Sorry to start off with a sports and media loss, but sorry to learn of the passing of Glen Gondrezick from complications after a September heart transplant at the age of 53. Gondrezick spent 17 years as commentator on UNLV basketball broadcasts following a 6 year NBA career. He had even returned to the microphone this past season after the transplant to join play-by-play voice Jon Sandler. Glen played at UNLV under coach Jery Tarkanian during Tark's first season at UNLV back in 1973-74. He will be missed.
While this past weekend's NFL Draft telecast is not a ratings leader, it does attract a loyal audience over the course of 2 days of coverage. But perhaps the most interesting statistic isn't about the career of a high draft pick. It is the finding that the market that had the highest single market rating for ESPN's coverage during the first five hours on Saturday does not have an NFL team. What it does have is a local university which regularly sends its top players to pro football and obviously adds to its following.
The top local market for the NFL Draft coverage was Columbus OH. The next 4 cities on the list were all NFL cities, as New Orleans, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee round out the top 5 cities.
DALLAS - The long anticipated announcement about Cowboys radio has been made, and it turns out the Cowboys will return to the FM dial, as 105.3 FM The Fan will carry the pre-season, regular season, and any post-season broadcasts starting with the coming season. The Ticket 1310 AM had carried the games for the past 3 seasons but stopped after the originally 5 year rights deal was shortened to 3. The Ticket had won the bidding away from KLUV 98.7 FM which had the previous deal, and remains a sister CBS station to The Fan. This will reportedly be a revenue share, and this time the actual length of the contract has not been disclosed.
We look for long time voices Brad Sham and Babe Laufenberg to continue to anchor the broadcasts, but word is that The Fan will hire the announcers, whereas Sham and Laufenberg have worked for the team itself in recent years. It should be a formality.
The timing is ideal for The Fan, based on the March ratings and how it shows the current state of sports radio in the Metroplex. The key demographic of Men 25-54 showed The Ticket with almost double the daily audience of ESPN 103.3, and more than a 4 ratings point lead over The Fan. Long timer Norm Hitzges continues as a sports talk ratings leader for The Ticket. Got to believe that The Fan is counting down the days until the first Cowboys broadcast.
PHILADELPHIA - After a nearly 4 year rivalry, ESPN 950 and its Mike Massanelli afternoon show has overtaken rival WIP 610 with former partner Howard Eskin in the Men 25-54 demographic for the recently announced March ratings. Actually, Massanelli's increase happened in just one year. Overall WIP continues to whip ESPN 950 but 950 is showing signs of growth over the past couple of months.
MINNEAPOLIS - The minor league baseball St. Paul Saints are considered as being in the biggest market of any minor league team in the country, but now boast major league coverage. Not only are all 96 regular season games broadcast on 1330 AM with Sean Aronson(while some minor league teams do not cover all of the road games), but Saints games will all be televised in some form. The team will have 8 of its Saturday games shown on KSTC-TV 46 (which also shows Timberwolves and Wild games), with Ron Johnson and Dana Kiecker on the call. But the coverage won't stop there. The non-Saturday away games will be seen on the "Saints Cable Network" which consists of local access channels on various systems in the Twin Cities area. In addition, Saints home games can be viewed (free) on www.SaintsBaseball.com.
DENVER - There is hope for fans in nearby Boulder and Parker who have had problems receiving Mile High Sports from KCKK 1510 AM which has carried most Nuggets and Avalanche broadcasts. The station has received FCC approval to increase its night signal from 5,000 to 25,000 watts. The increase will be gradual, with the signal expected to be at 19,000 watts within the month.
HOUSTON - As you probably know by now, Clearance Channel was at it again earlier this week with cutbacks on still more local personalities across the country. Houston sports radio felt the pain as Brad Davies and Craig Roberts are now gone from morning drive on KBME 790. Typical of the Clearance Channel hodge-podge left in its wake is the revised KBME weekday schedule. They now carry Dan Patrick's syndicated show live (which at least is better than those stations which delay it for several hours and air it after previewed games on the show have been played) from 8 to 11 AM. Surviving hosts Ted DeLuca and John Lopez now regularly work a split shift all week, airing from 6 to 8 AM and then coming back from 11 AM to 3 PM.
