Marquee Cuts Remind Us How Cubs Fans Booed Tom Ricketts Before Network Launch
Earlier this week the Chicago Sun-Times reported some unfortunate cuts made by the Marquee Sports Network. The broadcast home of the Chicago Cubs has been up and running since the 2020 season, but it appears as though the network is trending in the wrong direction as 2025 comes to a close.
Jeff Agrest reported that the Marquee Sports Network has made significant cuts to its digital media team and Diane Penny is no longer the GM for the station after originally joining in April 2024. That now leaves Colin Faulkner, who is the Cubs chief commercial officer pretty much running the show in place of Penny, taking over GM duties without having the title.
Meanwhile, Tony Andracki, who was the director of content, and Andy Martinez, a reporter at Marquee, have been let go. Simply put, Marquee has not produced enough revenue in recent years, leading to these cuts across the network.
As of now, no on-air talent is expected to be affected by the cuts according to Agrest’s sources.
Cubs fans have been complaining for years about Marquee Sports Network as it was at first nearly impossible to even get in Chicago. Now, it’s in the highest tier of cable packages, fans remain frustrated with the style of production and the way Marquee presents Cubs games. For some reason the executives remain steadfast in wanting to present a national broadcast feel instead of appealing to the core fan base, or you know, Cubs fans who just want to watch a Cubs game.
These cuts at Marquee reminded me how Cubs fans pretty much were out on the network before it even launched entering the 2020 season. During the 2020 Cubs Convention, owner Tom Ricketts was loudly booed by fans as he brought up the upcoming launch of Marquee Sports Network. Ricketts seemed shocked at the reaction and only he could make it worse by smugly suggesting that fans wouldn’t be booing a year later.
Well, Marquee is closer to going under than becoming a successful cash cow for the Cubs, so fans are still upset. This venture between the Cubs and Sinclair was supposed to create another avenue to generate more money to spend on the team and instead Marquee is being operated as if it’s a sinking ship heading into 2026.