680 The Fan

[jabba17]

deleted

 

[jabba17]

apparently there isn't enough interest for radio pay by pay of the Braves for one of the big operators in town to make a serious bid. That is why Cox dropped them decades ago. The Braves are corporate baseball. It's all about the money. Tradition doesn't pay the bills.

I personally have wondered why co owned WFOM with a decent AM signal at the ball park wasn't permoted at the park for any one who can't work a FM radio.

Plus they are definitely in the WFOM translator 106.3's 60 db.

Cox Media isn't going to add to their overhead if they're going on the auction block. Apollo I'm sure wants to get their expenses, contracts, uncertainty, etc. as low as possible to get as much money as possible.

 

[secondchoice]

Cox Media isn't going to add to their overhead if they're going on the auction block. Apollo I'm sure wants to get their expenses, contracts, uncertainty, etc. as low as possible to get as much money as possible.

Any sports contract if it is profitable is an asset which is not a bad thing to have. Especially during the generally lower income evenings and nights. Also who ever has an "exclusive" deal for something that sponcers will pay for you don't have to worry about what your competitors are doing. If Cox thought they could out bid the Dickeys and make money they would have. A cash generating asset would to help with any kind of "multiple" a station or cluster sells for. Especially a long term contract.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

apparently there isn't enough interest for radio pay by pay of the Braves for one of the big operators in town to make a serious bid. That is why Cox dropped them decades ago. The Braves are corporate baseball. It's all about the money. Tradition doesn't pay the bills.

It does not necessarily mean there was no interest from other stations. Maybe Dickey has a great relationship with the Braves, and no one else was given a chance to bid. Perhaps Dickey wanted to be proactive and get it done more than a year before the current contract expires, knowing that not having the Braves could spell doom for the station.

What it does mean is the Braves will likely be relegated to an FM translator for years to come.

 

[ThePowerCow]

With Cox in a selling mood, would the Dickey's and/or Braves be interested in at least 750?

 

[MrRadio]

It does not necessarily mean there was no interest from other stations. Maybe Dickey has a great relationship with the Braves, and no one else was given a chance to bid. Perhaps Dickey wanted to be proactive and get it done more than a year before the current contract expires, knowing that not having the Braves could spell doom for the station.

What it does mean is the Braves will likely be relegated to an FM translator for years to come.

...And Weedeater 680 lives on ...

 

[jabba17]

I guess I better get used to WCON 99.3 for Bravos games.

 

[secondchoice]

With Cox in a selling mood, would the Dickey's and/or Braves be interested in at least 750?

No. I doubt The Dickey's want to spend money for an AM.

If the current radio coverage of the Braves at Truist was an issue that impacted the Braves financially it would have been addressed before renewal. It's all about the money. That's why the Braves bought land next to the park for "redevelopment and parking". They made the announcement despite having the worst record this season (hopefully not for long).

It would be interesting to figure out the percentage of folks in any Baseball park that actually listen to the play by play on the radio. Of that percentage, how many stream on their phone.

IMHO: This is an answer looking for a problem. Good cell and or WIFI coverage in the park is more important that any OTA radio signal.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

It would be interesting to figure out the percentage of folks in any Baseball park that actually listen to the play by play on the radio. Of that percentage, how many stream on their phone.

IMHO: This is an answer looking for a problem. Good cell and or WIFI coverage in the park is more important that any OTA radio signal.

93.7 comes in just fine at Truist Park.

 

[secondchoice]

93.7 comes in just fine at Truist Park.

Exactly the average person has no idea that 93.7 is a translator. They have successfully branded it as "the FM" 680 the Fan.

 

[jabba17]

No. I doubt The Dickey's want to spend money for an AM.

I'm sure the Dickeys would buy 750 if the price was right.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Exactly the average person has no idea that 93.7 is a translator. They have successfully branded it as "the FM" 680 the Fan.

You are correct. Except to radio geeks like us, it’s an FM station. But it doesn’t have the coverage or signal intensity of a full-power FM.

That said, 93.7, at over 1,000 feet, has a very good signal relative to many other translators.

 

[jabba17]

You are correct. Except to radio geeks like us, it’s an FM station. But it doesn’t have the coverage or signal intensity of a full-power FM.

That said, 93.7, at over 1,000 feet, has a very good signal relative to many other translators.

The biggest challenge that translators have in their coverage areas is building penetration. Not a problem with a car radio or using a transistor radio at the ballpark. Unless you're trying to listen to the game at home or (especially) in the office, you probably won't notice.