KTRK-TV Channel 13 laid off Sports Executive Producer Robert Leake.
CINCINNATI - More from Clearance Channel. Sports blogger C. Trent Rosecrans and 3 producers are gone. On the air, WCKY morning host Alan Cutler is gone. At least Cutler still has a position to keep him busy, as he continues in his Sports Director role for nearby WLEX-TV in Lexington.
The adding of still more syndicated programming on WCKY means that only Lance McAlister will be the only local host, handling 3 to 6 PM some weekdays. Of course, with Clearance Channel involved, Lance will share duties among 2 stations, instead hosting the 6 to 9 PM sports talk show on WLW on nights when the Reds do not play. When that happens, Mo Egger will handle the afternoon spot on WCKY. More sports adjustments will be made, as Cutler is also reportedly out as Bengals Radio Network host after 8 seasons. Scott Sloan remains on WLW, but will now handle the "Extra Innings" Reds post-game call-in show.
At this rate, I suppose if a Reds game gets rained out after the scheduled start time, Clearance Channel will probably air a voice tracked sports talk show from another market talking about an American League team for 3 hours.
Showing posts with label clear channel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clear channel. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Sports Media Report - January 21st Update
The actions by Clearance Channel on Tuesday most certainly have an immediate impact on sports radio as well as the entire industry. My phone hardly stopped ringing all afternoon. After all, it is far from coincidence that on the same day that CC's man George Bush is no longer leading the nation, that they slash hundreds of lives while the attention of the nation is focused on change. But that's for another column.
In San Diego, most of the local air staff of KLSD 1360 is gone, including Mike Costa, Jeff Dotseth, Chris Ello and Craig Elsten. And this comes after the newest ratings for the market show XX sports down more than a half point in the ratings (without much room to roam as it was), and ESPN 800 not even showing up in the top 30 stations. Then again, XTRA 1360 also had another poor showing.
In Cincinnati, Scott Springer is out as morning sports anchor on powerhouse WLW. Detroit's WDFN is now without a local sports staff, and that may be even more disappointing than the Lions' recent season. In Minneapolis, KFAN 1130 co-host Chad Hartman is now out after more than 18 years with the station, along with his afternoon show producer.
In Jacksonville, WFXJ 930's long time morning sports show co-hosts David Lamm and Joe Cowart were dismissed. Lamm had been on 930 AM since it began with sports talk in December of 1991. Thus far, the station is adding more Fox Sports (national) programming, although it has three more years on its contract to carry Florida Gators football and basketball broadcasts. I suppose if Clearance Channel has any more input, they'll probably only air the first three quarters of the games and then return to national call-ins to continue their theme of cutting back.
Even in their "home city" of San Antonio, word from the San Antonio Express is that WOAI Sports Director Walter Pacacrita is among those let go. In Syracuse, among the sports radio casualties was WHEN 620 Program Director Jim Lerch, co-cost of the "Bud & The Manchild Show" in afternoon drive.
Meanwhile.........
The MLB-TV Network will go live from the diamond earlier than initially thought. They announce that they will televise the Caribbean World Series during the week of Feb. 2 to 6. A nice warm-up, in more ways than one, for the start of spring training. I am reserving judgement on MLB-TV, and doing so with great optimism, since right now it is tough to fill a one-hour news show six nights a week when there is about two minutes a day of actual news.
NEW YORK - WEPN 1050 has been able to re-structure its deal into more of a revenue share, and will continue with both Knicks and Rangers broadcasts that started on the ESPN station in 2004. This pact runs through the 2010-11 seasons. Look for more cross promotion, as WEPN is expected to get signage and promotion at Madison Square Garden, and many events at MSG (beyond the Knicks and Rangers) will be promoted on the air.
