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ASKING BLUE SKY TO INCLUDE RUGBY GAMES

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the way the Manu Samoa games or rugby games have been manipulated by one person, Bill Hyman, over Channel 11. Rugby to many American Samoans is as important as American Football or Baseball. The United States Rugby Sevens team is very active in the IRB rugby world which is now preparing to enter the Olympic Games in 2016.

Yet I cannot understand why one individual has the full control whether the rugby game is to be broadcast and how much money he is making per showing. We all pay monthly fees to Blue Sky for the many program channels including local channels for KVZK, but when it comes to channel 11 and the rugby games Mr. Bill Hyman has the monopoly — I wonder if he realizes that monopoly is illegal in the United States. 

Perhaps Mr. Hyman feels that the local people do not know better. I feel sorry for the many local sponsors who have been supporting Mr. Hyman for many years. The fact that Mr. Hyman was able to hold on to the rugby games and got many sponsors over the years is a testament to the popularity of rugby and especially when the Manu, the Fijian, the All Blacks, Tongan and the Wallabies teams are playing.

The Manu Samoa vs France game this Saturday is the case in point. I woke up at four a.m. that morning but only the All Blacks vs Wales’ game was on, and when that game finished, there was no announcement about the Manu Samoa game and Bill’s phone recording referred people to PCS number and that number rang for hours but there was no answer. 

I am sure many people were stranded, so to speak, all Saturday, waiting but there was no game or an explanation. I finally talked to Mr. Hyman later in the afternoon and I told him to leave the rugby games to Blue Sky. 

This is the reason I am writing this letter. I am asking Blue Sky to find a way to include the IRB Rugby Games in its offering. The IRB games are shown in Apia and Blue Sky has connections there and I am certain you can find an avenue to extend the same benefit to American Samoa. Blue Sky controls the Cablevision and I am asking that you include all rugby games in your control channels, not Bill Hyman’s.

If anyone agrees with me, please call Blue Sky.  E best lava Blue Sky!

Sincerely,

Tauiliili Pemerika

[Editor’s Note: Bill Hyman explained the problems he is having with airing the games in a LTE in yesterday, Monday’s Samoa News issue. It is an issue of ‘rights’ to air the game, which are held by FijiTV. BlueSky is  restricted by these rights. ra]