The NFL is making as much or more news in the media and marketing areas this week as its teams are with personnel moves. These news items reflect the growth of demand for NFL games around the country.
First, the NFL has announced a 4-year deal with a wireless provider that will result in Sunday and Thursday night games being streamed on certain mobile devices from the NBC-TV or NFL Network feeds. Incredible as it may seem, this deal is estimated to be valued at more than $100,000,000. In addition, this deal reportedly includes the NFL Network's Red Zone during the Sunday games.
This is another positive for the obviously football hungry fans, providing another means to have easy live progress of the NFL games. Yet, I have to believe that the TV networks may be strongly divided on their reaction to this news.
NBC-TV should be ecstatic about this. Their Sunday Night Football feed will now be available to thousands of subscribers to the participating wireless service who, if not able to watch on NBC-TV, can watch wherever they happen to be, needing only a mobile phone signal. Advertisers benefit with another means to penetrate their target audience.
However, Fox-TV and CBS-TV could suffer over this. Fans in markets not partial to an NFL team, along with fans in NFL markets when the "home" team isn't playing, may very well opt for the Red Zone feed on their phones over a CBS or Fox regional game which doesn't interest them as much. Now, instead of watching those games to keep tabs on the other games, it is quite possible that thousands of fans will opt for the Red Zone on their phones, and CBS and Fox could lose viewers over this. While fans may not care, I have to think that this will come up during the next TV rights negotiation. Yet, ESPN is, as of now, not effected either way by this new wireless contract.
That is what makes this such a potentially important media story. I don't remember the NFL doing a deal in the past which openly favors one network ahead of others which are participating.
The NFL brass also got more good news when Arbitron Sports released a report revealing specific listening trends based on PPM measurement for NFL games over the course of the recently concluded season. Based on estimates of "in-game listening" from 23 radio markets involving 25 of the NFL's teams, the report shows each NFL team averaging better than 100,000 listeners per local radio broadcast. The Chicago Bears have topped the team list showing an average game audience of more than 620,000 listeners.
Radio rights in Chicago have always been a hot issue. In the past 30 years, the Bears broadcasts have jumped between WGN Radio, WBBM Radio, and the former WMAQ Radio (now WSCR - The Score sports radio, a sister station to WBBM). These audience totals further justify the huge rights fees and extended negotiations which have gone on in Chicago. Even more incredible is that the Bears failed to make the playoffs for the 3rd straight season and were all but eliminated with 7 games to go - yet still managed strong radio ratings.
The N.Y. Giants were next with just over 450,000 listeners, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles. In the 25-54 males category, some of the NFL broadcasts drew 40+ shares, according to this report.
The ratings leader is expected to release a baseball audience report during the second quarter.
BOSTON: A lot of credit goes to WEEI Radio for its interview with Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Tuesday. Mr. Kraft, who usually does an interview with the station around Super Bowl time, waited until this week to be interviewed by Glenn Ordway, Steve DeOssie and Fred Smerlas.
To their credit, this was not a powder-puff chat. Kraft talked about very specific players and contract issues. He also defended the team's decision not to pursue free agents by stating that the team feels its talent "is the best available". Whether you agree with him or not, the fact that he openly addressed the fans' concerns in this manner is refreshing from a pro sports executive. WEEI added to the mix by involving more than one of its program hosts in order to show the priority of this interview. That's more like it.
BRISTOL: Glad to see the news that Chuck Wilson is returning to ESPN Radio, and it happens as of this coming weekend. Wilson was one of the original hosts when ESPN Raedio first started in January 1992, and went on to co-host "Game Night" from 1995 into 2005, when he went over to XM.
He will host the NCAA Tournament Selection Special (5:30 to 9 PM ET) this Sunday (March 14) evening, and will soon move to the radio version of "Baseball Tonight".
Chuck Wilson first made his mark on WEAN Providence when he began a sports talk show on the station in the early 80's, years before the birth of WFAN and full-time sports radio stations. This show brought out his excellent interview styles.
Good move by ESPN to bring him back.
BALTIMORE: MASN has decided to go with a pair of analysts to split the assignment working with play-by-play voice Gary Thorne. Jim Palmer will continue to be lead analyst, but former Oriole pitcher Mike Flanagan has been named to the broadcast team. His first telecast will be against Oakland on April 15th. This will be Mike's third TV stint with the O's.
BOSTON: Boston College football broadcasts will remain on WEEI through the 2015 season as a result of a 5-year contract extension arranged by Fenway Sports Group. (Yes, Fenway Sports Group is owned by the Red Sox parent company.)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sports Media Report - March 8th update........
Hopefully it's not 'too little too late' for HD Radio, but WJFK 106.7 The Fan in Washington DC is making the effort to make HD Radio appeal to area sports fans. As I suggested months ago, the station has added 2 out-of-area sports stations to its HD mix, along with nearby WJZ-FM from Baltimore. The Fan's HD3 channel now broadcasts WFAN from New York and its HD4 carries WIP from Philadelphia.
Sports fans in the DC area come out winners, at least those few that actually have HD radios. They add at least two more choices for sports talk and information at any given time, while WJFK helps to keep listeners from going to WTEM if they are not enjoying the currently airing topic or program.
Moves such as this, and a couple of pro teams going to HD channels specific to a team, such as the HD radio channel in Pittsburgh devoted to the Penguins, are excellent uses of the HD radio concept which allows for more targeted and niche programming.
Yet, I still contend that sports stations can increase their HD Radio presence with more local flavor. An HD channel programmed locally seems the perfect place to air local high school sports, with the ability to replay games the next day. Let the family of the guy that makes the game-winning shot and his entire family hear the description a couple of times more the next day! In addition, stations could use an HD channel to replay their local pro and college broadcasts. I have to believe that an overnight worker might enjoy hearing the entire broadcast of an hours old game without knowing the score ahead of time to help him or her get through an overnight shift.
This DC addition is a start. I would like to believe that CBS stations elsewhere around the country will also start picking up sports stations from around the country as well to provide more options. Maybe this is the idea that could jump start HD Radio sales and participation.
On another matter, this began as a private e-mail based on a previous commentary, but now deserves to be brought up for discussion. More and more I am hearing sports stations across the country promoting "additional" parts to stories they are covering and discussing on their station web sites.
I can certainly understand the sports stations wanting to increase traffic to the station web site. Depending on who you talk to, the purpose ranges from keeping the audience involved (and from tuning to a competitor) to driving potential customers to more revenue opportunities for the station.
Personally, I'm finding this new practice to be in the early stages of becoming another aggravation. Sorry, but shouldn't "have to" go to the station's web site to hear more about a story or more of an interview. This tells me that the station I have chosen isn't willing to provide me with as complete of coverage as they can.
My feeling is there is a huge difference between "If you missed any of this interview, you can hear it again at www....." and "for more on this story visit www.......".
If a station's web site gives me its coverage and "extra" from the radio station itself, then I now have more reason to ONLY visit the web site when I am online to get the "complete" coverage of those stories I want. It means I don't have to listen to 'partial' coverage of stories I'm interested in and full coverage of stories I am not interested in by taking the time to tune to the sports station in the first place.
Pardon me, but I still would like to think that radio stations are in business to attract listeners, and not to drive them to another media form which does not count toward their primary audience measurement source.
I have long wondered why radio stations which play music often promote how you can purchase what they play from the station's web site. While the station looks at it as another needed revenue source, I look at it as the station giving you fewer reasons to listen to their station. If I can buy just the songs I like and listen to them at my convenience, then I have fewer reasons to listen to that station. Same theory with the sports reports.
Unless the radio exec who disagreed with me via private e-mail is planning to work for a music web site sometime soon, I think he will soon find a declining audience for his station.
Meanwhile, it is a loss for the great MLB Network, but a gain for the L. A. Angels with the hiring of Victor Rojas to become their TV play-by-play voice effective immediately. The opening came about due to the sudden and untimely death of Rory Markas earlier this year. Rojas will work with Mark Gubicza on both FS West and Channel 13 telecasts. Ironically, the outside hiring of Rojas comes after the Angels' decision to reduce to one TV team after a couple years of more than one broadcast team just for television.
Rojas has previously done play-by-play for the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, having left the Texas job last year to come to MLB Network. Angels radio continues with Terry Smith and Jose Mota on the call.
ESPN Radio is adjusting its daytime lineup as of baseball opening day. Starting on April 5th Scott Van Pelt expands to 3 hours from 1 to 4 PM ET, with Colin Cowherd moving back to its original 10 AM to 1 PM spot.
NASSAU: The Bahamas are about to get their first ever sports talk station, which will begin by the end of this year. Matt Sampsell, most recently with KRIV-TV Houston as a sports reporter until late 2008, has been named Program Director and is expected to hire local talent. The station could also debut in Nassau as the only full-time talk station there.
On the TV side, Versus is preparing to debut "The Daily Line" on April 5th. The nightly one-hour show is scheduled for 6 PM ET and will preview each night's upcoming sports action. What the network hopes will set this show apart is that they plan to include fan participation via phone calls, e-mails, and text messages. In many markets, this show will be on prior to the local or regional 30 minute sports reports which preview the local teams.
Before you dismiss this as Versus doing something to fill the time with sports during the NHL off-season, keep in mind that Comcast owns a stake in Versus. If Comcast allows Versus' "The Daily Line" to make use of the various regional Comcast SportsNet operations (such as SNY in New York and Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia and Chicago, for example), this actually could become a valuable commodity for early evening sports viewers. Liam McHugh, Jenn Sterger, Reese Waters and Rob DeAngelis will be the hosts.
LOS ANGELES: KSPN 710, the ESPN station, is also making a lineup change on April 5th. "In The Zone" with Brian Long and A. Martinez will broadcast from the ESPN studios at LA Live most weeknights from 6 to 9 PM, and will follow the local "Mason & Ireland" which airs from 2 to 6 PM. To its credit, the station plans to continue to air Mike & Mike live from 3 to 7 AM local time.
SAN DIEGO: Since Dick Enberg's college basketball commitments continue with CBS, Mark Neely will call most of the televised Padres exhibition games this month, with the first one being this coming Sunday (Mar. 14). Neely, who was the Padres' TV voice last season, will then replace Steve Quis on the TV pre and post-game shows when Enberg takes over.
On the radio side, the end of the Padres broadcast tradition may be coming after this season. Not only is Jerry Coleman now working a reduced number of games, but Ted Leitner is back for his 31st and possibly final season in the Padres' booth. For that matter, Andy Masur's contract is also up at the end of this season.
OAKLAND: The Oakland A's not only have a stronger signal this season with KTRB 860 now handling the broadcasts, but will have increased adjacent coverage. Chris Townsend, known for hosting "Sports Overnight America" on the Sports Byline Network, has been brought in to host a one-hour "A's Talk" post-game show. Ken Korach, Ray Fosse, and Vince Cotroneo continue to call the games. Townsend replaces Marty Lurie who recently went across the Bay to join the Giants broadcast team at KNBR.
HOUSTON: David Dalati joined KFNC 97.5 as sports update reporter during afternoon drive, and will provide a daily feature on the Carl Dukes Show. Dalati is well known among sports fans with his having been with KILT and KBME during his 25+ years in the Houston market.
Sports fans in the DC area come out winners, at least those few that actually have HD radios. They add at least two more choices for sports talk and information at any given time, while WJFK helps to keep listeners from going to WTEM if they are not enjoying the currently airing topic or program.
Moves such as this, and a couple of pro teams going to HD channels specific to a team, such as the HD radio channel in Pittsburgh devoted to the Penguins, are excellent uses of the HD radio concept which allows for more targeted and niche programming.
Yet, I still contend that sports stations can increase their HD Radio presence with more local flavor. An HD channel programmed locally seems the perfect place to air local high school sports, with the ability to replay games the next day. Let the family of the guy that makes the game-winning shot and his entire family hear the description a couple of times more the next day! In addition, stations could use an HD channel to replay their local pro and college broadcasts. I have to believe that an overnight worker might enjoy hearing the entire broadcast of an hours old game without knowing the score ahead of time to help him or her get through an overnight shift.
This DC addition is a start. I would like to believe that CBS stations elsewhere around the country will also start picking up sports stations from around the country as well to provide more options. Maybe this is the idea that could jump start HD Radio sales and participation.
On another matter, this began as a private e-mail based on a previous commentary, but now deserves to be brought up for discussion. More and more I am hearing sports stations across the country promoting "additional" parts to stories they are covering and discussing on their station web sites.
I can certainly understand the sports stations wanting to increase traffic to the station web site. Depending on who you talk to, the purpose ranges from keeping the audience involved (and from tuning to a competitor) to driving potential customers to more revenue opportunities for the station.
Personally, I'm finding this new practice to be in the early stages of becoming another aggravation. Sorry, but shouldn't "have to" go to the station's web site to hear more about a story or more of an interview. This tells me that the station I have chosen isn't willing to provide me with as complete of coverage as they can.
My feeling is there is a huge difference between "If you missed any of this interview, you can hear it again at www....." and "for more on this story visit www.......".