CHICAGO - WMVP 1000, the ESPN station, has dismissed afternoon co-host Dan McNeil after not renewing his contract. Rotating host Carmen DeFalco takes over, whether temporary or permanent. Carmen has filled in numerous times for McNeil in the past. McNeil had been hosting on WMVP for nearly nine years after coming over from (continuing) rival WSCR 670. Since Mike North was not renewed for mornings at WSCR last summer, McNeil was believed to have been the highest paid sports talker in Chicago.
LOS ANGELES - It looks like the recent "merger" of Fox Sports and KLAC 570 means a major reduction of local content. The station's "Loose Cannons" show is replacing Lakers analyst Mychal Thompson with Fox host Chris Myers, while their "Petros and Money Show" is going national. Now, there is some doubt about KLAC remaining as the flagship station for Tony Bruno's late night show. On Tuesday (Jan. 20), the station ran a "Best of Petros & Money" show.
Ouch.
DALLAS - It's a Ticket for the Stars. Not an awards show, but a change of radio venue, starting next season, for the NHL Stars braodcasts, ending their 15 years on powerhouse WBAP 820. KTCK 1310 The Ticket has a new five season agreement including new pre and post-game programming. For additional coverage, the Stars games will also be carried on 104.1 FM and 1700 AM.
WASHINGTON D.C. - The media and coverage woes continue for the Washington Nationals. WDCW-TV 50 will show just 20 Nationals games over the air for the upcoming season. The games will consist of most or all Sunday telecasts. This means that many to most of their telecasts will be directly against the TBS national game on Sunday afternoons. Thus, the one time a week (at most) that the Nationals are over-the-air, baseball fans will likely have a game involving two contenders to choose from. Not to mention Orioles games in most areas, with many telecasts featuring the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.
St. LOUIS - Sorry to report the passing of sportscaster Joe May, who died of a heart attack this past Saturday (Jan. 17) at the age of 67. May was Sports Director of WIBV Belleville (a St. Louis suburb in Illinois) and also called some St. Louis University football during his 40 year career. Most recently, May was broadcasting high school games over an internet site.
MILWAUKEE - WSSP 1250 will soon have another Program Director, but in this instance it is for good reason. Ryan Maguire leaves to take over as P.D. at Kansas City's KCSP. Both stations are under the same ownership, and KCSP remains the flagship station for the Royals broadcasts. WSSP has named Steve Fifer as Interim Program Director but reportedly is seeking a replacement.
ATLANTA - 790 The Zone has a new voice on its "Mayhem in the A. M." morning show. Known as The Sports Babe, Cayci Johnson joined the show last week.
SACRAMENTO - Contracts to Jim Kozimor, who continues as pre and post-game host on Kings telecasts. Kozimor has been hired by the Universal Sports Channel, the cable channel co-owned by NBC, where he will call some olympics related sports events. The schedule is such that he is not expected to miss any of his Kings or occasional fill-in assignments on KHTK.
MADISON - Longtime Wisconsin Badgers voice Matt Lepay is off to a good start as morning drive co-host on WTSO 1070 after the station reduced the air time of Mike & Mike earlier this month. His co-host is his broadcast partner Mike Lucas. Hopefully, the station will consider letting this duo go for longer than the current 2-hour daily stint from 6:00 until 8:00 A.M.
In San Diego, most of the local air staff of KLSD 1360 is gone, including Mike Costa, Jeff Dotseth, Chris Ello and Craig Elsten. And this comes after the newest ratings for the market show XX sports down more than a half point in the ratings (without much room to roam as it was), and ESPN 800 not even showing up in the top 30 stations. Then again, XTRA 1360 also had another poor showing.
In Cincinnati, Scott Springer is out as morning sports anchor on powerhouse WLW. Detroit's WDFN is now without a local sports staff, and that may be even more disappointing than the Lions' recent season. In Minneapolis, KFAN 1130 co-host Chad Hartman is now out after more than 18 years with the station, along with his afternoon show producer.
In Jacksonville, WFXJ 930's long time morning sports show co-hosts David Lamm and Joe Cowart were dismissed. Lamm had been on 930 AM since it began with sports talk in December of 1991. Thus far, the station is adding more Fox Sports (national) programming, although it has three more years on its contract to carry Florida Gators football and basketball broadcasts. I suppose if Clearance Channel has any more input, they'll probably only air the first three quarters of the games and then return to national call-ins to continue their theme of cutting back.
