We 102.9 Amarillo flipping to sports

[neosolbrudda]

From Radioinsight: https://radioinsight.com/headlines/237573/we-102-9-amarillo-to-give-way-to-sports-star/

 

[Mediafrog+]

The included tweet in the article says that the new format will be the Panhandle’s only 24/7/365 sports station. Is KPUR 1440 no longer running CBS SportsRadio? Radio-locator has it as ”All ag, all day” but there is no website, and I can’t find any other info. Wikipedia still has it as sports.

 

[Kent]

The included tweet in the article says that the new format will be the Panhandle’s only 24/7/365 sports station. Is KPUR 1440 no longer running CBS SportsRadio? Radio-locator has it as ”All ag, all day” but there is no website, and I can’t find any other info.

I've been told it airs an ag talk format now. Don't know if it's streaming or not, but none of the aggregators Cumulus uses show it.

 

[CTListener]

Other than Class AA minor league baseball and high school sports, are there any local sports to talk about in Amarillo and vicinity?

 

[victorres43]

Other than Class AA minor league baseball and high school sports, are there any local sports to talk about in Amarillo and vicinity?

Perhaps Alpha may move Dallas Cowboys games to KVWE from sister station KGNC.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Other than Class AA minor league baseball and high school sports, are there any local sports to talk about in Amarillo and vicinity?

Texas Tech is popular in the area. You also have West Texas A&M. Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys are the pro sports focus.

Amarillo even has a NAHL hockey team, which gives it a leg up over Houston, which is by far the largest market in the continental U.S. that lacks hockey at any level.😖

 

[Mediafrog+]

Perhaps Alpha may move Dallas Cowboys games to KVWE from sister station KGNC.

Or run the games on both stations. KGNC has a huge coverage area over west Texas and eastern New Mexico.

 

[Kent]

Other than Class AA minor league baseball and high school sports, are there any local sports to talk about in Amarillo and vicinity?

You're forgetting where you're talking about. Amarillo is heavily Dallas Cowboys country, and college football is quite popular there, too with Texas Tech being a couple hours away. Plus, people will still talk Texas and Texas A&M football, even though Amarillo is closer to the Universities of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska than it is to Texas and T A&M. The Texas Panhandle is also among the most fertile college football recruiting areas in the entire country.

That area has more sports to talk about than you might think, and, if there's nothing sports-related to talk about, they'll figure it out. High school football on Friday night, college football Saturdays, and NFL Sundays are about as important as going to church on Sunday mornings (and Wednesday evenings) there!

 

[Kent]

Or run the games on both stations. KGNC has a huge coverage area over west Texas and eastern New Mexico.

Don't remember my parents ever mentioning picking up anything from Amarillo in Albuquerque, but I know you can hear KGNC in OKC in the daytime. When it drops to nighttime power, it pretty much goes straight south, but it's quite a beast in the daytime.

Tulsa always got WHB/KCMO from KC on 710. OKC was likely on the eastern fringe, but a good car radio could get KGNC there, especially right after sunrise and right before sunset.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Don't remember my parents ever mentioning picking up anything from Amarillo in Albuquerque, but I know you can hear KGNC in OKC in the daytime. When it drops to nighttime power, it pretty much goes straight south, but it's quite a beast in the daytime.

I've heard KGNC with a decent signal during the day while traveling along I-10 in west Texas. Albuquerque is too far west, but the station does fairly well into the eastern New Mexico counties and towns (Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Clovis/Portales, and even into Roswell.)

 

[BamaTX]

The Texas Panhandle is also among the most fertile college football recruiting areas in the entire country.

I'm sorry, but...

You're confusing the Panhandle with East Texas. There are very few college football prospects west of the DFW-AUSTIN-SA corridor. All the football talent in Texas comes out of Houston, DFW, and East Texas. The Panhandle is just about nonarable. Maybe a few recruits here and there, but you definitely can't build a collegiate team out of Panhandle kids.

That area has more sports to talk about than you might think, and, if there's nothing sports-related to talk about, they'll figure it out. High school football on Friday night, college football Saturdays, and NFL Sundays are about as important as going to church on Sunday mornings (and Wednesday evenings) there!

A market the size of Amarillo is likely going to stick to mostly nationally syndicated shows. I'd be surprised if they invest in doing anything local. At most, maybe carry coaches shows (Cowboys) and hope some of the collegiate boosters buy time to put their teams on the air.

