Is Earth off its axis? After years of pay-for-it live sports telecasts dating back to the SportsChannel days, suddenly both the Rangers and the Knicks are hitting free airwaves again on local broadcast TV.
All it takes, apparently, is a network that can’t lure enough viewers to fill a taxicab. MyNetwork TV outlet WWOR/9 (and when’s the last time you watched something there?) has scheduled four local-team games this season, including three coming up in the next few weeks.
It all starts Sunday at 1 p.m. when Ch. 9 televises live the Nov. 25 hockey tilt with the Rangers hosting the Dallas Stars. Up next is the Rangers hosting the Phoenix Coyotes Sunday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m.
The Knicks hit Sunday, Dec. 30 at noon vs. the Bulls on Ch. 9, and return March 30 at 4 p.m. visiting the Atlanta Hawks.
MSG, which normally carries the games, produces the telecasts in HD with their own announcers, and includes a half-hour postgame show.