ESPN, Amazon, and Apple?  Is this just unfounded optimism/corporate talk?  Is this based on reports from the PAC conference leadership?  And if so, are the presidents being told the truth?

Two weeks ago, the PAC followed the not-so-subtle advices of longtime media consultant John WIlliams and spoke to the CW.

Those talks appear to gone nowhere and are now over. Luke Bouma’s salacious headline suggests THE CW has walked away but that is not necessarily clear from the source article.

Contact with ION has not been noted since the WIlliams arrticle, but it is a weaker brand, so perhaps that can be forgiven.

My guess is that perhaps hubris played a role?

The word of the PAC speaking to the CW was met with derision and scorn across college football fandom. It was quite similar to the brushback when FOX won the bidding for the NFL way back when.  And like that, it is likely unfounded.  Content on the air mostly finds it’s audience. 

Lets unpack what has occurred if Luke Bouma was correct and the CW bailed.  Perhaps this was a “we already have a plan, but if it will shut you up...” kind of move by the PAC for the benefit of their critics.

I am frankly surprised that with a company like the CW with an apparent desire for sports content that is KNOWN in insider circles, the PAC couldn’t get through a single meeting without the CW pulling the plug. If that is actually what happened.  How does that happen?  How do two entities, desperate for each other’s offerings, miss? How do those talks “never get serious”?

My GUESS is that the PAC went in saying, “hey we are the PAC and we WILL be bringing SDSU and SMU with us.  Will you pay us more per school for all 12 of these schools than x partner (be it Apple, Amazon, or ESPN) we might talk to you.”

The CW doesn’t have “ESPN money” (or do they?  More on that in a moment).  What they offer is exposure and the potential to eat up weaker content, making the remaining content scarcer and more valuable. 

With that in mind.... You couldn’t leave a door open for the sale of any games?

My personal approach would have been to push the idea that you want SOME of the PAC content on the CW --- an early game every week on Saturday would ben a winner in terms of national exposure, but we HAVE to make money on our better matchups selling them elsewhere--- what can the CW do to make that worthwhile?

But that strategy frankly doesn’t work as well when you don’t have more “less desirable" content...when all you really have to offer is most Oregon State and Washington State games and maybe all of the SMU content, it’s a tough fit. 

Some of that content may actually be somewhat desired by your current media partners.  Not the SMU stuff obviously (not this year anyway), but the rest. 

To me I see that as a gross misunderstanding of what the CW brings to the table.   The CW brings funding for expansion that your current partners do not want to give you.

This hits me as the PAC leadership wanting the minimal effort path.  

The presidents/chancellors saying, “Let’s just get back to 12.  We know we want SDSU and SMU.  Go sell that.”

DeStefano took a moment to say he would vote for 12.  That tells me everyone is on board with SMU and SDSU.  Except maybe the media partners.

Square peg.  Round hole.

Says the PAC school leaders in unison, “Where’s my hammer?!’

The problem is that’s this new PAC 12 is just not a good product overall on the field or on TV. 

A potential positive spin

A very positive spin based on the optimistic revenue projections by DiStefano would be that the PAC met with The CW ...and Amazon lost it’s shit over that and promised the payouts, even if they took a while, would be worth their weight if the league immediately suspended talks with the CW.

Do I believe that?  No.

IS it possible?  Anything is possible in realignment.  TAMU and UT are in the SEC.  Maryland and freaking Rutgers get bigger TV checks than LSU and Florida.

There is always a logic under the words said by a principle in realignment.

How would you vet that as a reporter?  By finding out the voting representative at each school and polling each of them or at least a few of them on the phone with a battery of easy questions with a simple one that you really want answered buried inside:

“Based on your optimism today with the negotiations with Amazon, Apple, and ESPN where do you feel the per team payouts will be on this next contract? Above 32M, in the 25M to 32M range, or just below 25M?

If the answer you hear most is above 32M, this newly optimistic view may be a valid take on the whole failed CW thing and not a bit of subterfuge to sway support by the Chancellor.

It is potentially a big story.  I’ll be looking for articles that address this.