If a station's web site gives me its coverage and "extra" from the radio station itself, then I now have more reason to ONLY visit the web site when I am online to get the "complete" coverage of those stories I want. It means I don't have to listen to 'partial' coverage of stories I'm interested in and full coverage of stories I am not interested in by taking the time to tune to the sports station in the first place.
Pardon me, but I still would like to think that radio stations are in business to attract listeners, and not to drive them to another media form which does not count toward their primary audience measurement source.
I have long wondered why radio stations which play music often promote how you can purchase what they play from the station's web site. While the station looks at it as another needed revenue source, I look at it as the station giving you fewer reasons to listen to their station. If I can buy just the songs I like and listen to them at my convenience, then I have fewer reasons to listen to that station. Same theory with the sports reports.
Unless the radio exec who disagreed with me via private e-mail is planning to work for a music web site sometime soon, I think he will soon find a declining audience for his station.
Meanwhile, it is a loss for the great MLB Network, but a gain for the L. A. Angels with the hiring of Victor Rojas to become their TV play-by-play voice effective immediately. The opening came about due to the sudden and untimely death of Rory Markas earlier this year. Rojas will work with Mark Gubicza on both FS West and Channel 13 telecasts. Ironically, the outside hiring of Rojas comes after the Angels' decision to reduce to one TV team after a couple years of more than one broadcast team just for television.
Rojas has previously done play-by-play for the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, having left the Texas job last year to come to MLB Network. Angels radio continues with Terry Smith and Jose Mota on the call.
ESPN Radio is adjusting its daytime lineup as of baseball opening day. Starting on April 5th Scott Van Pelt expands to 3 hours from 1 to 4 PM ET, with Colin Cowherd moving back to its original 10 AM to 1 PM spot.
NASSAU: The Bahamas are about to get their first ever sports talk station, which will begin by the end of this year. Matt Sampsell, most recently with KRIV-TV Houston as a sports reporter until late 2008, has been named Program Director and is expected to hire local talent. The station could also debut in Nassau as the only full-time talk station there.
On the TV side, Versus is preparing to debut "The Daily Line" on April 5th. The nightly one-hour show is scheduled for 6 PM ET and will preview each night's upcoming sports action. What the network hopes will set this show apart is that they plan to include fan participation via phone calls, e-mails, and text messages. In many markets, this show will be on prior to the local or regional 30 minute sports reports which preview the local teams.
Before you dismiss this as Versus doing something to fill the time with sports during the NHL off-season, keep in mind that Comcast owns a stake in Versus. If Comcast allows Versus' "The Daily Line" to make use of the various regional Comcast SportsNet operations (such as SNY in New York and Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia and Chicago, for example), this actually could become a valuable commodity for early evening sports viewers. Liam McHugh, Jenn Sterger, Reese Waters and Rob DeAngelis will be the hosts.
LOS ANGELES: KSPN 710, the ESPN station, is also making a lineup change on April 5th. "In The Zone" with Brian Long and A. Martinez will broadcast from the ESPN studios at LA Live most weeknights from 6 to 9 PM, and will follow the local "Mason & Ireland" which airs from 2 to 6 PM. To its credit, the station plans to continue to air Mike & Mike live from 3 to 7 AM local time.
SAN DIEGO: Since Dick Enberg's college basketball commitments continue with CBS, Mark Neely will call most of the televised Padres exhibition games this month, with the first one being this coming Sunday (Mar. 14). Neely, who was the Padres' TV voice last season, will then replace Steve Quis on the TV pre and post-game shows when Enberg takes over.
On the radio side, the end of the Padres broadcast tradition may be coming after this season. Not only is Jerry Coleman now working a reduced number of games, but Ted Leitner is back for his 31st and possibly final season in the Padres' booth. For that matter, Andy Masur's contract is also up at the end of this season.
OAKLAND: The Oakland A's not only have a stronger signal this season with KTRB 860 now handling the broadcasts, but will have increased adjacent coverage. Chris Townsend, known for hosting "Sports Overnight America" on the Sports Byline Network, has been brought in to host a one-hour "A's Talk" post-game show. Ken Korach, Ray Fosse, and Vince Cotroneo continue to call the games. Townsend replaces Marty Lurie who recently went across the Bay to join the Giants broadcast team at KNBR.
HOUSTON: David Dalati joined KFNC 97.5 as sports update reporter during afternoon drive, and will provide a daily feature on the Carl Dukes Show. Dalati is well known among sports fans with his having been with KILT and KBME during his 25+ years in the Houston market.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Sports Media Report - March 3rd update
The Miami Dolphins have turned the past season's high NFL television ratings into what appears to be a very successful new radio deal. Earlier this week, the team opted out of a possible 4th season of its contract with WQAM 560 and signed a fresh 6-year "partnership" with Clearance Channel. The team technically goes from one to two flagsh stations, as both WBGG Big 105.9 and WINZ 940 will air the games starting with the pre-season in August.
This deal reportedly includes WINZ airing a year-round Dolphins and NFL show weekdays from 5 to 7 PM.
What also makes this deal interesting is that the Dolphins are doing this without a rights fee, instead keeping the majority of the advertising revenue. I see some risks for the stations and the team from this new deal, but the local Dolphins fans will certainly come out the big winners on this.
Dolphins fans will continue to get extended pre and post-game programming (including choices), likely continuing to total 8 to 9 hours total on game days and nights. The year-round weekday show devoted to the Dolphins and NFL should be welcomed by the hardcore fans. It is also likely that the other Clearance Channel stations in the market will be active in Dolphins related promotions, adding more exposure for the fans via various radio formats.
The Dolphins front office takes a risk by taking the advertising revenue instead of probably $2 to $3 million per season for selling the broadcast rights. Why would the team do this?
Because they see it as a golden opportunity to package the radio time along with other team offerings the team has. Advertisers can get radio time "added" to buying stadium signage, game program space, game day suites, space on the Dolphins' web site, and on it goes. Or, they can get one or more of those perks when they purchase radio time. This COULD result in more revenue for the team compared with outright selling of the radio rights, but it is no guarantee. Again, the fans "win" because the team needs to be competitive to attract enough advertiser and sponsor response.
However, this aspect is where I see Clearance Channel taking a bigger risk than they realize. Their flagship stations will now, in effect, be selling time on their Dolphins and other sports related programming, offering time on the stations, and perhaps any other perks that Clearance Channel offers. The big spending advertisers seeking to reach the 25-52 male audience are much more likely to go with a package offered by the Dolphins for more than "just" the radio deal. They have reason to take advantage of reaching the target audience via radio spots, at the stadium, on the web site, and so on.
This will probably limit the radio stations (WINZ and WBGG) to attracting "lesser" advertisers (in terms of spending) to their own Dolphins and sports related programming. From a sales standpoint, that means more risk and more effort for the same or less revenue. It also continues to allow radio to be a lesser option for sponsors seeking to reach the pro sports audience.
I'm sure that a big reason for Clearance Channel to make this move is to get the game broadcasts away from rival WQAM. CC is hoping that this move will hurt WQAM's ratings, and ultimately their revenue.
Look again. WQAM has already announced that it will continue to provide its own pre and post-game programming for the Dolphins, including Dan Marino and Channing Crowder, along with other Dolphins related coverage and programming other than during Dolphins games.
Television ratings for the NFL were up in virtually every market this past season. It's not like the majority of fans are opting for radio coverage instead of watching the game on a big screen. Many of these fans have become used to tuning to WQAM before and after the games over the past 3 seasons.
Yet, now WQAM can provide their same programming, but without spending millions of dollars to the Dolphins for the broadcast rights, and retaining all of the ad revenue they sell. On those same game days, Clearance Channel's two stations are limited in revenue because of the chunk that will now go to the Dolphins. As a result, WQAM could "win" when it comes to billing.
Providing adjacent programming is not at all unprecedented. In Chicago, WGN Radio has not broadcast the Bears games for about five years now. Yet, the station kept going with up to 3 hours of pre and post-game call-ins and interviews on most Bears game days.
They have WBBM 780, which is the Bears' flagship station and is also the CBS Radio all-news outlet for Chicago, hyping the Bears to death all year round. To the point of having Jeff Joniak, the Bears' play-by-play voice on "reporting" on their sportscasts last week from the just concluded NFL Combine as the lead story. I'm serious. The Bears don't even have picks in the first 2 rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, yet WBBM was leading sportscasts with reports about the coaches being at a scouting combine of college players.
In Miami, it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins are as competitive in the next 3 NFL seasons as the revenue battle between WQAM and Clearance Channel over the Dolphins contract.
Personally, I think radio stations are risking it with certain advertisers by doing these revenue share deals. Teams and stadiums are coming up with better options for the same advertisers.
NEW YORK: I realize that all-sports radio stations sometimes feel the need to stray away from sports for a few minutes here and there. But I was very disappointed in Mike Francesa's show last week on WFAN (and shown on YES TV) when he had Steve Phillips in studio for a full hour.
Phillips, you may recall, was let go by ESPN last year in a reported sex scandal. But here was the former GM of the local Mets in studio right as spring training camps are opening. I enjoyed Phillips' analysis over the years on ESPN and was interested to hear his thoughts looking ahead to the season.
Instead, the majority of the discussion with Francesa was about his sex addiction treatment and his personal life. Even to the point of taking several phone calls about his treatment. If this was not a sports show, I might have found the conversation interesting. But this is WFAN becoming WOR for an hour. That was the place to talk about the Mets and look ahead to the start of the baseball season. I'm still waiting.
SAN FRANCISCO: KNBR 680 is getting ready for baseball. As of this week they have moved F. P. Santangelo to the 7 to 10 PM slot or following Giants broadcasts. As a result, Damon Bruce has moved to Noon to 4 PM on sister station 1050 AM.
PHILADELPHIA: 76ers radio play-by-play voice Tom McGinnis missed a pair of game broadcasts last week due to "a personal matter". Jon Gurevitch, the former Sixers announcer now with Comcast, filled in for the broadcasts from Phoenix and Los Angeles.
CINCINNATI: Still another long-time newspaper writer will be picking up a microphone starting this week. Hal McCoy, who was forced into retirement at the end of the Reds 2009 season, has been hired by Fox Sports Ohio for its Reds game coverage. As a result, McCoy will get to cover the team for his 38th season. In addition to appearing on "Reds Live" pre and post-game shows, he will also contribute to the Fox Sports Ohio web site with stories and interviews.
CLEVELAND: SportsTime Ohio, the local cable TV network, has increased its spring training coverage this year. The 6-day a week "All Bets Are Off" talk show hosted by Bruce Drennan is airing all this week from the Indians' training camp in Goodyear AZ. The network will carry the team's exhibition opener this Friday but will be picking up the Reds' feed. Might be a bit tough on the Indians fans to have the other team's announcing, but if it helps to get the telecast on, it works for me.
PITTSBURGH: The Fan 93.7 KDKA-FM scored points with its audience when they got Pirates President Frank Coonelly to call in last week. A prominent local interview always helps. However, considering the number of qualified sportscasters looking for work, the station could also do better than Kalena Bell doing some of their sports updates. Not only don't NHL players "make" goals, but misprouncing the name Kent Tekulve in Pittsburgh doesn't help to endear the station to serious sports fans.
The Fan did add New York Vinnie (Vinnie Richichi) last week to co-host afternoon drive with columnist Ron Cook. Vinnie comes to Pittsburgh after several years in Seattle including a stint at KIRO.
HOUSTON: Astros fans with cable (or satellite which carries Fox Sports Houston) will feast this season. Fox Sports Houston will carry 152 games this season with KTXH-TV airing only 7 games. If Fox-TV stays with 3 Astros regional Saturday telecasts, fans could see literally every game on TV this season.
HAWAII: KUPA 1370 is back on the air, and is now a Fox Sports Radio affiliate. To their credit, much of the programming will air live, putting Jim Rome on during morning drive. Here is one instance where delaying Dan Patrick's show is justified. Rather than air live from 3 to 6 AM local time, it will air from 9 AM until Noon on weekdays. At least the games being previewed won't already have finished, such as happens in Chicago and some other markets airing Patrick on tape delay. However, as of now the station has yet to announce any local programming, and starts up against KKEA 1420 ESPN Radio, which does have some local shows.
ALABAMA: ESPN-TV is aware of the interest in University of Alabama football. The spring football game has drawn at least 80,000 fans over the past few years. As a result ESPN will televise the game, for the 2nd straight year, now scheduled for April 17th.
REDDING CA: Just after we carried the story last week that 96.1 FM will carry the San Francisco Giants broadcasts this season comes word that Fox Sports 1670 will carry the Oakland A's games. In addition, 1670 is picking up the NBA Sacramento Kings games starting March 16th when the Kings meet the Lakers, and continuing through the following season. A restriction by Comcast Cable prevents the Kings telecasts from being shown in Redding, thus the significance of the radio package. Then again, the way the Kings are going this season, they might do better to restrict telecasts anyway.
BILLINGS: Congrats to Joe Block for becoming the play-by-play voice of the baseball minor league Billings Mustangs starting this season. Much further south, Block handles the pre-game, halftime, and post-game for the New Orleans Hornets Radio Network, as well as handling play-by-play assignments for Comcast Sports Southeast and Cox Sports Television.