Even in their "home city" of San Antonio, word from the San Antonio Express is that WOAI Sports Director Walter Pacacrita is among those let go. In Syracuse, among the sports radio casualties was WHEN 620 Program Director Jim Lerch, co-cost of the "Bud & The Manchild Show" in afternoon drive.
Meanwhile.........
The MLB-TV Network will go live from the diamond earlier than initially thought. They announce that they will televise the Caribbean World Series during the week of Feb. 2 to 6. A nice warm-up, in more ways than one, for the start of spring training. I am reserving judgement on MLB-TV, and doing so with great optimism, since right now it is tough to fill a one-hour news show six nights a week when there is about two minutes a day of actual news.
NEW YORK - WEPN 1050 has been able to re-structure its deal into more of a revenue share, and will continue with both Knicks and Rangers broadcasts that started on the ESPN station in 2004. This pact runs through the 2010-11 seasons. Look for more cross promotion, as WEPN is expected to get signage and promotion at Madison Square Garden, and many events at MSG (beyond the Knicks and Rangers) will be promoted on the air.
CHICAGO - WMVP 1000, the ESPN station, has dismissed afternoon co-host Dan McNeil after not renewing his contract. Rotating host Carmen DeFalco takes over, whether temporary or permanent. Carmen has filled in numerous times for McNeil in the past. McNeil had been hosting on WMVP for nearly nine years after coming over from (continuing) rival WSCR 670. Since Mike North was not renewed for mornings at WSCR last summer, McNeil was believed to have been the highest paid sports talker in Chicago.
LOS ANGELES - It looks like the recent "merger" of Fox Sports and KLAC 570 means a major reduction of local content. The station's "Loose Cannons" show is replacing Lakers analyst Mychal Thompson with Fox host Chris Myers, while their "Petros and Money Show" is going national. Now, there is some doubt about KLAC remaining as the flagship station for Tony Bruno's late night show. On Tuesday (Jan. 20), the station ran a "Best of Petros & Money" show.
Ouch.
DALLAS - It's a Ticket for the Stars. Not an awards show, but a change of radio venue, starting next season, for the NHL Stars braodcasts, ending their 15 years on powerhouse WBAP 820. KTCK 1310 The Ticket has a new five season agreement including new pre and post-game programming. For additional coverage, the Stars games will also be carried on 104.1 FM and 1700 AM.
WASHINGTON D.C. - The media and coverage woes continue for the Washington Nationals. WDCW-TV 50 will show just 20 Nationals games over the air for the upcoming season. The games will consist of most or all Sunday telecasts. This means that many to most of their telecasts will be directly against the TBS national game on Sunday afternoons. Thus, the one time a week (at most) that the Nationals are over-the-air, baseball fans will likely have a game involving two contenders to choose from. Not to mention Orioles games in most areas, with many telecasts featuring the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.
St. LOUIS - Sorry to report the passing of sportscaster Joe May, who died of a heart attack this past Saturday (Jan. 17) at the age of 67. May was Sports Director of WIBV Belleville (a St. Louis suburb in Illinois) and also called some St. Louis University football during his 40 year career. Most recently, May was broadcasting high school games over an internet site.
MILWAUKEE - WSSP 1250 will soon have another Program Director, but in this instance it is for good reason. Ryan Maguire leaves to take over as P.D. at Kansas City's KCSP. Both stations are under the same ownership, and KCSP remains the flagship station for the Royals broadcasts. WSSP has named Steve Fifer as Interim Program Director but reportedly is seeking a replacement.
ATLANTA - 790 The Zone has a new voice on its "Mayhem in the A. M." morning show. Known as The Sports Babe, Cayci Johnson joined the show last week.
SACRAMENTO - Contracts to Jim Kozimor, who continues as pre and post-game host on Kings telecasts. Kozimor has been hired by the Universal Sports Channel, the cable channel co-owned by NBC, where he will call some olympics related sports events. The schedule is such that he is not expected to miss any of his Kings or occasional fill-in assignments on KHTK.
