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WTEM contract with Washington Commanders ends

Y2kTheNewOldies

Y2kTheNewOldies




After serving as the flagship of the NFL’s Washington Commanders since 2008 (and previously being co-owned with the franchise), Audacy Sports “The Team 980” WTEM Washington DC announced this morning it is severing its ties with the organization.

Morning host Kevin Sheehan told listeners, “The organization and the company disagreed on the value of the broadcasts and it is also very important for us as a sports talk station, even as a long-time flagship station for the team, it was important for us to continue to be able to provide honest, objective information and analysis about the Commanders on our talk shows.” The station intends to carry new gameday coverage that will include four hours of pregame coverage, a new in-game talk show focusing on analysis, fan-reaction, and in-game wagering, and postgame coverage.
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My guess is the station formerly known as WMAL-AM will get this deal. That station had a long heritage with the team before Dan Snyder bought it. It's now a syndicated sports station that mainly carries ESPN. So it's a natural fit for them. The other option would be Urban One. They owned WTEM before Audacy.
 
If Urban One picked them up there better be a full FM simulcast of the games. Their juggernaut news/talk station, WOL, runs all of 370 watts with a directional 250 watt FM translator.
 
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https://news.****************/artic...-Commanders-Drop-Audacy-as-Broadcast-Partners

The one passage of note is from the Commanders' statement:

"Multiple companies submitted bids as part of this [formal Request For Proposal] process [starting last Fall and concluding last week], including Audacy who was an active and aggressive participant and submitted multiple partnership proposals for the next three years of increased value over our previous deal. Based on the evaluation process, we selected a new partner who will bring a significantly larger deal, as well as new creativity and broader reach and scale, to programming. We shared with Audacy last week that we would not be moving forward as partners," the statement continued.
*****

While I would tend to agree with Big A's thought about 630 AM, does Cumulus (or Urban One) fit the profile of what's being described in the statement? Could iHeart enter the picture, offering either DC101 or Big 100? (even WMZQ?) Just thinking....

Now if Hubbard ever offered WTOP / WFED....??? (I don't think so.)
 
pjc1961 said:
Based on the evaluation process, we selected a new partner who will bring a significantly larger deal, as well as new creativity and broader reach and scale, to programming.
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That sounds familiar. It might be iHeart, offering their combo of on-air and online through the iHeart app. They've been making that offer to sports teams around the country. It's a pretty unique offer. They did something like that in Phoenix and Oakland.
 
I predict the games will land on Big 100.3 or DC 101, likely the former.

I suspect a deal with iHM would also likely include multiple markets in Virginia.
 
TheBigA said:
Any radio deal will include the full network of stations in Maryland, Virginia, and other nearby areas:


Audacy inherited this deal when it bought WTEM from Urban One.
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The Commanders produce their game broadcasts in-house and like most teams handle the network affiliations themselves. Whomever signs on to carry them (And the expectation is that it will be iHeart) is merely just the most important affiliate.

Audacy will not continue to carry the game broadcasts in Richmond either, but as they acquired that cluster from iHeartMedia, iHeart cannot fill that opening there.
 
I don’t think Hubbard would put a sports contract on WTOP again. I remember hearing during an anniversary broadcast they produced that getting rid of the O’s in the early 2000’s (before the Nats moved in) was a difficult moment for them (and myself, as a diehard O’s fan). They admitted, however, “we are a news station, not a sports station”.

…and who can deny the logic of a station that has routinely been in the top 5 of overall revenue in the entire country since the early 00’s? It works for them!

Now WFED? Slightly different story!
 
seattlesarchiebunker said:
I don’t think Hubbard would put a sports contract on WTOP again. I remember hearing during an anniversary broadcast they produced that getting rid of the O’s in the early 2000’s (before the Nats moved in) was a difficult moment for them (and myself, as a diehard O’s fan). They admitted, however, “we are a news station, not a sports station”.

…and who can deny the logic of a station that has routinely been in the top 5 of overall revenue in the entire country since the early 00’s? It works for them!

Now WFED? Slightly different story!
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A combination of WBIG and/or WWDC and WFED seems the most likely outcome.
 
TheBigA said:
All one needs to know is the number of Super Bowls the Washington team has been to under Snyder's ownership.

I can tell you: None. In 30 years. That's terrible ownership.
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The expansion Browns have been abysmal since 1999 and yet they command a split radio rights deal between Audacy (sports WKRK and classic rock WNCX) and Good Karma (sports WKNR) because the team still has a loyal fanbase.

Say what you will about the Haslams, they haven’t openly torched the fanbase yet like Dan Snyder has. And the Browns went 0-16 in 2017! (Of course, the Browns also have occasional glimmers of hope and a good season or two that rekindle passion among the fans, something that has not happened in DC at all…)
 
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