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Levine: Cubs Still Talking With WGN, But No TV Deal Yet For 2015

By Bruce Levine-

(CBS) The Chicago Cubs are still looking for a television carrier for about 70 games in 2015.

After carrying 60-plus Cubs games on their airwaves since 1948, WGN had no deal in place with the team as of Thursday morning, sources confirmed to CBSChicago.com. However, talks are ongoing, with 670 The Score's Matt Spiegel reporting that the Cubs are in "serious talks" to get 45 games picked up by local WGN-9 in 2015.

The rest of the games could eventually be picked up by WGN or go elsewhere to an over-the-air channel, such as to WCIU-TV, an independent station.

The Cubs opted out of their deal with WGN-TV following the 2014 season.

With the spring advertising sales campaign already in jeopardy, WGN is said to have plenty of leverage to get a significant deduction in paying rights fees to the Cubs. Comcast SportsNet Chicago will carry 90-plus Cubs games in 2015, as directed by a contract that runs through the 2019 season.

The Cubs and White Sox both will receive $650,000 per broadcast in 2015 from Comcast SportsNet. That stems from the partnership between the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks and Comcast. That figure increases every year, maxing out at $750,000 per broadcast in 2019.

The Cubs can't go on any other cable provider until after the contract with Comcast expires. The Cubs hope to start their own network after 2019 or find a cable provider to pay what they estimate will be $1 million per game for Cubs broadcasting rights.

At this time, there's no guarantee that all 162 Cubs games in 2015 will be broadcast locally, a source said.

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