More on the CW 

The thing about this is the CW is actually quite a good home in terms of exposure.  How many homes get the CW vs. ESPN? More homes get the CW.  it is on basic cable. It is a poor man’s ABC,CBS, NBC, or FOX,

There is quite a good article on this out today by Scott D. Pierce that covers the pros and cons.

One part I found very interesting was a new view to me on the CW.  I had thought about the CW as being (and I apologize about this description) a shoe string budget operation.  That is probably no longer the way to look at the CW. 

I felt like the finances to pull this off could be an issue.

But the CW is apparently owned by an organization with very, VERY deep pockets.

When you view the CW as a network on everywhere in the country and their owners wanting to maximize value....hmmm.....

One last note

I read articles to extract interesting elements and the Pete Thamel article had one that stood out tremendously.

“Those timelines appear too optimistic, as the Pac-12 remains engaged with multiple media partners, per sources. Those include streaming services, which have developed a reputation for deliberate contract negotiations, in part because they don't have the same decades of experience in the space as traditional networks.”

Interesting...

In layman’s terms, Conferences do not want to negotiate with the streaming services because it’s difficult.  They are difficult and harder to pin down on numbers. They have developed a reputation as being a pain in the ass.

The streaming services undoubtedly blame this on the fact that they literally have no historic data to work from, which apparently has the desperate PAC willing to wait on them.

But that does go back to a “lack of trust” scenario I mentioned in the last article.

What if Amazon really just wants Washington and Oregon games?  What if they are willing to pay Big Ten level payouts for both of those schedules?

There is a view that Amazon is the slowest part of this negotiations.  That I have been able to see Amazon is the lead (only?) bidder for the PAC’s tier I content.  That means they will be paying the most.  They have the most to lose.

What if they flip and offer that money to the Big Ten for that Washington and Oregon content ....on a Big Ten schedule?

That probably collapses the PAC.

This hits me as a dangerous game of Poker the PAC is playing with Amazon.

I would probably want a contractual assurance from Amazon that shows good faith. Something that says pointedly that Amazon will not buy Washington or Oregon content from anyone else in the next 5 years in return for the PAC’s negotiating patience. I would tell them the presidents insisted.

And if they refuse? 

I said it before (in the last article in fact), Expand to 16 and bring in more linear partners like the CW, ION, and the Spanish networks. 

You are better off with those 16 schools and a wider base of media partners long term anyway, and you have the media narrative to get away with that kind of “uninspiring” expansion today.

[eversonskarateinrobbinsvillenj]

We have been a part of the Everson’s karate family for a little over a year now. The difference in my son from the beginning of joining to now, has been such a drastic change! He has learned how to become more focused throughout life, he has built more self confidence & has found something he looks forward too. We started out from beginners, no belt, to now almost to level 3, my son now is also able to help with lower level classes & couldn’t be happier about it. His exact words were “teaching the tiny tigers is the twinkle of my eye” which I never thought I’d here him say. As he grows and grows with Eversons, the maturity I see is amazing even for only being 8! I am excited to see where this journey continues to take my little guy and what he continues to learn and watch his confidence build. Master Everson is an amazing instructor along with his wife & all of his sensei’s! You can’t go wrong when you join Eversons! Brandi Distephano https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYAttdO84a/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[muthur9000]

I share my love of Alien: Resurrection on this episode. Newborn, my cutie 😍 Regrann from @perfectorganismpodcast - NEW EPISODE! 👉 http://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-svzgp-8e191f It's easy to write off Alien Resurrection as the black sheep of the Alien Saga. Whether you love it or you hate it—or both at the same time—you can't deny there's a lot to talk about. In this riotous roundtable, Ryan, Patrick, Clara, and Dave revisit this crazy film and try to figure out what works and what doesn't. Along the way, they deal with some pretty deep questions: Is Dave's dad a prophet? Was Michael Wincott the inspiration for Christian Bale's Batman voice? How much K-Y Jelly is too much K-Y Jelly? As we come closer to the end of our In Defense of Alien 3 series, we're excited to launch this new miniseries on Resurrection. Anyone up for some basketball? • • • Follow me for all things A L I E N ¦ A I ¦ S C I F I ¦ T E C H N O L O G Y ¦ https://yutani.blog • • • - #regrann #alienresurrection #newborn #jeanpierrejeunet #dariuskhondji #enr #chiroscuro #brown #sepia #kyjelly #studioADI #practicaleffects #clonequeen #clonexenomorph #ripley8 #purvis #elgyn #wren #betty #viress #christie #call #auton #distephano #auriga #usmauriga