MARSHFIELD PA: WATD Sports Director Bill Wilhelm continues to recover from being in a coma for more than a day last week. He is a local icon who has broadcast more than 2,000 sports events over the past 30+ years. In a wonderful gesture, WATD has devoted a page on its web site for well wishers, and more than 100 comments were up within the first 12 hours.
This deal reportedly includes WINZ airing a year-round Dolphins and NFL show weekdays from 5 to 7 PM.
What also makes this deal interesting is that the Dolphins are doing this without a rights fee, instead keeping the majority of the advertising revenue. I see some risks for the stations and the team from this new deal, but the local Dolphins fans will certainly come out the big winners on this.
Dolphins fans will continue to get extended pre and post-game programming (including choices), likely continuing to total 8 to 9 hours total on game days and nights. The year-round weekday show devoted to the Dolphins and NFL should be welcomed by the hardcore fans. It is also likely that the other Clearance Channel stations in the market will be active in Dolphins related promotions, adding more exposure for the fans via various radio formats.
The Dolphins front office takes a risk by taking the advertising revenue instead of probably $2 to $3 million per season for selling the broadcast rights. Why would the team do this?
Because they see it as a golden opportunity to package the radio time along with other team offerings the team has. Advertisers can get radio time "added" to buying stadium signage, game program space, game day suites, space on the Dolphins' web site, and on it goes. Or, they can get one or more of those perks when they purchase radio time. This COULD result in more revenue for the team compared with outright selling of the radio rights, but it is no guarantee. Again, the fans "win" because the team needs to be competitive to attract enough advertiser and sponsor response.
However, this aspect is where I see Clearance Channel taking a bigger risk than they realize. Their flagship stations will now, in effect, be selling time on their Dolphins and other sports related programming, offering time on the stations, and perhaps any other perks that Clearance Channel offers. The big spending advertisers seeking to reach the 25-52 male audience are much more likely to go with a package offered by the Dolphins for more than "just" the radio deal. They have reason to take advantage of reaching the target audience via radio spots, at the stadium, on the web site, and so on.
This will probably limit the radio stations (WINZ and WBGG) to attracting "lesser" advertisers (in terms of spending) to their own Dolphins and sports related programming. From a sales standpoint, that means more risk and more effort for the same or less revenue. It also continues to allow radio to be a lesser option for sponsors seeking to reach the pro sports audience.
I'm sure that a big reason for Clearance Channel to make this move is to get the game broadcasts away from rival WQAM. CC is hoping that this move will hurt WQAM's ratings, and ultimately their revenue.
Look again. WQAM has already announced that it will continue to provide its own pre and post-game programming for the Dolphins, including Dan Marino and Channing Crowder, along with other Dolphins related coverage and programming other than during Dolphins games.
Television ratings for the NFL were up in virtually every market this past season. It's not like the majority of fans are opting for radio coverage instead of watching the game on a big screen. Many of these fans have become used to tuning to WQAM before and after the games over the past 3 seasons.
Yet, now WQAM can provide their same programming, but without spending millions of dollars to the Dolphins for the broadcast rights, and retaining all of the ad revenue they sell. On those same game days, Clearance Channel's two stations are limited in revenue because of the chunk that will now go to the Dolphins. As a result, WQAM could "win" when it comes to billing.
Providing adjacent programming is not at all unprecedented. In Chicago, WGN Radio has not broadcast the Bears games for about five years now. Yet, the station kept going with up to 3 hours of pre and post-game call-ins and interviews on most Bears game days.
They have WBBM 780, which is the Bears' flagship station and is also the CBS Radio all-news outlet for Chicago, hyping the Bears to death all year round. To the point of having Jeff Joniak, the Bears' play-by-play voice on "reporting" on their sportscasts last week from the just concluded NFL Combine as the lead story. I'm serious. The Bears don't even have picks in the first 2 rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, yet WBBM was leading sportscasts with reports about the coaches being at a scouting combine of college players.
In Miami, it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins are as competitive in the next 3 NFL seasons as the revenue battle between WQAM and Clearance Channel over the Dolphins contract.
Personally, I think radio stations are risking it with certain advertisers by doing these revenue share deals. Teams and stadiums are coming up with better options for the same advertisers.
NEW YORK: I realize that all-sports radio stations sometimes feel the need to stray away from sports for a few minutes here and there. But I was very disappointed in Mike Francesa's show last week on WFAN (and shown on YES TV) when he had Steve Phillips in studio for a full hour.
Phillips, you may recall, was let go by ESPN last year in a reported sex scandal. But here was the former GM of the local Mets in studio right as spring training camps are opening. I enjoyed Phillips' analysis over the years on ESPN and was interested to hear his thoughts looking ahead to the season.
Instead, the majority of the discussion with Francesa was about his sex addiction treatment and his personal life. Even to the point of taking several phone calls about his treatment. If this was not a sports show, I might have found the conversation interesting. But this is WFAN becoming WOR for an hour. That was the place to talk about the Mets and look ahead to the start of the baseball season. I'm still waiting.
SAN FRANCISCO: KNBR 680 is getting ready for baseball. As of this week they have moved F. P. Santangelo to the 7 to 10 PM slot or following Giants broadcasts. As a result, Damon Bruce has moved to Noon to 4 PM on sister station 1050 AM.
PHILADELPHIA: 76ers radio play-by-play voice Tom McGinnis missed a pair of game broadcasts last week due to "a personal matter". Jon Gurevitch, the former Sixers announcer now with Comcast, filled in for the broadcasts from Phoenix and Los Angeles.
CINCINNATI: Still another long-time newspaper writer will be picking up a microphone starting this week. Hal McCoy, who was forced into retirement at the end of the Reds 2009 season, has been hired by Fox Sports Ohio for its Reds game coverage. As a result, McCoy will get to cover the team for his 38th season. In addition to appearing on "Reds Live" pre and post-game shows, he will also contribute to the Fox Sports Ohio web site with stories and interviews.
CLEVELAND: SportsTime Ohio, the local cable TV network, has increased its spring training coverage this year. The 6-day a week "All Bets Are Off" talk show hosted by Bruce Drennan is airing all this week from the Indians' training camp in Goodyear AZ. The network will carry the team's exhibition opener this Friday but will be picking up the Reds' feed. Might be a bit tough on the Indians fans to have the other team's announcing, but if it helps to get the telecast on, it works for me.
PITTSBURGH: The Fan 93.7 KDKA-FM scored points with its audience when they got Pirates President Frank Coonelly to call in last week. A prominent local interview always helps. However, considering the number of qualified sportscasters looking for work, the station could also do better than Kalena Bell doing some of their sports updates. Not only don't NHL players "make" goals, but misprouncing the name Kent Tekulve in Pittsburgh doesn't help to endear the station to serious sports fans.
The Fan did add New York Vinnie (Vinnie Richichi) last week to co-host afternoon drive with columnist Ron Cook. Vinnie comes to Pittsburgh after several years in Seattle including a stint at KIRO.
HOUSTON: Astros fans with cable (or satellite which carries Fox Sports Houston) will feast this season. Fox Sports Houston will carry 152 games this season with KTXH-TV airing only 7 games. If Fox-TV stays with 3 Astros regional Saturday telecasts, fans could see literally every game on TV this season.
HAWAII: KUPA 1370 is back on the air, and is now a Fox Sports Radio affiliate. To their credit, much of the programming will air live, putting Jim Rome on during morning drive. Here is one instance where delaying Dan Patrick's show is justified. Rather than air live from 3 to 6 AM local time, it will air from 9 AM until Noon on weekdays. At least the games being previewed won't already have finished, such as happens in Chicago and some other markets airing Patrick on tape delay. However, as of now the station has yet to announce any local programming, and starts up against KKEA 1420 ESPN Radio, which does have some local shows.
ALABAMA: ESPN-TV is aware of the interest in University of Alabama football. The spring football game has drawn at least 80,000 fans over the past few years. As a result ESPN will televise the game, for the 2nd straight year, now scheduled for April 17th.
REDDING CA: Just after we carried the story last week that 96.1 FM will carry the San Francisco Giants broadcasts this season comes word that Fox Sports 1670 will carry the Oakland A's games. In addition, 1670 is picking up the NBA Sacramento Kings games starting March 16th when the Kings meet the Lakers, and continuing through the following season. A restriction by Comcast Cable prevents the Kings telecasts from being shown in Redding, thus the significance of the radio package. Then again, the way the Kings are going this season, they might do better to restrict telecasts anyway.
BILLINGS: Congrats to Joe Block for becoming the play-by-play voice of the baseball minor league Billings Mustangs starting this season. Much further south, Block handles the pre-game, halftime, and post-game for the New Orleans Hornets Radio Network, as well as handling play-by-play assignments for Comcast Sports Southeast and Cox Sports Television.
MARSHFIELD PA: WATD Sports Director Bill Wilhelm continues to recover from being in a coma for more than a day last week. He is a local icon who has broadcast more than 2,000 sports events over the past 30+ years. In a wonderful gesture, WATD has devoted a page on its web site for well wishers, and more than 100 comments were up within the first 12 hours.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sports Media Report - Feb. 24th update.....
Radio continues to be the electronic media which delivers the most "sports news" of any. Many TV stations around the country have reduced their local sports presence, some to the point of no longer having a designated sportscast even on their late night newscasts. While there are a ton of sports related web sites, the majority of web sites are not sports related.
Obviously, sports radio stations are dominated with sports content. But with radio, news stations generally have scheduled sportscasts and most have at least one reporter dedicated to sports news and information.
Music and general talk stations will usually give local sports headlines at some point during their broadcast day. While it is true that a portion of the audience of a music or general talk station may not be sports fans, my long time contention is that their handling of sports information is an important credibility test for such a station.
When I was teaching a college course in Sports Broadcasting a few years ago, I would purposely challenge certain students who I could tell were not as well versed about sports as they wanted to appear.
Nothing like giving a student a story to read about then active NHL goalie Patrick Roy. During his playing career, anyone who followed the NHL to any degree knew that his name was not pronounced like Roy Rogers. First, I would remind the students that if they are not certain about a player's name to either ask someone who would know, re-write the story to not include the name, or skip airing the story all together. Then I would include a story about that goalie in the mix.
It never failed that I would catch at least one student who figured a 3 letter name would have an obvious pronounciation and didn't check it. It was a great lesson for them.
Yet, too often I still hear newscasters making what are obvious errors to a sports fan, even if much of the listening audience doesn't catch on. Just the other day, I heard another local newscaster in Chicago mispronounce a local player's name and she went on as if nothing was wrong.
I'm here to tell you that I will no longer turn to that station for information. I don't always know if she is correctly giving the names of people in the news either. Sports may not be a priority with most stations, but accuracy should be.
In this era where the sports media often reports what other media is reporting instead of confirming or denying a story using their own resources, it is discouraging to hear major market stations risking their future credibility because a reporter doesn't verify a simple fact or pronounciation.
Especially when so many experienced sports reporters and play-by-play voices are out of work.
Meanwhile, the so-called story about the suspensions of Tony Kornheiser from his WTEM Washington D.C. and ESPN PTI co-hosting gigs seem oddly proportioned from where I sit. So he didn't like an outfit that Hannah Storm was wearing. Hardly worth all of the air time and ink this story has received. Yet, as part of his job over the years, he has questioned the performance abilities of numerous players, coaches, and managers, just as the majority of sportscasters and sportswriters do. In those instances, he is taking someone's job performance to task. No one questions that. Can you please tell me how questioning someone's personal appearance is a more serious offense than questioning someone's ability to do the job they are paid to do?
Speaking of questioning a job, there have yet to be any consequences (as of press time) for Kevin Keitzman, afternoon host at Kansas City's WHB Sports Radio 810. He is among those opposed to the work of Brent Musburger and Bobby Knight on ESPN's primary Big 12 basketball telecasts this season. To the point of starting the www.ByeByeBrentAndBob.com web site with a petition to get the broadcast team off of the Conference's games.
The web page includes some of the "memorable" quotes from the pair taken from game telecasts this season. The last I heard, nearly 8,000 people had visited and "signed" the petition.
Normally, I would comment about how poorly Knight treated the media during his coaching years and how this sounds sleazy enough to be something Knight would have done during that time.
Instead, I will raise the question as to how a broadcast professional is clearly attempting to take away work from other broadcasters and is still on the air, while Tony Kornheiser is suspended from both radio and TV shows because of comments about someone's appearance.
On a happier note, spring is in and on the air, as pre-season baseball gets underway next week, meaning that baseball season is not far.
Kudos to KCSP 610 Kansas City for getting Royals fans in the spirit as early as this week. "Afternoon Saloon" host Chris Hamblin is broadcasting live back to K.C. from the Royals' camp in Surprise AZ. Next week, 9 to 11 AM host Nick Wright will be live from Surprise, with morning host Bob Fescoe on the air from AZ during the March 8 to 12 week. The station also has begun expanded coverage for these 5 weeks from 10 AM to Noon each Saturday.
Texas Rangers fans will have even more to keep track of during spring training than the new faces on the roster. Although 14 of the Rangers exhibition games will be broadcast on radio, it seems that 5 weekday games will air on The Fan 105.3, but the 9 weekend broadcasts will air on KRLD 1080. Eric Nadel and Dave Barnett return for another season of the play-by-play, for those with the patience to find them.