MADISON - Longtime Wisconsin Badgers voice Matt Lepay is off to a good start as morning drive co-host on WTSO 1070 after the station reduced the air time of Mike & Mike earlier this month. His co-host is his broadcast partner Mike Lucas. Hopefully, the station will consider letting this duo go for longer than the current 2-hour daily stint from 6:00 until 8:00 A.M.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sports Media Report - June 13 Update
What ever happened to the days of the media being an impartial observer?On Wednesday night, Texas Rangers outfielder Milton Bradley had to be physically escorted back to the team clubhouse while on his way to a possible confrontation in the Kansas City Royals broadcast booth. While in the clubhouse during the game, Bradley heard Royals TV announcer Ryan Lefebvre (the son of former big league player and manager Jim Lefebvre) commenting about his recent struggles in what Bradley found less than positive. Later, Rangers officials said they would not take any disciplinary action against Bradley. Yet, Bradley got to have his say to other media members, while local and national stories explained what Lefebvre had said. So does this mean it is acceptable for a pro player to berate a broadcaster and get away with it?
On Wednesday afternoon, Chicago sports station WSCR "The Score" 670 was airing what it termed "live coverage" of the press conference introducing Vinny Del Negro as the new coach of the Chicago Bulls. During the press conference, WSCH hosts Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein were making comments and played a couple of sound effects to indicate their displeasure at this hiring. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this happening. Some listeners saw some humor and entertainment value, while others were offended. That's part of the beauty of sports talk. Where I do have the problem is that this CBS Radio station told the listeners they were about to listen to "live coverage" of this announcement and press conference. That falls under the category of news coverage. Had the hosts waited until after the press conference was over or cut away from it before commenting, THEN it would be news coverage. Just as political analysts wait until after the speech to comment on what was said, the same formula should apply in this instance. Either tell the listeners you will have running commentary during the press conference, or do as you say and carry it uninterrupted as live "news" coverage.
Yes, the same day brought an athlete gaining unwarranted media attention and broadcasters discrediting live news coverage.
Meanwhile, as Notre Dame football approaches still another season of national TV for every home game and a national radio package (starting this season with ISP Radio replacing Westwood One), as of this writing there is no station in South Bend to carry the local broadcast. WNDV-FM 92.9 and WDND 1490 AM, which had been handling the local broadcasts since 1998, has ended its affiliation with Notre Dame. Both stations were Westwood One affiliates and have also undergone recent format changes. As of now, the closest ISP Sports affiliates are in Michigan City IN and Warsaw IN, neither of which has a strong signal into South Bend. Notre Dame opens again San Diego State on September 6.
Speaking of college football broadcasts the University of Central Florida faces problems having their football games aired in the Orlando market. WQTM 740 previously aired the games, but changed to Spanish after last season. Sports radio WHOO already carries Florida State football and does not have a strong signal around the UCF campus. WFLF 540 already carries the Florida Gators and the Orlando Predators broadcasts in the fall. WORL, a news-talk station, is actually based in Altamonte Springs and would also have signal strength issues. The Spanish station would not have any sports conflicts and offers the strongest signal. That would seem the way to go, rather than a split package which confuses the casual fan.
The University of Virginia has its radio network in place once again for the coming season, but still hasn't named a play-by-play voice. They open against USC the last Saturday in August. Officials were quoted as saying they started with a list of 100 candidates.The University of Washington has its radio package in place, but faces competition from television as the Pac-10 Conference announced that at least 7 of the Huskies games will be televised live for the coming season. This includes the Oklahoma game on ESPN Sept. 13, the Oct. 18 game against Oregon State on Versus, and the Oct. 25 game against Notre Dame on an ESPN Network.
