Comcast SportsNet Houston Launches Today

[Will94]

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Fans-of-local-teams-stand-to-win-as-new-network-3907606.php

It's as 21st century as the network's gleaming studios in the Houston Pavilions and as 20th century as its programming mantra: a digital-era reset of Home Sports Entertainment, Houston's original regional sports network.

"The plan is the same: more local programming about teams that fans care about," said Bill Worrell, an original HSE employee in 1983 who will be part of CSN Houston as the Rockets' play-by-play announcer. "It gets us back to the original idea of HSE. It was popular then, and it will be popular again."

It's interesting. HSE was launched in 1983 and was the first RSN. Astros road television games had been on KRIV television and then KTXH for as long as I can remember. Then Astros owner John McMullen launched HSE to air home games. McMullen also owned the New Jersey Devils, and this was before territorial restrictions, so we got a ton of their games as well. As the years went on, HSE became Prime Southwest and then Fox Sports Southwest.

Things have come full circle and now the Astros (and Rockets) are launching their own RSN... again.