The broadcasting business has changed a ton in recent years. And it will change a ton in the near future. Change is pretty much the only constant, so looking back to some past time and saying that things should be like they were is silly and pointless. Still: there’s going to be some emotions and nostalgia when the Cubs, as it appears likely, cease to appear on WGN in the near future:
The Tribune article talks about all of the money and angles in play. WGN could still be a player. Or not. But the days when WGN and the Cubs went hand-in-hand are probably over. Really, since the Cubs have split time with WGN and Comcast for the past several years, they likely were over already.
The same story played out with the Braves and TBS. Which, very much like the Cubs and WGN, made fans of people who lived nowhere near the team they came to love. Now, thanks to technology, geography doesn’t keep someone from following a team they used to love back home. And weird national followings like those experienced by the Cubs and the Braves are a thing of the past too.