In Chicago, WSCR The Score 670 is once again making several of their White Sox exhibition broadcasts what they call "interactive". Sorry, but I call them a waste of time. I can't believe they are bringing this back for a 3rd year. They present the first 3 or 4 innings of the game as usual, and then let broadcasters Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson field phone calls from listeners while the rest of the game is going on, giving only occasional updates about what is happening on the field in front of them.
They'll never convince me that hearing "Steve from the south side talking about who should bat cleanup" is more informative than how a rookie pitcher trying to make the team is throwing at the same time. It's not like they don't have other times of the day to talk about the White Sox.
If they instead had players, coaches, and team officials come on for extended interviews I could understand this move. But either broadcast the game action, or don't bother at all.
Once the regular season begins in April, the Bay Area will finally have its fair share of TV games. After years of being the one part of the country with the least TV coverage in the big leagues, the progress has been amazing over the past 5 years. Even if you need to have cable or satellite TV which carries the right network.
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will show 136 Giants games this season, along with ex-players Rich Aurilia and F.P. Santangelo handling the surrounding programming. Comcast SportsNet California will air 145 A's games, and has added former standout player Carney Lansford to its surrounding crew. The pre-game crew is planning to be live at the Coliseum for "Tailgate Tuesdays" leading in to the home games. It wasn't that long ago when you couldn't see even 100 games total between the 2 teams over the course of a season, including cable coverage.
Our comments last week about how good it is to have college baseball getting more broadcast time have brought in more activity.
Texas A & M now has some of its weekend games airing on The Zone 1150, and now provides free audio for every A & M game not broadcast via AggieAthletics.com. A solid marketing idea, as that could keep fans and supporters on the school's web site for hours.
The LSU Sports Radio Network, including WDGL 98.1 Baton Rouge, is airing selected baseball games this season. They already aired their entire opening 3 game series this past weekend (Feb. 19-21) vs. Centenary.
CINCINNATI / Northern Kentucky: Some progress for fans interested in the Kentucky Ninth Region high school basketball tournament next week (March 1 - 7), especially after last year's ridiculous broadcast restrictions when high school games did not sell enough tickets. Arena officials are still not allowing any telecasts (as of press time), but are permitting radio and online broadcasts. The tournament concludes with the boys and girls championship games doubleheader on Sunday March 7.
NASHVILLE: WGFX 104.5 is aggressive about taking over as the Titans' flagship station from sister station WKDF. 104.5 already plans extensive NFL draft coverage in April, will host the (head coach) Jeff Fisher Show, and might expand the pre and post-game programming.
To make room for its Titans coverage, the station has dropped its Vanderbilt play-by-play. WRQQ 97.1 starts a new 3-year deal for the upcoming football season to include football and basketball broadcasts. Play-by-play voice Joe Fisher will join WRQQ and host a daily Commodore update.
RIVERSIDE: KVFG has become "ESPN High Desert Sports Radio" as of last week (Feb. 16th), including carrying "Game Night" on those evenings when it is not carrying either the Lakers or Angels broadcasts. The station debuted on a Tuesday to coincide with the Lakers vs. Warriors broadcast it carried on its opening night.
REDDING: KKXS 96.1 is bringing San Francisco Giants broadcasts back to the Northern California community for the first time in 3 seasons. In addition, ESPN Radio's package of games will begin airing next week (as of March 1).
PARKSLEY MD: Local and regional sports talk comes to WVES 99.3 one night per week beginning March 3. "All Star Sports with Ken and Steve" moves to the country music station and will begin at 6 PM each Wednesday night.
Obviously, sports radio stations are dominated with sports content. But with radio, news stations generally have scheduled sportscasts and most have at least one reporter dedicated to sports news and information.
Music and general talk stations will usually give local sports headlines at some point during their broadcast day. While it is true that a portion of the audience of a music or general talk station may not be sports fans, my long time contention is that their handling of sports information is an important credibility test for such a station.
When I was teaching a college course in Sports Broadcasting a few years ago, I would purposely challenge certain students who I could tell were not as well versed about sports as they wanted to appear.
Nothing like giving a student a story to read about then active NHL goalie Patrick Roy. During his playing career, anyone who followed the NHL to any degree knew that his name was not pronounced like Roy Rogers. First, I would remind the students that if they are not certain about a player's name to either ask someone who would know, re-write the story to not include the name, or skip airing the story all together. Then I would include a story about that goalie in the mix.
It never failed that I would catch at least one student who figured a 3 letter name would have an obvious pronounciation and didn't check it. It was a great lesson for them.
Yet, too often I still hear newscasters making what are obvious errors to a sports fan, even if much of the listening audience doesn't catch on. Just the other day, I heard another local newscaster in Chicago mispronounce a local player's name and she went on as if nothing was wrong.
I'm here to tell you that I will no longer turn to that station for information. I don't always know if she is correctly giving the names of people in the news either. Sports may not be a priority with most stations, but accuracy should be.
In this era where the sports media often reports what other media is reporting instead of confirming or denying a story using their own resources, it is discouraging to hear major market stations risking their future credibility because a reporter doesn't verify a simple fact or pronounciation.
Especially when so many experienced sports reporters and play-by-play voices are out of work.
Meanwhile, the so-called story about the suspensions of Tony Kornheiser from his WTEM Washington D.C. and ESPN PTI co-hosting gigs seem oddly proportioned from where I sit. So he didn't like an outfit that Hannah Storm was wearing. Hardly worth all of the air time and ink this story has received. Yet, as part of his job over the years, he has questioned the performance abilities of numerous players, coaches, and managers, just as the majority of sportscasters and sportswriters do. In those instances, he is taking someone's job performance to task. No one questions that. Can you please tell me how questioning someone's personal appearance is a more serious offense than questioning someone's ability to do the job they are paid to do?
Speaking of questioning a job, there have yet to be any consequences (as of press time) for Kevin Keitzman, afternoon host at Kansas City's WHB Sports Radio 810. He is among those opposed to the work of Brent Musburger and Bobby Knight on ESPN's primary Big 12 basketball telecasts this season. To the point of starting the www.ByeByeBrentAndBob.com web site with a petition to get the broadcast team off of the Conference's games.
The web page includes some of the "memorable" quotes from the pair taken from game telecasts this season. The last I heard, nearly 8,000 people had visited and "signed" the petition.
Normally, I would comment about how poorly Knight treated the media during his coaching years and how this sounds sleazy enough to be something Knight would have done during that time.
Instead, I will raise the question as to how a broadcast professional is clearly attempting to take away work from other broadcasters and is still on the air, while Tony Kornheiser is suspended from both radio and TV shows because of comments about someone's appearance.
On a happier note, spring is in and on the air, as pre-season baseball gets underway next week, meaning that baseball season is not far.
Kudos to KCSP 610 Kansas City for getting Royals fans in the spirit as early as this week. "Afternoon Saloon" host Chris Hamblin is broadcasting live back to K.C. from the Royals' camp in Surprise AZ. Next week, 9 to 11 AM host Nick Wright will be live from Surprise, with morning host Bob Fescoe on the air from AZ during the March 8 to 12 week. The station also has begun expanded coverage for these 5 weeks from 10 AM to Noon each Saturday.
Texas Rangers fans will have even more to keep track of during spring training than the new faces on the roster. Although 14 of the Rangers exhibition games will be broadcast on radio, it seems that 5 weekday games will air on The Fan 105.3, but the 9 weekend broadcasts will air on KRLD 1080. Eric Nadel and Dave Barnett return for another season of the play-by-play, for those with the patience to find them.
In Chicago, WSCR The Score 670 is once again making several of their White Sox exhibition broadcasts what they call "interactive". Sorry, but I call them a waste of time. I can't believe they are bringing this back for a 3rd year. They present the first 3 or 4 innings of the game as usual, and then let broadcasters Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson field phone calls from listeners while the rest of the game is going on, giving only occasional updates about what is happening on the field in front of them.
They'll never convince me that hearing "Steve from the south side talking about who should bat cleanup" is more informative than how a rookie pitcher trying to make the team is throwing at the same time. It's not like they don't have other times of the day to talk about the White Sox.
If they instead had players, coaches, and team officials come on for extended interviews I could understand this move. But either broadcast the game action, or don't bother at all.
Once the regular season begins in April, the Bay Area will finally have its fair share of TV games. After years of being the one part of the country with the least TV coverage in the big leagues, the progress has been amazing over the past 5 years. Even if you need to have cable or satellite TV which carries the right network.
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will show 136 Giants games this season, along with ex-players Rich Aurilia and F.P. Santangelo handling the surrounding programming. Comcast SportsNet California will air 145 A's games, and has added former standout player Carney Lansford to its surrounding crew. The pre-game crew is planning to be live at the Coliseum for "Tailgate Tuesdays" leading in to the home games. It wasn't that long ago when you couldn't see even 100 games total between the 2 teams over the course of a season, including cable coverage.
Our comments last week about how good it is to have college baseball getting more broadcast time have brought in more activity.
Texas A & M now has some of its weekend games airing on The Zone 1150, and now provides free audio for every A & M game not broadcast via AggieAthletics.com. A solid marketing idea, as that could keep fans and supporters on the school's web site for hours.
The LSU Sports Radio Network, including WDGL 98.1 Baton Rouge, is airing selected baseball games this season. They already aired their entire opening 3 game series this past weekend (Feb. 19-21) vs. Centenary.
CINCINNATI / Northern Kentucky: Some progress for fans interested in the Kentucky Ninth Region high school basketball tournament next week (March 1 - 7), especially after last year's ridiculous broadcast restrictions when high school games did not sell enough tickets. Arena officials are still not allowing any telecasts (as of press time), but are permitting radio and online broadcasts. The tournament concludes with the boys and girls championship games doubleheader on Sunday March 7.
NASHVILLE: WGFX 104.5 is aggressive about taking over as the Titans' flagship station from sister station WKDF. 104.5 already plans extensive NFL draft coverage in April, will host the (head coach) Jeff Fisher Show, and might expand the pre and post-game programming.
To make room for its Titans coverage, the station has dropped its Vanderbilt play-by-play. WRQQ 97.1 starts a new 3-year deal for the upcoming football season to include football and basketball broadcasts. Play-by-play voice Joe Fisher will join WRQQ and host a daily Commodore update.
RIVERSIDE: KVFG has become "ESPN High Desert Sports Radio" as of last week (Feb. 16th), including carrying "Game Night" on those evenings when it is not carrying either the Lakers or Angels broadcasts. The station debuted on a Tuesday to coincide with the Lakers vs. Warriors broadcast it carried on its opening night.
REDDING: KKXS 96.1 is bringing San Francisco Giants broadcasts back to the Northern California community for the first time in 3 seasons. In addition, ESPN Radio's package of games will begin airing next week (as of March 1).
PARKSLEY MD: Local and regional sports talk comes to WVES 99.3 one night per week beginning March 3. "All Star Sports with Ken and Steve" moves to the country music station and will begin at 6 PM each Wednesday night.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sports Media Report - Feb. 16th update
We have all heard the old expression, "Sometimes I don't know my own strength!", but Dallas SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket certainly has the radio version of that expression to deal with first hand.
The station's annual "Ticketstock" free fan festival this weekend proved to be too popular, especially with Barry Sanders as the headliner. It seems that the crowd that turned out hoping to be one of the lucky ones to score an autograph from the NFL legend was too much for police and security to handle. In years past, this event went smooth and was a tremendous promotion for the station and even the local teams, which send players and management each year to participate.
This past weekend, many fans left disappointed as the crowd became large and partially unruly. What was supposed to be another great promotion for Dallas' most established sports station had station officials huddled up by the end of the weekend and turned into a lesson in crisis management.
Here is the official statement issued by The Ticket on their web site:
"The Staff and Management of Sportsradio 1310 the Ticket is aware of many issues regarding the line up, camping out and policing of the Barry Sanders autograph tickets at Ticketstock this past weekend.
We apologize to anyone that feels slighted or that was left out in securing an autograph ticket for any of our guests after investing many hours waiting in line.
We also apologize to all of our listeners and fans who were disappointed in the way the autograph tickets were handed out. Tickets for all guests are limited, and based on individual agreements with each guest. There is no "standard" number.
Ticketstock is a free event that we have produced for the past 16 years. Over that time, we have been fortunate to have many big name celebrity athletes come out to meet P1s, sign autographs and go on the air— all for free. We charge no admission fee, we don’t charge for autographs like many memorabilia shows do. We are also fortunate that these athletes create such huge demand amongst the general public.
That being said, we unfortunately didn’t have the manpower in place to police the line for 24 hours during the event to prevent line jumpers, line place holders and the like. We have used the honor system in all pervious years with a good deal of success. Unfortunately this year, the honor system didn’t work and a few bad apples spoiled the whole bunch.
Ticket Management has already begun discussing and planning ways in which the autograph distribution will be handled next year and for all upcoming Ticketstock events to avoid these issues in the future. Once final decisions have been made about our changes in policy, that information will be prominently publicized well in advance to all of our listeners, to the general public and to all sports memorabilia dealers.