[citizen62100]

Le stade Santiago Bernabeu en 1957 ! #realmadrid #santiagobernbeu #puskas #distephano #raymondkopa (à Santiago Bernabéu ( Real Madrid F.C))

[mikemullin]

I'm at Katy Budget Books until 4:00 today with author Lucia DiStephano. I've also signed stock, so if you can't make it today, you can still get a signed book! (at Katy Budget Books) https://www.instagram.com/mikemullinauthor/p/BqS3pYHlpJE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vn7y1ltx5b6y

[handekker]

distephano, a one man band

[seerdahn]

:....:....:....:....Distephano Angeleyes....:....:....:....:

[jennifermeaton]

When you just don't know who you are anymore... A review of Lost Girls by Merrie Distephano

When you just don’t know who you are anymore… A review of Lost Girls by Merrie Distephano

This book was not what I expected. I thought it was a paranormal from the cover. I kept waiting for the paranormal to happen, and as our main character walked towards “the door” I was biting my nails waiting for “it”. Well, the “it” was a big disappointment paranormally, but by the time I realized it was a real-life contemporary, I was far too invested to put it down. Despite the lack of…

[daikenkki]

We Need a Hero by Distephano

[please-call-us-useless]

I forgot about Distephano my beloved. Three times. Could easily defeat Thanos

The Newborn from Alien: Resurrection could defeat Thanos. Think about it. It's only killed two things, and it went for the head both times.

[karenwritesmurder]

Now available for preview---order it now!!!! the exciting 5th book in the Alexandra Distephano series

https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Finding-Germaine-Alexandra-Destephano-ebook/dp/B071F6XSMK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495143436&sr=1-1&keywords=evil+by+judith+lucci

[eversonskarateinrobbinsvillenj]

Brandi Lee DiStephano recommends Everson's Karate Institute: "a photo to go with the amazing review! after my sons 5th class he got to test for his belt & he couldn’t have been happier when he kicked through the board on the 1st try! I wish I would have signed him up sooner but now it’s a forever thing for him. very structured, very clean and fully safe to bring yourself or child since they keep the place fully sanitized with covid going on. I knew after the 1st day when my son was nervous and upset about getting on the floor & one of the young sensei’s helped him overcome his fear, that this place was it! he has never been more excited to go somewhere & counts down to his next night at karate. Master Everson & his team are amazing with the kids. keeps them focused and excited to learn the next move! they interact with the children fully! my son is only 7 and never has really had a “goal” he’s set himself & he enjoys it so much that he keeps talking about eventually becoming a black belt sansei so he can help nervous kids like he once was. I would highly recommend to anyone! we’ll be sticking around for quite some time! 😊 thank you so much Master Everson for running a great karate institute!" https://www.instagram.com/p/CYbsQlFrZN5/?utm_medium=tumblr

[muthur9000]

Alien Parallels: Ozymandias

[215today]

The Dom Giordano Show: Joseph

The Dom Giordano Show: Joseph

9:00-Fox News moves on from Bill O’Reilly.

9:10-Reverend Sharpton claiming O’Reilly acted like a spokesman for “white nationalism.” 

9:35-Joe DiStephano of the Philadelphia Inquirer joined discussing the h1b1 work visa program in Philadelphia.

10:00-Bill in Pennsylvania to allow school teachers to be armed.

10:20-People Magazine’s most beautiful woman of 2017. 

10:35-Jeffrey Lordjoined discussing…

[segais]

Poor DiStephano, he gets so close :(