Locals taking the 'L' with BCSN downsizing?

For more than a decade, Sandusky-area cable customers could flip their television on and catch their favorite high school sports teams on BCSN Erie. It was a great avenue for those who prefer to stay home or those who physically can't make it to their local high school sporting venue to watch the game in person. So it was a bit of a concern to hear this week that BCSN, the network's Buckeye Broadband-owned parent company, laid off its Sandusky-based workforce — sources tell us around two dozen staffers — and that their responsibilities will be taken over by BCSN's Toledo-based team as a part of a company "reorganization" (BCSN Erie talent cut loose, July 15, 2025, Sandusky Register). The network insists it will continue to cover Sandusky-area sporting events. We hope that's true, truly. But it seems doubtful to us that it can keep up with its historical volume of high school sports broadcasts in the Sandusky market with two dozen fewer local staffers. "When we see the calendar of events, we will make the decision as to the volume of events we will carry out of Sandusky," Buckeye Broadband president Geoff Shook said. "I'm not trying to be fuzzy about this. I just don't know what the calendar looks like." Local coaches, student-athletes and game production staff who spoke to the newspaper after the announcement all expressed surprise and sadness about the loss of what they viewed as a great way to showcase local student-athletes. For what it's worth, regardless of potential TV broadcast changes, local student-athletes and high school sports supporters still have venues for coverage. Of course, we at the Register and Reflector have a very talented team of sports reporters and are proud of the game coverage, athlete features and other local sports stories we publish. We can tell those stories in the printed word and via still photography at a high level, no problem. That's not going to change. But there's something about the professional-style TV sports broadcast — multiple camera angles, replays, Chyrons and other graphics packages, etc. You expect that kind of treatment when watching the Browns, Guardians or Cavaliers, but it's special to be able to get that same sort of presentation when it's your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews on the screen. Any kind of reduction of BCSN local sports coverage would represent the loss of local media we've long rallied against. But it's not just student-athletes, their families and the fans who would stand to lose. It is no secret that local media faces a headwind of competition from large national digital media companies. But the reality is that Facebook, Google, Yahoo and the like don't send reporters to cover high school sports or other local news. Sure a fan at the game might post a score update or a short video of the action, but that is a far cry from actually covering the event, not to mention putting coverage in context and getting the complete story. That's why it is critical for local businesses and news consumers to support local media. As locals, we think about supporting local businesses when we choose where to shop, where to eat and what services we use. Please also think about where you get your local information and, if you are a business owner, where you put your advertising dollars. Local media adds to the fabric of a community, even if it's as simple as catching the local sports team on a Friday evening and thanking the businesses who advertised for supporting the coverage. This is as good a time as any to once again urge readers to continue to support local media and support local businesses who advertise with local media. Because if local media goes away, there's no guarantee there will be a suitable replacement for it.