Thank you for your support of Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket, and of Ticketstock."
I give the station a lot of credit for directly addressing the matter with its listeners and fans, and for promising action so that it does not happen again. When I first heard what had happened, I would have bet the ranch that all we would hear about it would be a quiet cancelation announcement of this event from this point on. Frankly, this is a good lesson in crisis management and reaches above being a radio station.
MINNEAPOLIS: While local sports fans wait to see what will happen while the Twins and Vikings both try to overcome challenges to return to the post-season during 2010, the local sports radio competition could now prove just as interesting.
As the Twins prepare to begin play in a real baseball facility (new outdoor stadium) in just a few weeks, the team also begins the 4th and final year of its radio contract with 1500 KSTP. The station is making it obvious that it wants to retain the Twins for years to come. They did so by announcing that KSTP is prying ESPN Radio away from KFAN 1130, which could be effective by the end of April.
KFAN was the Twin Cities' first sports radio station, starting in 1991 and has had more than its share of success. Now it will face its biggest challenge to date. KSTP could even move long established personalities such as Patrick Reusse and Joe Soucheray, although as of press time there has not been anything further. KSTP has been struggling in recent ratings books, so even a parital format change is no surprise.
Yet, it will be interesting to see how the Twins fare this season, especially early, with weather and a real baseball facility now in play for home games. If the team does not get off to a fast start, retaining the radio rights might not be as hot of an item as it was the past few seasons.
CINCINNATI: In addition to Minneapolis, ESPN is also on the move in Cinci. As of this week (Monday Feb. 15), ESPN Radio has moved to 50,000 watt 1530 AM, including Mike & Mike. In addition to the stronger signal, the ESPN brand will be built around a lot of local and regional play-by-play.
In addition to the Cincinnati Bengals broadcasts, the station will also continue to carry University of Kentucky football and basketball, along with selected University of Louisville football and basketball games. When possible, the station plans to carry play-by-play of ESPN Radio games.
Personally, this sounds like a winner. A ton of local play-by-play, a nice selection of national game broadcasts, and a lot of sports related information shows to surround.
But what of WSAI 1360? It will remain sports, becoming Fox Sports 1360 and will now carry Dan Patrick, Jim Rome, etc. on that frequency.
Further up the dial, Andy Furman began his 5 to 7 PM "Real Talk" show last week (Feb. 8) on WQRT 1160. His first guest was none other than Pete Rose, who reportedly contacted Furman personally and offered to be his first guest.
DETROIT: Another honor for Ernie Harwell. The voice of the Tigers for 42 seasons will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting in New York on May 5th. Word is that Al Kaline will attend the presentation. Harwell is only the 3rd receipient of the sports award, with the others being Scully himself and Dick Enberg. Here's hoping Ernie's health allows him to attend.
OREGON: The radio dial has never and still is not exactly filled to the rim with college baseball broadcasts. Yet, Oregon State baseball will be heard on as many as 8 stations on its baseball network starting in just a few days. KEJO 1240 Corvallis will air every game, with weekend games heard on KPAM 860 in the Portland area. Football and basketball voice Mike Parker will call the games.
FARGO: It is the end of an era, as WDAY-AM will no longer carry North Dakota State football and basketball broadcasts after 27 consecutive years and 43 of the past 46 years. The Fan 740 and The Flag 1100 are reportedly among the other stations now bidding for the package.
GENERAL: This past weekend and much of this week are a nightmare for sports radio stations. At least they make it seem that way. The NFL season ended with the Super Bowl and we didn't have the Pro Bowl to kick around the week after. The NBA All-Star Game took away 4 days of league action. Worse yet, the NHL season is on vacation until next month. The "casual" sports fan had no choice but to try the Olympics and/or NASCAR racing practically unopposed for TV viewing.
Yet, sports radio stations rarely if ever focus on either, at least in the larger markets. I understand that there are still hours and hours to fill, but I contend it doesn't have to be for the purpose of beating a dead horse.
I happened to travel to Philadelphia last week and got a rare chance to tune to Howard Eskin on WIP. I anticipated hearing how a respected and often controversial host would handle "the drought" of very little NBA and NHL action, with baseball still a few days off from training camp. I should have known. All I heard was nearly 2 hours worth of Donovan McNabb and Eagles talk. There was no news. The football season is over.
This is not to pick on Eskin. It was the same thing on other sports stations I sampled, including WSCR Chicago talking about Jay Cutler and the Bears, and WFAN talking about the Giants.
I'm not suggesting I would rather have heard people talking about bobsledding or the speed of the pit crew of their favorite drivers, but I would like to think there is something more exciting to talk about on sports stations when there is a lull.
Meanwhile, it's still mid-February, but ESPN is already starting to unveil its college football schedule for the fall. It kicks off on Labor Day with a pair of college games being played in nearby NFL stadiums. Maryland vs. Navy will meet in Baltimore with Boise State taking on Virginia Tech from D.C.
Here is what has been announced so far, with tons more to come:
Sat, Sep 4 TBD LSU vs. North Carolina (from Atlanta) ESPN
Mon, Sep 6 4 p.m. Navy vs. Maryland (from Baltimore) ESPN
8 p.m. Boise State vs. Virginia Tech (from Landover, Md.) ESPN
Thu, Sep 16 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati at North Carolina State ESPN
Thu, Sep 23 7:30 p.m. Miami at Pittsburgh ESPN
Thu, Oct 28 7:30 p.m. Florida State at North Carolina State ESPN
Thu, Nov 4 7:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech ESPN
The station's annual "Ticketstock" free fan festival this weekend proved to be too popular, especially with Barry Sanders as the headliner. It seems that the crowd that turned out hoping to be one of the lucky ones to score an autograph from the NFL legend was too much for police and security to handle. In years past, this event went smooth and was a tremendous promotion for the station and even the local teams, which send players and management each year to participate.
This past weekend, many fans left disappointed as the crowd became large and partially unruly. What was supposed to be another great promotion for Dallas' most established sports station had station officials huddled up by the end of the weekend and turned into a lesson in crisis management.
Here is the official statement issued by The Ticket on their web site:
"The Staff and Management of Sportsradio 1310 the Ticket is aware of many issues regarding the line up, camping out and policing of the Barry Sanders autograph tickets at Ticketstock this past weekend.
We apologize to anyone that feels slighted or that was left out in securing an autograph ticket for any of our guests after investing many hours waiting in line.
We also apologize to all of our listeners and fans who were disappointed in the way the autograph tickets were handed out. Tickets for all guests are limited, and based on individual agreements with each guest. There is no "standard" number.
Ticketstock is a free event that we have produced for the past 16 years. Over that time, we have been fortunate to have many big name celebrity athletes come out to meet P1s, sign autographs and go on the air— all for free. We charge no admission fee, we don’t charge for autographs like many memorabilia shows do. We are also fortunate that these athletes create such huge demand amongst the general public.
That being said, we unfortunately didn’t have the manpower in place to police the line for 24 hours during the event to prevent line jumpers, line place holders and the like. We have used the honor system in all pervious years with a good deal of success. Unfortunately this year, the honor system didn’t work and a few bad apples spoiled the whole bunch.
Ticket Management has already begun discussing and planning ways in which the autograph distribution will be handled next year and for all upcoming Ticketstock events to avoid these issues in the future. Once final decisions have been made about our changes in policy, that information will be prominently publicized well in advance to all of our listeners, to the general public and to all sports memorabilia dealers.
Thank you for your support of Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket, and of Ticketstock."
I give the station a lot of credit for directly addressing the matter with its listeners and fans, and for promising action so that it does not happen again. When I first heard what had happened, I would have bet the ranch that all we would hear about it would be a quiet cancelation announcement of this event from this point on. Frankly, this is a good lesson in crisis management and reaches above being a radio station.
MINNEAPOLIS: While local sports fans wait to see what will happen while the Twins and Vikings both try to overcome challenges to return to the post-season during 2010, the local sports radio competition could now prove just as interesting.
As the Twins prepare to begin play in a real baseball facility (new outdoor stadium) in just a few weeks, the team also begins the 4th and final year of its radio contract with 1500 KSTP. The station is making it obvious that it wants to retain the Twins for years to come. They did so by announcing that KSTP is prying ESPN Radio away from KFAN 1130, which could be effective by the end of April.
KFAN was the Twin Cities' first sports radio station, starting in 1991 and has had more than its share of success. Now it will face its biggest challenge to date. KSTP could even move long established personalities such as Patrick Reusse and Joe Soucheray, although as of press time there has not been anything further. KSTP has been struggling in recent ratings books, so even a parital format change is no surprise.
Yet, it will be interesting to see how the Twins fare this season, especially early, with weather and a real baseball facility now in play for home games. If the team does not get off to a fast start, retaining the radio rights might not be as hot of an item as it was the past few seasons.
CINCINNATI: In addition to Minneapolis, ESPN is also on the move in Cinci. As of this week (Monday Feb. 15), ESPN Radio has moved to 50,000 watt 1530 AM, including Mike & Mike. In addition to the stronger signal, the ESPN brand will be built around a lot of local and regional play-by-play.
In addition to the Cincinnati Bengals broadcasts, the station will also continue to carry University of Kentucky football and basketball, along with selected University of Louisville football and basketball games. When possible, the station plans to carry play-by-play of ESPN Radio games.
Personally, this sounds like a winner. A ton of local play-by-play, a nice selection of national game broadcasts, and a lot of sports related information shows to surround.
But what of WSAI 1360? It will remain sports, becoming Fox Sports 1360 and will now carry Dan Patrick, Jim Rome, etc. on that frequency.
Further up the dial, Andy Furman began his 5 to 7 PM "Real Talk" show last week (Feb. 8) on WQRT 1160. His first guest was none other than Pete Rose, who reportedly contacted Furman personally and offered to be his first guest.
DETROIT: Another honor for Ernie Harwell. The voice of the Tigers for 42 seasons will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting in New York on May 5th. Word is that Al Kaline will attend the presentation. Harwell is only the 3rd receipient of the sports award, with the others being Scully himself and Dick Enberg. Here's hoping Ernie's health allows him to attend.
OREGON: The radio dial has never and still is not exactly filled to the rim with college baseball broadcasts. Yet, Oregon State baseball will be heard on as many as 8 stations on its baseball network starting in just a few days. KEJO 1240 Corvallis will air every game, with weekend games heard on KPAM 860 in the Portland area. Football and basketball voice Mike Parker will call the games.
FARGO: It is the end of an era, as WDAY-AM will no longer carry North Dakota State football and basketball broadcasts after 27 consecutive years and 43 of the past 46 years. The Fan 740 and The Flag 1100 are reportedly among the other stations now bidding for the package.
GENERAL: This past weekend and much of this week are a nightmare for sports radio stations. At least they make it seem that way. The NFL season ended with the Super Bowl and we didn't have the Pro Bowl to kick around the week after. The NBA All-Star Game took away 4 days of league action. Worse yet, the NHL season is on vacation until next month. The "casual" sports fan had no choice but to try the Olympics and/or NASCAR racing practically unopposed for TV viewing.
Yet, sports radio stations rarely if ever focus on either, at least in the larger markets. I understand that there are still hours and hours to fill, but I contend it doesn't have to be for the purpose of beating a dead horse.
I happened to travel to Philadelphia last week and got a rare chance to tune to Howard Eskin on WIP. I anticipated hearing how a respected and often controversial host would handle "the drought" of very little NBA and NHL action, with baseball still a few days off from training camp. I should have known. All I heard was nearly 2 hours worth of Donovan McNabb and Eagles talk. There was no news. The football season is over.
This is not to pick on Eskin. It was the same thing on other sports stations I sampled, including WSCR Chicago talking about Jay Cutler and the Bears, and WFAN talking about the Giants.
I'm not suggesting I would rather have heard people talking about bobsledding or the speed of the pit crew of their favorite drivers, but I would like to think there is something more exciting to talk about on sports stations when there is a lull.
Meanwhile, it's still mid-February, but ESPN is already starting to unveil its college football schedule for the fall. It kicks off on Labor Day with a pair of college games being played in nearby NFL stadiums. Maryland vs. Navy will meet in Baltimore with Boise State taking on Virginia Tech from D.C.
Here is what has been announced so far, with tons more to come:
Sat, Sep 4 TBD LSU vs. North Carolina (from Atlanta) ESPN
Mon, Sep 6 4 p.m. Navy vs. Maryland (from Baltimore) ESPN
8 p.m. Boise State vs. Virginia Tech (from Landover, Md.) ESPN
Thu, Sep 16 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati at North Carolina State ESPN
Thu, Sep 23 7:30 p.m. Miami at Pittsburgh ESPN
Thu, Oct 28 7:30 p.m. Florida State at North Carolina State ESPN
Thu, Nov 4 7:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech ESPN
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sports Media Report - Feb. 4th update
Obviously, it's not possible to ignore the Super Bowl in a Sports Media Update. Yet, I'm close to doing so. Unless you are a fan of one of the teams actually participating, the hour after hour of trying to make a story out of a routine practice becomes too much.
