| abstract | - The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net (FSN), are cable TV regional sports networks that were originally owned by separate companies. The most notable were the SportsChannel networks, which went on the air in 1977 with the original SportsChannel (now FSN New York), and Prime Network, which went on the air in 1983 with the charter member being Home Sports and Entertainment (now FSN Southwest). Fox also purchased SportSouth (now FSN South) from Turner Broadcasting in 1996. SportSouth was restored when FSN acquired Turner South from Turner in 2006 and relaunched it with FSN South's old name. In 1996, News Corporation, which launched the Fox Broadcasting Company in 1986, took over the Prime Network affiliates and renamed them all "Fox Sports Net." In 1997, SportsChannel America joined the Fox Sports Net family (except for the Florida affiliate, which joined in 2000). Starting in September 2004, Fox Sports Net became known simply as FSN, but the name Fox Sports Net is also still in common use. Fox Sports Net is headquartered in Los Angeles' Westwood area. Its master control facilities are based in both Los Angeles and Houston. In February 2005, News Corporation (Fox's parent company) became 100 percent owner of FSN, after swapping assets with Cablevision Corporation, but is still identified in its copyright tag as "Fox Sports Net/National Sports Partners." Fox Sports Net also utilizes Stage 19 at Universal Studios Florida, after Nickelodeon Studios closed in 2005. In addition to regional programming, Fox Sports Net has some national prime time programming such as The Best Damn Sports Show Period and Chris Myers Interviews. FSN has tried to compete with ESPN in original programming, most notably in 1996, when FSN debuted the Fox Sports National Sports Report, a 30 minute sports news program designed to compete with ESPN's SportsCenter. The program originally began as a two hour program, but was steadily cut back as ratings dropped and costs increased. FSN hired popular former SportsCenter anchor Keith Olbermann and used him to promote the show heavily, but ratings continued to slide. The last edition of the National Sports Report aired in February 2002. In some markets, FSN airs the Regional Sports Report, usually headlined with the name of the region covered, such as the Midwest Sports Report or Detroit Sports Report. The regional reports began in 2000 to complement the national sports report, but many regional reports were cut in 2002 due to increasing costs.
- Fox Sports Net is a group of American cable television networks that broadcast NHL games.
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