 

[101tm]

Is 93.7 broadcasting in mono? Most spoken word FM’s/translators turn off the stereo pilot to increase coverage. Definitely gives the signal a few more miles.

 

[secondchoice]

How does 106.3 work at Truist?

 

[gdstout]

680's app works well.

 

[Ryan Williams]

The biggest challenge that translators have in their coverage areas is building penetration. Not a problem with a car radio or using a transistor radio at the ballpark. Unless you're trying to listen to the game at home or (especially) in the office, you probably won't notice.

This is true. 250 watts even at over 1000 ft in the middle of town only has so much oomph to get through bricks, wood, concrete etc. For what it is worth AM, even higher-powered AM also have issues in-doors because of some much electrical noise.

Going forward though, I wonder if it will even matter that much. Its getting very hard to buy a physical radio. Sure, Walmart has some clock radios with a checklist item FM tuner, but standalone radios are almost an internet special order at this point and even those clock radios are terrible.

I recently traveled to DC and accidentally left my little battery powered Sangean at home. I could not find a store that had a radio for me to buy and the AirBnB I stayed in had no radios, not even an alarm clock. The host who lived down the street didn't have one at his place either. I ended up listening to WTOP on my phone.

As you think about and survey your family and friends, notice how many of them are listening to AM/FM radio at home or in an office off of an actual radio and not an Alexa, computer, or smartphone app. I think it is few and the number is almost certainly going to keeping falling with the installed base of AM/FM radios dropping because they are not being replaced and not readily available in the retail channels.

I think it is pretty ominous when you zoom out 5-10 years.

 

[RadioDoogie]

This is true. 250 watts even at over 1000 ft in the middle of town only has so much oomph to get through bricks, wood, concrete etc. For what it is worth AM, even higher-powered AM also have issues in-doors because of some much electrical noise.

Going forward though, I wonder if it will even matter that much. Its getting very hard to buy a physical radio. Sure, Walmart has some clock radios with a checklist item FM tuner, but standalone radios are almost an internet special order at this point and even those clock radios are terrible.

I recently traveled to DC and accidentally left my little battery powered Sangean at home. I could not find a store that had a radio for me to buy and the AirBnB I stayed in had no radios, not even an alarm clock. The host who lived down the street didn't have one at his place either. I ended up listening to WTOP on my phone.

As you think about and survey your family and friends, notice how many of them are listening to AM/FM radio at home or in an office off of an actual radio and not an Alexa, computer, or smartphone app. I think it is few and the number is almost certainly going to keeping falling with the installed base of AM/FM radios dropping because they are not being replaced and not readily available in the retail channels.

I think it is pretty ominous when you zoom out 5-10 years.

BestBuy recently discontinued their long running portable HD tabletop radio. I bought another one a few months ago because of the very reason you mention above.

 

[jabba17]

This is true. 250 watts even at over 1000 ft in the middle of town only has so much oomph to get through bricks, wood, concrete etc. For what it is worth AM, even higher-powered AM also have issues in-doors because of some much electrical noise.

Going forward though, I wonder if it will even matter that much. Its getting very hard to buy a physical radio. Sure, Walmart has some clock radios with a checklist item FM tuner, but standalone radios are almost an internet special order at this point and even those clock radios are terrible.

I recently traveled to DC and accidentally left my little battery powered Sangean at home. I could not find a store that had a radio for me to buy and the AirBnB I stayed in had no radios, not even an alarm clock. The host who lived down the street didn't have one at his place either. I ended up listening to WTOP on my phone.

As you think about and survey your family and friends, notice how many of them are listening to AM/FM radio at home or in an office off of an actual radio and not an Alexa, computer, or smartphone app. I think it is few and the number is almost certainly going to keeping falling with the installed base of AM/FM radios dropping because they are not being replaced and not readily available in the retail channels.

I think it is pretty ominous when you zoom out 5-10 years.

I have a 1962 all-tube RCA stereo console that has a super-sensitive AM tuner and is great for DXing and has great sound--only problem is it's in my RFI-filled office. In contrast, my 2017 Pioneer receiver isn't sensitive on AM at all, and is noisy even with all sources of RFI turned off.

Similarly, my 2013 Honda car radio is a great DXer on AM, but my 2019 Honda barely picks up 750 and 680.

 

[Loverofradio]

It’s not that weird to think games aren’t on FM. Neither the Dodgers or Angels aren’t on FM and will never be