CHICAGO - It has been 12 years since WGN Radio lost the Chicago Bears broadcasts. Yet the station continued its tradition of providing extensive pre and post-game programming for all Bears games over the years. Until now. Bears legend Dan Hampton has been let go by the station after years of analysis before and after every game. There are a number of reasons for the move. It appears that the Bears radio rights are secure with CBS owned WBBM Radio, while sister station WSCR also provides extensive Bears game day coverage. WGN Radio may have decided not to enter the always high bidding stakes for the next Bears contract, feeling strong without a potential loss leader. In addition, the success of the Cubs this season leads to the possibility of post-season baseball in October on WGN, and would likely conflict with Bears "coverage" for additional weeks into October, after what would be strong baseball ratings further into September than usual.
NEW YORK - CBS College Sports will be included as part of Cablevision's Sports Pak beginning later this month. Interesting that quiet negotiations were completed, while the Big Ten Network is still without cable deals in important midwest markets including Chicago.
LOS ANGELES - KLAC 570 will carry San Diego Chargers football broadcasts for the coming season, including all pre-season games. The press release issued added that Chargers "post-season games are also included", as if that is a given.Speaking of "ooops", Channel 13 TV Los Angeles mistakenly cut away from its Angels vs. Oakland A's telecast last Sunday (June 8) before the extra inning game was over. They failed to show the 12th inning A's game winning grand slam because of a movie starting at 5:00 PM. The station blamed this on a communications error on the telecast feed. Oh, the movie was not "Heidi". It was "Smilla's Sense of Snow".
SACRAMENTO - KHTK 1140 has lucked into a unique feature for its 9 PM to Midnight show on occasion. Host "Carmichael Dave" (from the suburb named Carmichael" is a 'super-fan' who now hosts a call-in show. But that isn't the unique feature. What began as a guest shot by the Kings' Ron Artest is now turning into a regular gig for the star forward. Artest has already made 7 appearances on the show since the Kings' season ended. Artest had tried to get on either TNT or ESPN's playoff coverage but was unable to do so. He was able to interview Kobe Bryant for a Fox-TV show recently. His appearances on local radio are being well received, and Artest has demonstrated a keen sense of humor on the air. That's something not often found among athletes turned broadcasters.
SEATTLE - Still no word about the future of the Mariners flagship station after this season, and the team's poor start could delay a decision. KOMO continues to build its news/talk format, but may not wish to keep the Mariners as a loss leader. The station was 19th in the market's ratings in early 2003 when it began broadcasting the Mariners games, and began this baseball season ranked 6th overall.
HOUSTON - Similar situation with the Astros radio rights as the team and Clear Channel continue into their exclusive 90-day negotiation period to extend the current contract. If no agreement is reached, the Astros broadcasts would be up for bidding on a new contract to begin next spring. Unlike the Mariners in Seattle, the Astros have shown signs of contending in the 2nd half of the season.
On Wednesday afternoon, Chicago sports station WSCR "The Score" 670 was airing what it termed "live coverage" of the press conference introducing Vinny Del Negro as the new coach of the Chicago Bulls. During the press conference, WSCH hosts Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein were making comments and played a couple of sound effects to indicate their displeasure at this hiring. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this happening. Some listeners saw some humor and entertainment value, while others were offended. That's part of the beauty of sports talk. Where I do have the problem is that this CBS Radio station told the listeners they were about to listen to "live coverage" of this announcement and press conference. That falls under the category of news coverage. Had the hosts waited until after the press conference was over or cut away from it before commenting, THEN it would be news coverage. Just as political analysts wait until after the speech to comment on what was said, the same formula should apply in this instance. Either tell the listeners you will have running commentary during the press conference, or do as you say and carry it uninterrupted as live "news" coverage.
Yes, the same day brought an athlete gaining unwarranted media attention and broadcasters discrediting live news coverage.
Meanwhile, as Notre Dame football approaches still another season of national TV for every home game and a national radio package (starting this season with ISP Radio replacing Westwood One), as of this writing there is no station in South Bend to carry the local broadcast. WNDV-FM 92.9 and WDND 1490 AM, which had been handling the local broadcasts since 1998, has ended its affiliation with Notre Dame. Both stations were Westwood One affiliates and have also undergone recent format changes. As of now, the closest ISP Sports affiliates are in Michigan City IN and Warsaw IN, neither of which has a strong signal into South Bend. Notre Dame opens again San Diego State on September 6.
