Charter to add FSN Wisconsin, five other channels in HD on Aug. 20

Jeff Richgels — 8/23/2008 5:46 pm

With pennant race fever brewing, Charter Communications announced Wednesday that it will be adding Fox Sports Net Wisconsin and five other channels in high definition in its Wisconsin markets on Aug. 20.

Charter, the dominant cable provider in the Madison area, said in a news release that it also will add Animal Planet-HD, Smithsonian Channel-HD, TBS-HD, In-Demand-HD and The Movie Channel-HD.

FSN Wisconsin carries Milwaukee Brewers games and FSN Wisconsin has a dozen of its 65 HD 2008 Brewers broadcasts from Aug. 20 to the end of the season, according to its schedule at www.myspace.com/fsnwi.

"We are delighted to bring our customers Brewers' games in HD down the stretch drive to the playoffs," Lisa Washa, Charter's vice president & general manager for Wisconsin, said in a statement. "Charter is committed to providing more of the sports, movies and shows our customers want in HD."

Becky Ross, spokeswoman for FSN Wisconsin/FSN North, said Tuesday night's Brewers debut of new acquisition CC Sabathia earned a Nielsen rating of 11.29 in the Milwaukee market, No. 1 in prime time there, 64 percent above the 2008 season average for its Brewers broadcasts, and in the top five highest rated programs for FSN Wisconsin/FSN North since 1997.

A rating number represents the percentage of TV homes in the market tuned into a program. One point in the Milwaukee market equals 8,868 households. Nielsen does not keep ratings for the Madison market, Ross said.

Late last year, Charter announced plans to roughly double its HD lineup from a little more than 20 to about 40 channels over the next year or two.

Charter said it has invested more than a billion dollars upgrading its networks in the past year, including millions in Wisconsin.

No. 1 satellite provider DirecTV carries FSN Wisconsin on channel 642 and FSN Wisconsin HD on 642-1. The channel is only active during certain times, such as broadcasts of Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks games, as it is an offshoot of FSN North, which is on 641 and 641-1 and still carries telecasts of Minnesota Twins and Timberwolves and Wild games.

No. 2 satellite provider DISH carries FNS North on channel 436 and when there are conflicts -- for example, both Brewers and Twins games airing at the same time -- the Minnesota games air on 436 and FSN Wisconsin airs the Wisconsin team games on one of the alternate channels 444-453.

FSN Wisconsin plans to broadcast every Brewers game in HD in 2009 as Fox transitions its 16 regional sports networks, including FSN Wisconsin, into round-the-clock HD telecasts in the first quarter of 2009.

That will mean FSN will produce its entire slate of more than 3,000 Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and college football and basketball games in HD, up from some 1,700 HD broadcasts in 2008.

Currently www.myspace.com/fsnwi lists the following Brewers games in HD from Aug. 19 on:

Aug. 19 Tuesday Houston 7 p.m.

Aug. 22 Friday Pittsburgh 7 p.m.

Aug. 24 Sunday Pittsburgh 1 p.m.

Aug. 27 Wednesday at St. Louis 7 p.m.

Aug. 29 Friday at Pittsburgh 6 p.m.

Sept. 4 Thursday San Diego 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 Saturday San Diego 6 p.m.

Sept. 8 Monday Cincinnati 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 Tuesday Cincinnati 7 p.m.

Sept. 23 Tuesday Pittsburgh 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 Wednesday Pittsburgh 7 p.m.