Yet, I will say that I am disappointed at one aspect that seems to be overlooked. Personally, the anticipation comes from this being what I call a "legitimate" Super Bowl matchup. The "wild card" teams are gone, and I love the fact that it is a pair of actual first place teams doing battle. Better yet, it is the teams with the 2 best records in their respective conferences. I don't recall if or when that has happened before. And that's my point.
I always thought the emphasis on sports - at any level - is about winning and working toward the ultimate success. It makes me very pleased to see the two teams that did the best for the regular season have this opportunity. Whichever team wins will have truly earned it. They didn't get there because of a stunning upset, a late season "comeback", or because of a fluke play or key injury from a favored opponent. This really is a "Super" Bowl, whether the game is close or not. This regular season actually meant something.
Meanwhile, this is the root of my disappointment with the NCAA and the very likely upcoming expansion of the basketball tourney to (gulp) 96 teams. I'm 100% sure it will happen because it means millions more in TV money and exposure for the NCAA and its teams.
But it also means further destroying college basketball. Why even have a regular season? Getting into the NCAA Tournament will become even less "special" when .500 teams in most conferences will get in. And without a formula other than opinions based on schedules and point spreads. But for one more day filled with games and thousands of additional hours of media coverage generating millions of dollars, regular season be damned. They'll make it March Sadness, and the media will eat it up.
Meanwhile, I think I found my ultimate example of my recently expressed concerns about how much the media "reports" news from competing sources instead of either confirming or breaking their own stories.
Last week, former NBA player Paul Shirley was dismissed from ESPN due to some sorry comments about not wanting to donate to the Haiti relief efforts. Whether a blogger (the comments were reportedly on his blog for ESPN) should be dismissed for expressing an opinion, no matter how unpopular, when no facts were in error, is for another day.
How did I find out this "news"? I first saw it on the "Chicago Breaking News" web site, which is a combination from the Chicago Tribune and WGN Radio and WGN-TV. A major newspaper, highly rated AM station, and a nationally known TV station, each with independent sports departments.
I don't understand why a media combo with its own sports departments would even publish a story about personnel at a competitor. As a sports fan, I have a choice of going to ESPN or (for example) WGN-TV's web site for breaking sports news. So if WGN tells me this, and I want more information, why wouldn't I click away and go right to ESPN?
Believe it or not, it doesn't stop there. You see, the "Chicago Breaking News" story on behalf of WGN and the Tribune did credit the source of the story in the first sentence. It read "CBSNews.com reports: Former Bulls forward Paul Shirley........".
Let's get this straight. The Tribune, WGN Radio, and WGN-TV, each with sports departments, allowed a story taken from CBSNews.com to appear on their web site as "Breaking News". While the story was about a dismissal at another prime source of breaking news. In Chicago, CBS Radio's WBBM News Radio has overtaken WGN Radio in the ratings within the past couple of years. CBS Radio's WSCR Sports Radio is in a battle with ESPN's WMVP 1000, while WGN Radio airs "Sports Central" on weeknights it doesn't carry a Blackhawks hockey or Cubs baseball broadcast. Yet, "Chicago Breaking News" was giving direct promotion of its 2 biggest competitors.
Now I fit in with the times. I just reported which other media WGN reported on.
Sorry, but I come from the old school where you would be severely scolded if you so much as mentioned a competitor on the air without a darn good reason.
Speaking of ESPN, ESPN Radio and Yahoo have unveiled a new stream player allowing fans to listen to ESPN Radio stations from (presently) 19 markets including its Chicago outlet WMVP 1000. From a fan's point of view, this is a really fun idea. After a big trade or signing, or a big sports story from a particular city, it can be fun to hear the local fans take.
From a radio standpoint, with the new reliance on PPM's to measure the "radio" audience, fans streaming out of town ESPN broadcasts online won't show up as "radio" listeners in the same way. This could be sports radio's equivalent of the music stations that sell the songs they play for download, giving listeners one more reason NOT to listen. While they scratch their heads wondering where the audience went to.
Congrats to Jon Miller on winning the Ford C. Frick Award and his upcoming induction into the Broadcast wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is very well deserved. As he gets ready for his 21st consecutive season calling the Sunday Night Baseball games for ESPN, you stop to realize that Miller might have the longest continuous run of calling national telecasts on the same network in modern MLB history. Yet, I also wonder if Jon will deliver his Hall of Fame speech imitating Vin Scully.
It was nice to see so many rememberances of Tom Brookshier, who passed away last week at the age of 78. His performance as both a player and broadcaster will not be forgotten. In another sense, he had an indirect impact on TV football telecasts. After he was let go by CBS following an off-color comment on the air in 1983, it set the stage of John Madden to join Pat Summerall and take even the boring Summerall with him to the top of the TV broadcast teams.
CHICAGO: How much will fans want to hear from an interim head coach? WSCR 670 The Score is looking for an answer to that question. DePaul University, again a distant last in Big East basketball this season, recently named Tracy Webster as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of this season. Yet, WSCR will have Webster in its studios each Monday night for the next few weeks (through the season) to talk DePaul basketball with host Laurence Holmes.
As much as I think coaches shows should be more prominent on sports radio, I'm not so sure that this show will set the ratings world on fire.
PITTSBURGH: WBGG Fox Sports 970 has gone local in the morning as of this week, naming Greg Linelli to host from 6 - 9 AM Monday through Friday.
Down the dial, ESPN 1250 has again dismissed Eddy Crow as one of the co-hosts of "The Drive". As of now, Scott Paulsen and Mike Logan remain on the show.
Both stations are preparing to battle against the new KDKA-FM "The Fan", which promises at least twice the number of local sports programming hours on weekdays than 1250 ESPN now offers.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs might be an influence as to how quickly the Pittsburgh market will support 3 sports stations. If the Penguins make another deep run into the Playoffs, it would probably make a difference for at least the month of May. If not, the Pirates are not likely to hold enough interest until fall when college football, the Steelers, and then the Penguins return and bring plenty to talk about locally.
HOUSTON: KFNC 97.5 has ended Calvin Murphy's afternoon show, but Murphy remains with the station for what is termed "special assignments". Fred Faour and Matt Dean now host from 1 to 4 PM while Carl Dukes will host solo from 4 until 5. No changes in the morning, where KFNC remains in 3rd place from 6 to 10 AM among the 4 Houston area sports stations with KBME 790 showing a nice increase. KILT is the overall sports radio ratings leader through December.
KANSAS CITY: Chiefs football returns to KCFX-FM for the 21st season in the fall. However, WHB 810 has inked a deal for additional and official Chiefs programming starting for next season.
WHB will carry a 2nd hour of post-game programming, the Todd Haley Show, and a show with the starting QB, along with extensive interviews. The station is already planning to broadcast live from the Chiefs' training camp in August.
TULSA: KTBZ 1430 will once again carry the AA (baseball) Tulsa Drillers for the upcoming season, with Dennis Higgins back for his 2nd season as play-by-play voice. However, the station gives priority to Jim Rome's show on weekday afternoons, and will bump conflicting games to KAKC 1300.
WAUSAU WI: Fans who have complained about lack of signal from WXCO 1230 and its ESPN Radio finally got their wish. As of last week (Jan. 25), the sports station moved to 100.5 FM, expanding its coverage by as much as 50 miles. Word is that 1230 will continue to broadcast local high schoo games, but will likely change to a different format for the rest of its broadcast day.
Since I get a lot of requests for telecast schedules, here is the lineup for Fox-TV's MLB Game of the Week for the coming season, with the Fox NASCAR schedule below:
MLB on FOX REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE (Schedule Subject to Change; All times 4:00 PM ET unless noted)
April 10 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers
April 17 New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 24 New York Yankees at Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox
May 1 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
May 8 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
May 15 Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants
May 22 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at New York Mets, Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
May 29 St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
June 5 Florida Marlins at New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Anaheim Angels at Seattle Mariners
June 12 Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
June 19 Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins at Philadelphia Phillies
June 26 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
July 3 Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
July 10 Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
July 17 Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
July 24 New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles
July 31 Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
August 7 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves
August 14 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
August 21 Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
August 28 Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
September 4 New York Mets at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
September 11 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
September 18 Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers
Upcoming NASCAR on FOX 2010 Schedule
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500 Qualifying, 1:00 PM
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Budweiser Shootout, 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 14 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500, 12:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 21 - California Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fontana, 2:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 28 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Las Vegas, 2:00 PM
Sun. March 7 - Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Atlanta, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 21 - Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Bristol, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 28 - Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Martinsville, 12:00 PM
Sat. April 10 - Phoenix Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Phoenix, 7:00 PM
Sun. April 18 - Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fort Worth, 2:00 PM
Sun. April 25 - Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Racing from Talladega, 12:00 PM
Sat. May 1 - Richmond Int’l Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Richmond, 7:00 PM
Sat. May 8 - Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Darlington, 7:00 PM
Sun. May 16 - Dover Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Dover, 12:00 PM
Sun. May 30 - Lowe’s Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Charlotte, 5:00 PM
Yet, I will say that I am disappointed at one aspect that seems to be overlooked. Personally, the anticipation comes from this being what I call a "legitimate" Super Bowl matchup. The "wild card" teams are gone, and I love the fact that it is a pair of actual first place teams doing battle. Better yet, it is the teams with the 2 best records in their respective conferences. I don't recall if or when that has happened before. And that's my point.
I always thought the emphasis on sports - at any level - is about winning and working toward the ultimate success. It makes me very pleased to see the two teams that did the best for the regular season have this opportunity. Whichever team wins will have truly earned it. They didn't get there because of a stunning upset, a late season "comeback", or because of a fluke play or key injury from a favored opponent. This really is a "Super" Bowl, whether the game is close or not. This regular season actually meant something.
Meanwhile, this is the root of my disappointment with the NCAA and the very likely upcoming expansion of the basketball tourney to (gulp) 96 teams. I'm 100% sure it will happen because it means millions more in TV money and exposure for the NCAA and its teams.
But it also means further destroying college basketball. Why even have a regular season? Getting into the NCAA Tournament will become even less "special" when .500 teams in most conferences will get in. And without a formula other than opinions based on schedules and point spreads. But for one more day filled with games and thousands of additional hours of media coverage generating millions of dollars, regular season be damned. They'll make it March Sadness, and the media will eat it up.
Meanwhile, I think I found my ultimate example of my recently expressed concerns about how much the media "reports" news from competing sources instead of either confirming or breaking their own stories.
Last week, former NBA player Paul Shirley was dismissed from ESPN due to some sorry comments about not wanting to donate to the Haiti relief efforts. Whether a blogger (the comments were reportedly on his blog for ESPN) should be dismissed for expressing an opinion, no matter how unpopular, when no facts were in error, is for another day.
How did I find out this "news"? I first saw it on the "Chicago Breaking News" web site, which is a combination from the Chicago Tribune and WGN Radio and WGN-TV. A major newspaper, highly rated AM station, and a nationally known TV station, each with independent sports departments.
I don't understand why a media combo with its own sports departments would even publish a story about personnel at a competitor. As a sports fan, I have a choice of going to ESPN or (for example) WGN-TV's web site for breaking sports news. So if WGN tells me this, and I want more information, why wouldn't I click away and go right to ESPN?
Believe it or not, it doesn't stop there. You see, the "Chicago Breaking News" story on behalf of WGN and the Tribune did credit the source of the story in the first sentence. It read "CBSNews.com reports: Former Bulls forward Paul Shirley........".
Let's get this straight. The Tribune, WGN Radio, and WGN-TV, each with sports departments, allowed a story taken from CBSNews.com to appear on their web site as "Breaking News". While the story was about a dismissal at another prime source of breaking news. In Chicago, CBS Radio's WBBM News Radio has overtaken WGN Radio in the ratings within the past couple of years. CBS Radio's WSCR Sports Radio is in a battle with ESPN's WMVP 1000, while WGN Radio airs "Sports Central" on weeknights it doesn't carry a Blackhawks hockey or Cubs baseball broadcast. Yet, "Chicago Breaking News" was giving direct promotion of its 2 biggest competitors.
Now I fit in with the times. I just reported which other media WGN reported on.
Sorry, but I come from the old school where you would be severely scolded if you so much as mentioned a competitor on the air without a darn good reason.
Speaking of ESPN, ESPN Radio and Yahoo have unveiled a new stream player allowing fans to listen to ESPN Radio stations from (presently) 19 markets including its Chicago outlet WMVP 1000. From a fan's point of view, this is a really fun idea. After a big trade or signing, or a big sports story from a particular city, it can be fun to hear the local fans take.
From a radio standpoint, with the new reliance on PPM's to measure the "radio" audience, fans streaming out of town ESPN broadcasts online won't show up as "radio" listeners in the same way. This could be sports radio's equivalent of the music stations that sell the songs they play for download, giving listeners one more reason NOT to listen. While they scratch their heads wondering where the audience went to.
Congrats to Jon Miller on winning the Ford C. Frick Award and his upcoming induction into the Broadcast wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is very well deserved. As he gets ready for his 21st consecutive season calling the Sunday Night Baseball games for ESPN, you stop to realize that Miller might have the longest continuous run of calling national telecasts on the same network in modern MLB history. Yet, I also wonder if Jon will deliver his Hall of Fame speech imitating Vin Scully.
