CTN to produce all Saints home baseball games for TV

CTN Studios, the city of Coon Rapids’ cable TV network, will provide production services for all 75 St. Paul Saints home games at CHS Field, St. Paul, over the next two seasons.

A contract with the Saints covering 2024 and 2025 was approved by the Coon Rapids City Council March 19.

This is not a new agreement. CTN has had a production services contract with the Saints since 2007 with a break for a couple of years, said Stephanie Ring, city director of community and recreations services.

Some of the home games of the Triple A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins are televised on a broadcast station and those that are not are carried on 22 local community television stations that reach more than 100 cities.

Under the contract, 11 CTN crew members work the broadcast games, while a crew of nine produce the non-broadcast games. They include CTN full- and part-time staff plus freelancers.

CTN will charge the Saints $4,200 per broadcast game in 2024 and $3,100 for community televised games. In 2025, the cost increases $300 for each.

“This is a revenue generator for CTN,” Ring said.

Fewer cable subscribers are driving down revenues largely because of the popularity of broadband streaming services or “cutting the cable cord,” she said. “Production services help compensate for the loss of revenues,” Ring said.

CTN has also contracted to provide production services for University of St. Thomas activities, as well as snow cross events, according to Ring. And it also rents out its equipment - staff are not involved - for off-road racing events, for example.

CTN is currently part of an effort by the Minnesota Association of Community and Telecommunications Administrators to persuade the 2024 Minnesota Legislature to pass bills that would change cable TV’s financial structure, which has been in place for 40 years, to generate more funding.

The proposed legislation would boost cable revenues by assessing a fee on broadband streaming services and require broadband providers to pay for their use of public right of way, MACTA’s website states.

Council Member Pat Carlson gave a “shout out” to CTN for the great job it does.

“CTN has a great team,” Ring said.

Mayor Jerry Koch said he appreciated that CTN staff think outside the box to bring in more revenue.

CTN Studios will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026.