Night Game Televised Only on WGN

CHICAGO —  If you want to see the historic first night game played at Wrigley Field, you’re out of luck if you don’t have cable TV.

WGN-TV, which is owned by Tribune Co., the same company that owns the Chicago Cubs, will be the only national television outlet broadcasting the first night game at Wrigley Field Monday.

Only 30% of U.S. households receive WGN, and most of those get it from their cable outlet. The station reaches 22-23 million people outside of Chicago plus 3.1 million in the Chicago area.

The reason WGN is telecasting the sold-out game instead of one of the national free-TV networks is the luck of the draw, according to WGN General Manager Dennis FitzSimons.

ABC and NBC, the two networks which regular broadcast baseball games, select broadcast dates for a season soon after the preceding season ends. The last date ABC selected for their Monday Night Baseball broadcasts was Aug. 1.

Concern over possible installation and operation problems kept the Cubs from scheduling the first night game any earlier, although FitzSimons says justice was served by the decision.

“We wanted to do the game and think it is only fitting,” said FitzSimons. “I think Cub fans would much rather see it on WGN with Harry (Caray) calling the game.”

On the current list of the highest-rated programs in Chicago history, WGN ranks second with the infamous “Al Capone’s vault” show. Ranked first is the Bears’ Super Bowl victory in January of 1985.

FitzSimons is expecting a mid-30 rating for the night game, which would be competitive with both of those shows.

“This is definitely going to be something,” he said.

The Cubs usually use seven cameras at Wrigley Field for baseball, but will add three cameras for Aug. 8: one from a blimp overhead, one from atop the center field scoreboard and a roving camera in the stands.

Technical concerns about the unusual lighting setup at Wrigley were calmed Monday when the Cubs held their first official workout under the lights. Producer Arne Harris held a workout for his broadcast crew that night as well.

“The lighting is some of the best I’ve seen,” said Harris. “The (outfield) corners are OK. Even in the daytime the corners here are dark, but they’re fine.”

The lights are along the roof on the first and third-base sides of Wrigley. There are no lights from the outfield.

The hour-long pre-game broadcast will include a half-hour show on the history of Wrigley Field with taped comments from Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda, former Cub and current San Francisco Giants pitcher Rick Reuschel and Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt.

The regular pre-game show will be expanded to fill the second half-hour and will include some special thoughts from Caray.

The networks have received the blame from day-baseball fans for forcing the Cubs to put lights atop Wrigley Field. The Cubs were told by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth that if they made the playoffs, they would be forced to move their home games to a lighted park so networks could broadcast the games in prime time.

The Cubs also had to have lights in order to receive the 1990 All-Star Game.

But FitzSimons said WGN should not receive any of the fans’ wrath because night baseball will not help the station’s ratings.

“When we broadcast an afternoon game, we replace a 3-rating program and get an 8-or-9 rating,” FitzSimons said. “At night, we replace a 10-rating program, usually movies and news, with a 12-rating for the game. The differential is what you have to look at.”

The differential is “revenue-neutral” meaning the station will not lose money on the deal, and FitzSimons says he is in favor of the Cubs playing at night.

“I’m a big fan of day baseball, but a lot of people seem to think day-only baseball at Wrigley has hurt the Cubs competitively,” he said. “I’m for anything that helps the Cubs win.”