It was nice to see so many rememberances of Tom Brookshier, who passed away last week at the age of 78. His performance as both a player and broadcaster will not be forgotten. In another sense, he had an indirect impact on TV football telecasts. After he was let go by CBS following an off-color comment on the air in 1983, it set the stage of John Madden to join Pat Summerall and take even the boring Summerall with him to the top of the TV broadcast teams.
CHICAGO: How much will fans want to hear from an interim head coach? WSCR 670 The Score is looking for an answer to that question. DePaul University, again a distant last in Big East basketball this season, recently named Tracy Webster as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of this season. Yet, WSCR will have Webster in its studios each Monday night for the next few weeks (through the season) to talk DePaul basketball with host Laurence Holmes.
As much as I think coaches shows should be more prominent on sports radio, I'm not so sure that this show will set the ratings world on fire.
PITTSBURGH: WBGG Fox Sports 970 has gone local in the morning as of this week, naming Greg Linelli to host from 6 - 9 AM Monday through Friday.
Down the dial, ESPN 1250 has again dismissed Eddy Crow as one of the co-hosts of "The Drive". As of now, Scott Paulsen and Mike Logan remain on the show.
Both stations are preparing to battle against the new KDKA-FM "The Fan", which promises at least twice the number of local sports programming hours on weekdays than 1250 ESPN now offers.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs might be an influence as to how quickly the Pittsburgh market will support 3 sports stations. If the Penguins make another deep run into the Playoffs, it would probably make a difference for at least the month of May. If not, the Pirates are not likely to hold enough interest until fall when college football, the Steelers, and then the Penguins return and bring plenty to talk about locally.
HOUSTON: KFNC 97.5 has ended Calvin Murphy's afternoon show, but Murphy remains with the station for what is termed "special assignments". Fred Faour and Matt Dean now host from 1 to 4 PM while Carl Dukes will host solo from 4 until 5. No changes in the morning, where KFNC remains in 3rd place from 6 to 10 AM among the 4 Houston area sports stations with KBME 790 showing a nice increase. KILT is the overall sports radio ratings leader through December.
KANSAS CITY: Chiefs football returns to KCFX-FM for the 21st season in the fall. However, WHB 810 has inked a deal for additional and official Chiefs programming starting for next season.
WHB will carry a 2nd hour of post-game programming, the Todd Haley Show, and a show with the starting QB, along with extensive interviews. The station is already planning to broadcast live from the Chiefs' training camp in August.
TULSA: KTBZ 1430 will once again carry the AA (baseball) Tulsa Drillers for the upcoming season, with Dennis Higgins back for his 2nd season as play-by-play voice. However, the station gives priority to Jim Rome's show on weekday afternoons, and will bump conflicting games to KAKC 1300.
WAUSAU WI: Fans who have complained about lack of signal from WXCO 1230 and its ESPN Radio finally got their wish. As of last week (Jan. 25), the sports station moved to 100.5 FM, expanding its coverage by as much as 50 miles. Word is that 1230 will continue to broadcast local high schoo games, but will likely change to a different format for the rest of its broadcast day.
Since I get a lot of requests for telecast schedules, here is the lineup for Fox-TV's MLB Game of the Week for the coming season, with the Fox NASCAR schedule below:
MLB on FOX REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE (Schedule Subject to Change; All times 4:00 PM ET unless noted)
April 10 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers
April 17 New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 24 New York Yankees at Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox
May 1 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
May 8 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
May 15 Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants
May 22 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at New York Mets, Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
May 29 St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
June 5 Florida Marlins at New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Anaheim Angels at Seattle Mariners
June 12 Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
June 19 Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins at Philadelphia Phillies
June 26 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
July 3 Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
July 10 Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
July 17 Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
July 24 New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles
July 31 Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
August 7 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves
August 14 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
August 21 Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
August 28 Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
September 4 New York Mets at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
September 11 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
September 18 Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers
Upcoming NASCAR on FOX 2010 Schedule
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500 Qualifying, 1:00 PM
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Budweiser Shootout, 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 14 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500, 12:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 21 - California Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fontana, 2:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 28 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Las Vegas, 2:00 PM
Sun. March 7 - Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Atlanta, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 21 - Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Bristol, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 28 - Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Martinsville, 12:00 PM
Sat. April 10 - Phoenix Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Phoenix, 7:00 PM
Sun. April 18 - Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fort Worth, 2:00 PM
Sun. April 25 - Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Racing from Talladega, 12:00 PM
Sat. May 1 - Richmond Int’l Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Richmond, 7:00 PM
Sat. May 8 - Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Darlington, 7:00 PM
Sun. May 16 - Dover Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Dover, 12:00 PM
Sun. May 30 - Lowe’s Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Charlotte, 5:00 PM
Sports Media Report - Feb. 4th update
Obviously, it's not possible to ignore the Super Bowl in a Sports Media Update. Yet, I'm close to doing so. Unless you are a fan of one of the teams actually participating, the hour after hour of trying to make a story out of a routine practice becomes too much.
Yet, I will say that I am disappointed at one aspect that seems to be overlooked. Personally, the anticipation comes from this being what I call a "legitimate" Super Bowl matchup. The "wild card" teams are gone, and I love the fact that it is a pair of actual first place teams doing battle. Better yet, it is the teams with the 2 best records in their respective conferences. I don't recall if or when that has happened before. And that's my point.
I always thought the emphasis on sports - at any level - is about winning and working toward the ultimate success. It makes me very pleased to see the two teams that did the best for the regular season have this opportunity. Whichever team wins will have truly earned it. They didn't get there because of a stunning upset, a late season "comeback", or because of a fluke play or key injury from a favored opponent. This really is a "Super" Bowl, whether the game is close or not. This regular season actually meant something.
Meanwhile, this is the root of my disappointment with the NCAA and the very likely upcoming expansion of the basketball tourney to (gulp) 96 teams. I'm 100% sure it will happen because it means millions more in TV money and exposure for the NCAA and its teams.
But it also means further destroying college basketball. Why even have a regular season? Getting into the NCAA Tournament will become even less "special" when .500 teams in most conferences will get in. And without a formula other than opinions based on schedules and point spreads. But for one more day filled with games and thousands of additional hours of media coverage generating millions of dollars, regular season be damned. They'll make it March Sadness, and the media will eat it up.
Meanwhile, I think I found my ultimate example of my recently expressed concerns about how much the media "reports" news from competing sources instead of either confirming or breaking their own stories.
Last week, former NBA player Paul Shirley was dismissed from ESPN due to some sorry comments about not wanting to donate to the Haiti relief efforts. Whether a blogger (the comments were reportedly on his blog for ESPN) should be dismissed for expressing an opinion, no matter how unpopular, when no facts were in error, is for another day.
How did I find out this "news"? I first saw it on the "Chicago Breaking News" web site, which is a combination from the Chicago Tribune and WGN Radio and WGN-TV. A major newspaper, highly rated AM station, and a nationally known TV station, each with independent sports departments.
I don't understand why a media combo with its own sports departments would even publish a story about personnel at a competitor. As a sports fan, I have a choice of going to ESPN or (for example) WGN-TV's web site for breaking sports news. So if WGN tells me this, and I want more information, why wouldn't I click away and go right to ESPN?
Believe it or not, it doesn't stop there. You see, the "Chicago Breaking News" story on behalf of WGN and the Tribune did credit the source of the story in the first sentence. It read "CBSNews.com reports: Former Bulls forward Paul Shirley........".
Let's get this straight. The Tribune, WGN Radio, and WGN-TV, each with sports departments, allowed a story taken from CBSNews.com to appear on their web site as "Breaking News". While the story was about a dismissal at another prime source of breaking news. In Chicago, CBS Radio's WBBM News Radio has overtaken WGN Radio in the ratings within the past couple of years. CBS Radio's WSCR Sports Radio is in a battle with ESPN's WMVP 1000, while WGN Radio airs "Sports Central" on weeknights it doesn't carry a Blackhawks hockey or Cubs baseball broadcast. Yet, "Chicago Breaking News" was giving direct promotion of its 2 biggest competitors.
Now I fit in with the times. I just reported which other media WGN reported on.
Sorry, but I come from the old school where you would be severely scolded if you so much as mentioned a competitor on the air without a darn good reason.
Speaking of ESPN, ESPN Radio and Yahoo have unveiled a new stream player allowing fans to listen to ESPN Radio stations from (presently) 19 markets including its Chicago outlet WMVP 1000. From a fan's point of view, this is a really fun idea. After a big trade or signing, or a big sports story from a particular city, it can be fun to hear the local fans take.
From a radio standpoint, with the new reliance on PPM's to measure the "radio" audience, fans streaming out of town ESPN broadcasts online won't show up as "radio" listeners in the same way. This could be sports radio's equivalent of the music stations that sell the songs they play for download, giving listeners one more reason NOT to listen. While they scratch their heads wondering where the audience went to.
Congrats to Jon Miller on winning the Ford C. Frick Award and his upcoming induction into the Broadcast wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is very well deserved. As he gets ready for his 21st consecutive season calling the Sunday Night Baseball games for ESPN, you stop to realize that Miller might have the longest continuous run of calling national telecasts on the same network in modern MLB history. Yet, I also wonder if Jon will deliver his Hall of Fame speech imitating Vin Scully.
It was nice to see so many rememberances of Tom Brookshier, who passed away last week at the age of 78. His performance as both a player and broadcaster will not be forgotten. In another sense, he had an indirect impact on TV football telecasts. After he was let go by CBS following an off-color comment on the air in 1983, it set the stage of John Madden to join Pat Summerall and take even the boring Summerall with him to the top of the TV broadcast teams.
CHICAGO: How much will fans want to hear from an interim head coach? WSCR 670 The Score is looking for an answer to that question. DePaul University, again a distant last in Big East basketball this season, recently named Tracy Webster as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of this season. Yet, WSCR will have Webster in its studios each Monday night for the next few weeks (through the season) to talk DePaul basketball with host Laurence Holmes.
As much as I think coaches shows should be more prominent on sports radio, I'm not so sure that this show will set the ratings world on fire.
PITTSBURGH: WBGG Fox Sports 970 has gone local in the morning as of this week, naming Greg Linelli to host from 6 - 9 AM Monday through Friday.
Down the dial, ESPN 1250 has again dismissed Eddy Crow as one of the co-hosts of "The Drive". As of now, Scott Paulsen and Mike Logan remain on the show.
Both stations are preparing to battle against the new KDKA-FM "The Fan", which promises at least twice the number of local sports programming hours on weekdays than 1250 ESPN now offers.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs might be an influence as to how quickly the Pittsburgh market will support 3 sports stations. If the Penguins make another deep run into the Playoffs, it would probably make a difference for at least the month of May. If not, the Pirates are not likely to hold enough interest until fall when college football, the Steelers, and then the Penguins return and bring plenty to talk about locally.
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
HOU:
Calvin Murphy’s afternoon talk show on KFNC (97.5 FM) has been canceled, but he has been told he will remain with the Cumulus Media station in an unspecified role.
Cumulus employees were told in a memo that Murphy was “leaving … to focus on other things.” Murphy said he does have other interests and activities to pursue but that the decision to end the show rested with Cumulus.
“I have some other things I can do, so I’m not in a cramp,” he said. “I enjoyed it. It’s their decision. I always have something else ready to do. I’m going to be at the station and on special assignments, and I am pleased with that.”
Murphy, who hosted the show with KFNC program director Dave Tepper and Julie Takahashi, joined KFNC in July 2007. KFNC rarely polled above 1 percent of the listening audience for men 25-54 in afternoon drive and was generally in fourth place among the four Houston sports stations.
With Murphy’s departure, Fred Faour and Matt Dean now will host from 1 to 4 p.m. Carl Dukes will host solo from 4 to 5 p.m. and with Tepper and Takahashi from 5 to 7 p.m.
Ratings updates
Arbitron’s Christmas present for KILT (610 AM) was an upswing in what has become a consistent give-and-take pattern in the four-way competition for Houston’s sports radio audience.
KILT regained the lead in morning drive among men 25-54, the key demo for sports radio, over KGOW (1560 AM). KFNC (97.5 FM) remains third in morning drive, and KBME (790 AM) doubled its morning-drive audience share in its first partial book with new morning hosts Matt Jackson and Adam Wexler.
The four stations combined for a 9 percent share of the audience in morning drive for what Arbitron describes as the holiday ratings period, up from 7.8 percent in the December ratings book and, for comparison purposes, only 6 percent in January 2009. (Reality check: Spanish-language KLTN nearly exceeded that total on its own, and KODA’s Christmas music boosted its share to a point greater than the three stations other than KILT combined.)
KILT extended its lead at middays (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), even though all four stations were up from December, and in afternoon drive time, where it was the only one of the four stations that was up from the previous book. The CBS station also had a strong nighttime show, thanks, no doubt, to Rockets games, and its week-long numbers were larger than the other three stations combined.
KANSAS CITY: Chiefs football returns to KCFX-FM for the 21st season in the fall. However, WHB 810 has inked a deal for additional and official Chiefs programming starting for next season.
