The NFL last week moved to broaden access to game coverage by local TV stations.
During league meetings, team owners agreed to change a 2006 rule banning local station video cameras from the sidelines during games. The new rules will allow up to 10 video crews, five from the local market of each competing team, to cover games from the field.
Participating stations will be expected to provide pool coverage; working out the details will be left to teams and the local stations that cover them.
The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), which objected to restrictions imposed on sideline cameras from local stations, applauded the league's reversal. During the 2006 season, teams permitted local stations to put one pool crew per team at each game. Throughout the past year, RTNDA has worked with local stations to reverse the ban.