 

[AnyHuman]

Texas Tech probably is semi-big in the area. It's not that far away.

 

[BamaTX]

Texas Tech probably is semi-big in the area. It's not that far away.

Outside of college towns, you'd be hard pressed to find stations that dedicate themselves to college sports. Even in Austin and College Station, you'll hear professional sports talk throughout most of the day. Of course, the exception to that is the deep south where small market radio can spend all day talking about CFB with the nationally syndicated Paul Finebaum Show.

KVWE is likely going to be satellite fed most of the day. At best, maybe a morning show from 6-9 that talks Cowboys, Ranger, Astros, Spurs, or whatever national headline grabs people's attention. Texas Tech just isn't a huge brand or something worthy of revolving a show around. Amarillo strikes me more as a Cowboys town than a Texas Tech town.

 

[Kent]

You're confusing the Panhandle with East Texas. There are very few college football prospects west of the DFW-AUSTIN-SA corridor. All the football talent in Texas comes out of Houston, DFW, and East Texas. The Panhandle is just about nonarable. Maybe a few recruits here and there, but you definitely can't build a collegiate team out of Panhandle kids.

No, I'm not. I remember growing up in the 80's and early 90's when Odessa Permian was a title threat nearly every year. I'll grant you that, since I graduated high school roughly 30 years ago, West Texas hasn't done as well (except, maybe, for the six man divisions). Maybe Odessa finally got that third high school? They'd been talking about it practically my whole K-12 life, but everyone used to say it would never happen because it would dilute Permian's team too much. East Texas has a similar passion for sports, more people, and more schools. So, it's almost certainly a better recruiting ground, but don't sell the west side of the state short.

A market the size of Amarillo is likely going to stick to mostly nationally syndicated shows. I'd be surprised if they invest in doing anything local. At most, maybe carry coaches shows (Cowboys) and hope some of the collegiate boosters buy time to put their teams on the air.

I seem to remember reading 102.9 would have at least a local afternoon show. Seems like I saw it might also import some of the more popular shows from the Sports Star in San Antonio. I do agree that the new station won't have more than a couple local shows. A market like Amarillo only has so much money, and, even with a format that sells without numbers, that ceiling doesn't go very high. When your company has just gone through a restructuring and, despite a reputation for trying to be more live and local, didn't really spend a fortune pre-bankruptcy, I doubt it's going to staff up much. Of course, people there will still eat up football, whatever league. Don't know if it's still this way, but Odessa Permian used to vote on its cheerleaders every year. Those who didn't get elected to the cheerleading squad became "pepettes." That was just how wrapped up in it they were. Friday nights during football season are huge no matter where you go there.

 

[BamaTX]

No, I'm not. I remember growing up in the 80's and early 90's when Odessa Permian was a title threat nearly every year.

That was a loooong time ago. Odessa is no better at producing modern day talent than any other run-of-the-mill small market HS. And Odessa isn't exactly a "Panhandle" city. Even if we were to include them as one, they are just one school. Historically speaking, not much talent comes out of West Texas or the Panhandle region. Maybe a four star recruit here and there, but certainly no 5 star players going to A&M or Texas from Amarillo.

I seem to remember reading 102.9 would have at least a local afternoon show. Seems like I saw it might also import some of the more popular shows from the Sports Star in San Antonio.

That would be a smart thing to do.

 

[Mediafrog+]

And Odessa isn't exactly a "Panhandle" city.

Neither is Lubbock. Plainview is pretty much the southern end of The Panhandle.

West Texas is considered everything from Abilene westward. The Panhandle and the area of the state in the Mountain Time Zone are distinct sub-regions.

 

[neosolbrudda]

Outside of college towns, you'd be hard pressed to find stations that dedicate themselves to college sports. Even in Austin and College Station, you'll hear professional sports talk throughout most of the day. Of course, the exception to that is the deep south where small market radio can spend all day talking about CFB with the nationally syndicated Paul Finebaum Show.

KVWE is likely going to be satellite fed most of the day. At best, maybe a morning show from 6-9 that talks Cowboys, Ranger, Astros, Spurs, or whatever national headline grabs people's attention. Texas Tech just isn't a huge brand or something worthy of revolving a show around. Amarillo strikes me more as a Cowboys town than a Texas Tech town.

You are correct. Amarillo is a big Cowboys town. I went to high school there, and many of my family members still live there. They bleed the silver and blue.