Fox Offers Duck Game 4 for Cable Use

A partial solution to the dilemma facing Fox Sports West on Thursday night, when the Lakers and Mighty Ducks play home games at the same time, appears to have been found.

Fox Sports West said Tuesday it has offered the Fox Sports West 2 feed of Game 4 of the Ducks’ playoff series with Detroit to all Southern California cable operators.

Only one major company, Continental Cablevision, had not accepted the offer as of Tuesday night, according to Fox Sports West spokesman Steve Webster. The others will put the Fox Sports West 2 game telecast, beginning with the pregame show at 7 p.m., on an available channel.

Only a few Southern California cable companies--and none in Orange County--carry Fox Sports West 2. Fox Sports West earlier offered West 2 free of charge for as long as the Ducks remain in the playoffs, but operators balked at that offer. They didn’t want to pick up the channel and its programming for a two- or three-week period and then take it off.

Fox Sports West also said that, because the Laker game Thursday night figures to end before the Duck game (both start at 7:30), it will switch to the Duck game as soon as the Laker game ends.