WHB will carry a 2nd hour of post-game programming, the Todd Haley Show, and a show with the starting QB, along with extensive interviews. The station is already planning to broadcast live from the Chiefs' training camp in August.
TULSA: KTBZ 1430 will once again carry the AA (baseball) Tulsa Drillers for the upcoming season, with Dennis Higgins back for his 2nd season as play-by-play voice. However, the station gives priority to Jim Rome's show on weekday afternoons, and will bump conflicting games to KAKC 1300.
WAUSAU WI: Fans who have complained about lack of signal from WXCO 1230 and its ESPN Radio finally got their wish. As of last week (Jan. 25), the sports station moved to 100.5 FM, expanding its coverage by as much as 50 miles. Word is that 1230 will continue to broadcast local high schoo games, but will likely change to a different format for the rest of its broadcast day.
Since I get a lot of requests for telecast schedules, here is the lineup for Fox-TV's MLB Game of the Week for the coming season, with the Fox NASCAR schedule below:
MLB on FOX REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE (Schedule Subject to Change; All times 4:00 PM ET unless noted)
April 10 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers
April 17 New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 24 New York Yankees at Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox
May 1 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
May 8 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
May 15 Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants
May 22 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at New York Mets, Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
May 29 St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
June 5 Florida Marlins at New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Anaheim Angels at Seattle Mariners
June 12 Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
June 19 Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins at Philadelphia Phillies
June 26 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
July 3 Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
July 10 Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
July 17 Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
July 24 New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles
July 31 Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
August 7 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves
August 14 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
August 21 Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
August 28 Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
September 4 New York Mets at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
September 11 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
September 18 Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers
Upcoming NASCAR on FOX 2010 Schedule
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500 Qualifying, 1:00 PM
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Budweiser Shootout, 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 14 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500, 12:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 21 - California Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fontana, 2:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 28 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Las Vegas, 2:00 PM
Sun. March 7 - Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Atlanta, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 21 - Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Bristol, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 28 - Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Martinsville, 12:00 PM
Sat. April 10 - Phoenix Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Phoenix, 7:00 PM
Sun. April 18 - Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fort Worth, 2:00 PM
Sun. April 25 - Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Racing from Talladega, 12:00 PM
Sat. May 1 - Richmond Int’l Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Richmond, 7:00 PM
Sat. May 8 - Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Darlington, 7:00 PM
Sun. May 16 - Dover Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Dover, 12:00 PM
Sun. May 30 - Lowe’s Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Charlotte, 5:00 PM
Yet, I will say that I am disappointed at one aspect that seems to be overlooked. Personally, the anticipation comes from this being what I call a "legitimate" Super Bowl matchup. The "wild card" teams are gone, and I love the fact that it is a pair of actual first place teams doing battle. Better yet, it is the teams with the 2 best records in their respective conferences. I don't recall if or when that has happened before. And that's my point.
I always thought the emphasis on sports - at any level - is about winning and working toward the ultimate success. It makes me very pleased to see the two teams that did the best for the regular season have this opportunity. Whichever team wins will have truly earned it. They didn't get there because of a stunning upset, a late season "comeback", or because of a fluke play or key injury from a favored opponent. This really is a "Super" Bowl, whether the game is close or not. This regular season actually meant something.
Meanwhile, this is the root of my disappointment with the NCAA and the very likely upcoming expansion of the basketball tourney to (gulp) 96 teams. I'm 100% sure it will happen because it means millions more in TV money and exposure for the NCAA and its teams.
But it also means further destroying college basketball. Why even have a regular season? Getting into the NCAA Tournament will become even less "special" when .500 teams in most conferences will get in. And without a formula other than opinions based on schedules and point spreads. But for one more day filled with games and thousands of additional hours of media coverage generating millions of dollars, regular season be damned. They'll make it March Sadness, and the media will eat it up.
Meanwhile, I think I found my ultimate example of my recently expressed concerns about how much the media "reports" news from competing sources instead of either confirming or breaking their own stories.
Last week, former NBA player Paul Shirley was dismissed from ESPN due to some sorry comments about not wanting to donate to the Haiti relief efforts. Whether a blogger (the comments were reportedly on his blog for ESPN) should be dismissed for expressing an opinion, no matter how unpopular, when no facts were in error, is for another day.
How did I find out this "news"? I first saw it on the "Chicago Breaking News" web site, which is a combination from the Chicago Tribune and WGN Radio and WGN-TV. A major newspaper, highly rated AM station, and a nationally known TV station, each with independent sports departments.
I don't understand why a media combo with its own sports departments would even publish a story about personnel at a competitor. As a sports fan, I have a choice of going to ESPN or (for example) WGN-TV's web site for breaking sports news. So if WGN tells me this, and I want more information, why wouldn't I click away and go right to ESPN?
Believe it or not, it doesn't stop there. You see, the "Chicago Breaking News" story on behalf of WGN and the Tribune did credit the source of the story in the first sentence. It read "CBSNews.com reports: Former Bulls forward Paul Shirley........".
Let's get this straight. The Tribune, WGN Radio, and WGN-TV, each with sports departments, allowed a story taken from CBSNews.com to appear on their web site as "Breaking News". While the story was about a dismissal at another prime source of breaking news. In Chicago, CBS Radio's WBBM News Radio has overtaken WGN Radio in the ratings within the past couple of years. CBS Radio's WSCR Sports Radio is in a battle with ESPN's WMVP 1000, while WGN Radio airs "Sports Central" on weeknights it doesn't carry a Blackhawks hockey or Cubs baseball broadcast. Yet, "Chicago Breaking News" was giving direct promotion of its 2 biggest competitors.
Now I fit in with the times. I just reported which other media WGN reported on.
Sorry, but I come from the old school where you would be severely scolded if you so much as mentioned a competitor on the air without a darn good reason.
Speaking of ESPN, ESPN Radio and Yahoo have unveiled a new stream player allowing fans to listen to ESPN Radio stations from (presently) 19 markets including its Chicago outlet WMVP 1000. From a fan's point of view, this is a really fun idea. After a big trade or signing, or a big sports story from a particular city, it can be fun to hear the local fans take.
From a radio standpoint, with the new reliance on PPM's to measure the "radio" audience, fans streaming out of town ESPN broadcasts online won't show up as "radio" listeners in the same way. This could be sports radio's equivalent of the music stations that sell the songs they play for download, giving listeners one more reason NOT to listen. While they scratch their heads wondering where the audience went to.
Congrats to Jon Miller on winning the Ford C. Frick Award and his upcoming induction into the Broadcast wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is very well deserved. As he gets ready for his 21st consecutive season calling the Sunday Night Baseball games for ESPN, you stop to realize that Miller might have the longest continuous run of calling national telecasts on the same network in modern MLB history. Yet, I also wonder if Jon will deliver his Hall of Fame speech imitating Vin Scully.
It was nice to see so many rememberances of Tom Brookshier, who passed away last week at the age of 78. His performance as both a player and broadcaster will not be forgotten. In another sense, he had an indirect impact on TV football telecasts. After he was let go by CBS following an off-color comment on the air in 1983, it set the stage of John Madden to join Pat Summerall and take even the boring Summerall with him to the top of the TV broadcast teams.
CHICAGO: How much will fans want to hear from an interim head coach? WSCR 670 The Score is looking for an answer to that question. DePaul University, again a distant last in Big East basketball this season, recently named Tracy Webster as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of this season. Yet, WSCR will have Webster in its studios each Monday night for the next few weeks (through the season) to talk DePaul basketball with host Laurence Holmes.
As much as I think coaches shows should be more prominent on sports radio, I'm not so sure that this show will set the ratings world on fire.
PITTSBURGH: WBGG Fox Sports 970 has gone local in the morning as of this week, naming Greg Linelli to host from 6 - 9 AM Monday through Friday.
Down the dial, ESPN 1250 has again dismissed Eddy Crow as one of the co-hosts of "The Drive". As of now, Scott Paulsen and Mike Logan remain on the show.
Both stations are preparing to battle against the new KDKA-FM "The Fan", which promises at least twice the number of local sports programming hours on weekdays than 1250 ESPN now offers.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs might be an influence as to how quickly the Pittsburgh market will support 3 sports stations. If the Penguins make another deep run into the Playoffs, it would probably make a difference for at least the month of May. If not, the Pirates are not likely to hold enough interest until fall when college football, the Steelers, and then the Penguins return and bring plenty to talk about locally.
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
HOU:
Calvin Murphy’s afternoon talk show on KFNC (97.5 FM) has been canceled, but he has been told he will remain with the Cumulus Media station in an unspecified role.
Cumulus employees were told in a memo that Murphy was “leaving … to focus on other things.” Murphy said he does have other interests and activities to pursue but that the decision to end the show rested with Cumulus.
“I have some other things I can do, so I’m not in a cramp,” he said. “I enjoyed it. It’s their decision. I always have something else ready to do. I’m going to be at the station and on special assignments, and I am pleased with that.”
Murphy, who hosted the show with KFNC program director Dave Tepper and Julie Takahashi, joined KFNC in July 2007. KFNC rarely polled above 1 percent of the listening audience for men 25-54 in afternoon drive and was generally in fourth place among the four Houston sports stations.
With Murphy’s departure, Fred Faour and Matt Dean now will host from 1 to 4 p.m. Carl Dukes will host solo from 4 to 5 p.m. and with Tepper and Takahashi from 5 to 7 p.m.
Ratings updates
Arbitron’s Christmas present for KILT (610 AM) was an upswing in what has become a consistent give-and-take pattern in the four-way competition for Houston’s sports radio audience.
KILT regained the lead in morning drive among men 25-54, the key demo for sports radio, over KGOW (1560 AM). KFNC (97.5 FM) remains third in morning drive, and KBME (790 AM) doubled its morning-drive audience share in its first partial book with new morning hosts Matt Jackson and Adam Wexler.
The four stations combined for a 9 percent share of the audience in morning drive for what Arbitron describes as the holiday ratings period, up from 7.8 percent in the December ratings book and, for comparison purposes, only 6 percent in January 2009. (Reality check: Spanish-language KLTN nearly exceeded that total on its own, and KODA’s Christmas music boosted its share to a point greater than the three stations other than KILT combined.)
KILT extended its lead at middays (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), even though all four stations were up from December, and in afternoon drive time, where it was the only one of the four stations that was up from the previous book. The CBS station also had a strong nighttime show, thanks, no doubt, to Rockets games, and its week-long numbers were larger than the other three stations combined.
KANSAS CITY: Chiefs football returns to KCFX-FM for the 21st season in the fall. However, WHB 810 has inked a deal for additional and official Chiefs programming starting for next season.
WHB will carry a 2nd hour of post-game programming, the Todd Haley Show, and a show with the starting QB, along with extensive interviews. The station is already planning to broadcast live from the Chiefs' training camp in August.
TULSA: KTBZ 1430 will once again carry the AA (baseball) Tulsa Drillers for the upcoming season, with Dennis Higgins back for his 2nd season as play-by-play voice. However, the station gives priority to Jim Rome's show on weekday afternoons, and will bump conflicting games to KAKC 1300.
WAUSAU WI: Fans who have complained about lack of signal from WXCO 1230 and its ESPN Radio finally got their wish. As of last week (Jan. 25), the sports station moved to 100.5 FM, expanding its coverage by as much as 50 miles. Word is that 1230 will continue to broadcast local high schoo games, but will likely change to a different format for the rest of its broadcast day.
Since I get a lot of requests for telecast schedules, here is the lineup for Fox-TV's MLB Game of the Week for the coming season, with the Fox NASCAR schedule below:
MLB on FOX REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE (Schedule Subject to Change; All times 4:00 PM ET unless noted)
April 10 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers
April 17 New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 24 New York Yankees at Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox
May 1 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
May 8 (*3:00 PM ET)New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
May 15 Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants
May 22 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at New York Mets, Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
May 29 St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
June 5 Florida Marlins at New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Anaheim Angels at Seattle Mariners
June 12 Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
June 19 Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins at Philadelphia Phillies
June 26 (*7:00 PM ET) New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
July 3 Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
July 10 Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
July 17 Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
July 24 New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles
July 31 Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
August 7 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves
August 14 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
August 21 Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
August 28 Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves
September 4 New York Mets at Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels at Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
September 11 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
September 18 Atlanta Braves at New York Mets, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers
Upcoming NASCAR on FOX 2010 Schedule
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500 Qualifying, 1:00 PM
Sat. Feb. 6 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Budweiser Shootout, 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 14 - Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona 500, 12:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 21 - California Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fontana, 2:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 28 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Las Vegas, 2:00 PM
Sun. March 7 - Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Atlanta, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 21 - Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Bristol, 12:00 PM
Sun. March 28 - Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Martinsville, 12:00 PM
Sat. April 10 - Phoenix Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Phoenix, 7:00 PM
Sun. April 18 - Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Fort Worth, 2:00 PM
Sun. April 25 - Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Racing from Talladega, 12:00 PM
Sat. May 1 - Richmond Int’l Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Richmond, 7:00 PM
Sat. May 8 - Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Racing from Darlington, 7:00 PM
Sun. May 16 - Dover Int’l Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Dover, 12:00 PM
Sun. May 30 - Lowe’s Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing from Charlotte, 5:00 PM
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