Speaking of college football broadcasts the University of Central Florida faces problems having their football games aired in the Orlando market. WQTM 740 previously aired the games, but changed to Spanish after last season. Sports radio WHOO already carries Florida State football and does not have a strong signal around the UCF campus. WFLF 540 already carries the Florida Gators and the Orlando Predators broadcasts in the fall. WORL, a news-talk station, is actually based in Altamonte Springs and would also have signal strength issues. The Spanish station would not have any sports conflicts and offers the strongest signal. That would seem the way to go, rather than a split package which confuses the casual fan.
The University of Virginia has its radio network in place once again for the coming season, but still hasn't named a play-by-play voice. They open against USC the last Saturday in August. Officials were quoted as saying they started with a list of 100 candidates.The University of Washington has its radio package in place, but faces competition from television as the Pac-10 Conference announced that at least 7 of the Huskies games will be televised live for the coming season. This includes the Oklahoma game on ESPN Sept. 13, the Oct. 18 game against Oregon State on Versus, and the Oct. 25 game against Notre Dame on an ESPN Network.
CHICAGO - It has been 12 years since WGN Radio lost the Chicago Bears broadcasts. Yet the station continued its tradition of providing extensive pre and post-game programming for all Bears games over the years. Until now. Bears legend Dan Hampton has been let go by the station after years of analysis before and after every game. There are a number of reasons for the move. It appears that the Bears radio rights are secure with CBS owned WBBM Radio, while sister station WSCR also provides extensive Bears game day coverage. WGN Radio may have decided not to enter the always high bidding stakes for the next Bears contract, feeling strong without a potential loss leader. In addition, the success of the Cubs this season leads to the possibility of post-season baseball in October on WGN, and would likely conflict with Bears "coverage" for additional weeks into October, after what would be strong baseball ratings further into September than usual.
NEW YORK - CBS College Sports will be included as part of Cablevision's Sports Pak beginning later this month. Interesting that quiet negotiations were completed, while the Big Ten Network is still without cable deals in important midwest markets including Chicago.
LOS ANGELES - KLAC 570 will carry San Diego Chargers football broadcasts for the coming season, including all pre-season games. The press release issued added that Chargers "post-season games are also included", as if that is a given.Speaking of "ooops", Channel 13 TV Los Angeles mistakenly cut away from its Angels vs. Oakland A's telecast last Sunday (June 8) before the extra inning game was over. They failed to show the 12th inning A's game winning grand slam because of a movie starting at 5:00 PM. The station blamed this on a communications error on the telecast feed. Oh, the movie was not "Heidi". It was "Smilla's Sense of Snow".
SACRAMENTO - KHTK 1140 has lucked into a unique feature for its 9 PM to Midnight show on occasion. Host "Carmichael Dave" (from the suburb named Carmichael" is a 'super-fan' who now hosts a call-in show. But that isn't the unique feature. What began as a guest shot by the Kings' Ron Artest is now turning into a regular gig for the star forward. Artest has already made 7 appearances on the show since the Kings' season ended. Artest had tried to get on either TNT or ESPN's playoff coverage but was unable to do so. He was able to interview Kobe Bryant for a Fox-TV show recently. His appearances on local radio are being well received, and Artest has demonstrated a keen sense of humor on the air. That's something not often found among athletes turned broadcasters.
SEATTLE - Still no word about the future of the Mariners flagship station after this season, and the team's poor start could delay a decision. KOMO continues to build its news/talk format, but may not wish to keep the Mariners as a loss leader. The station was 19th in the market's ratings in early 2003 when it began broadcasting the Mariners games, and began this baseball season ranked 6th overall.
HOUSTON - Similar situation with the Astros radio rights as the team and Clear Channel continue into their exclusive 90-day negotiation period to extend the current contract. If no agreement is reached, the Astros broadcasts would be up for bidding on a new contract to begin next spring. Unlike the Mariners in Seattle, the Astros have shown signs of contending in the 2nd half of the season.
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