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Day's exit is latest move in Blue Jackets broadcast upheaval
Thursday,
May 21, 2009 12:46 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Blue Jackets television broadcasts will have a much different look next season.
Three weeks after analyst Danny Gare was told that his contract would be allowed to expire, The Dispatch has learned that Jim Day will no longer be part of Fox Sports Ohio's coverage team. Sources say it was a mutual decision between the network and the club. Day, a Westerville native, has been a host or reporter since the Blue Jackets joined the NHL in 2000. Neither Fox Sports Ohio nor the Blue Jackets would confirm the report, but multiple sources told The Dispatch that Day will have other assignments during hockey season. "It would be premature for me to talk about any movement among our personnel," Fox Sports Ohio vice president and general manager Henry Ford said. Day, who also covers the Cincinnati Reds for Fox Sports Ohio, declined to comment when reached before a game against Philadelphia. It appears Day was caught in the fray as the Blue Jackets' front office - the business side, not the hockey operations department - tries to gain more control over its broadcasters. Sources said that Blue Jackets executives complained to Fox Sports Ohio regularly about Day's choice of words, the questions he asked and, at times, his demeanor after losses. For instance, he was chided this season for using "disappointment" in a question posed to Blue Jackets assistant coach Gord Murphy when the Jackets fell behind by two goals March 28 at St. Louis. Though Fox Sports Ohio is Day's employer, the network tries to appease the clubs it covers whenever possible, even though the Blue Jackets, with an average rating of 1.8 this season, are far less popular than the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers (8.8) and the Reds (4.75). The source indicated that Fox Sports Ohio has agreed to let the Blue Jackets hire Day's replacement. In moves announced earlier, radio analyst Bill Davidge will fill Gare's spot next to TV play-by-play voice Jeff Rimer, and a search is under way to replace Davidge in the radio booth next to play-by-play voice George Matthews. The Dispatch learned that Rimer signed a contract for three years, Davidge for two years and Matthews for one. aportzline@dispatch.com Story toolsToday’s Top Stories |
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