ESPN Blackout Might Be Lifted

ESPN is televising Game 1 of the Mighty Ducks’ Western Conference quarterfinal series against Phoenix on Wednesday night, but the ESPN telecast is scheduled to be blacked out locally because of Fox Sports West 2.

But the Ducks are fighting to get the ESPN blackout lifted because Fox Sports West 2 is available on only a few cable systems in Southern California and none in Orange County.

This is the latest skirmish between the Walt Disney Co. and Fox Sports West 2, already in a legal battle over broadcasts of Duck games. Because Disney owns ESPN as well as the Ducks, it is an intriguing issue.

ESPN spokesman Rob Tobias said Sunday night that the way things stand now the ESPN telecast will be blacked out in Southern California. “We’re making every effort to try to get the game on TV,” said Bill Robertson, a spokesman for Anaheim Sports Enterprises, the Disney subsidiary that owns the Ducks.