It looks like WWTX has found something to fill the time that was occupied by Blue Rocks games. I was surprised when the News Journal listed 1290 as carrying the O's - Rays game last night but there it was on loud and clear. The O's haven't been on a Delaware station since WNRK (I don't recall the timeframe) and before that on WILM for many years.
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1290 - The Ticket now carrying O's games
- Thread starter simontemplar
- Start date
The Orioles website (on mlb.com) lists WTTX -AM 1290 as an affiliate of their radio network (originating from WBAL).
I wonder what the story is here. Chicken and egg. Did The Ticket go after the Birds or did the Birds go after The Ticket? And who is paying whom to play?
Setting aside money issues, not a bad programming move; there are O's fans around Wilmington. Bad news is at night 1290's listenable signal doesn't much out of the city and the further West you go in the Wilmington Metro is where you're more likely to find O's fans.
I love minor league baseball - in person. I can't see listening to it on the radio. And for the Blue Rocks, it's hard to care about guys who are headed for Kansas City (if they are lucky). If the Rocks were a Phils affiliate (like Lehigh Valley, Reading or Lakewood, NJ), that would be a very different matter.
I wonder what the story is here. Chicken and egg. Did The Ticket go after the Birds or did the Birds go after The Ticket? And who is paying whom to play?
Setting aside money issues, not a bad programming move; there are O's fans around Wilmington. Bad news is at night 1290's listenable signal doesn't much out of the city and the further West you go in the Wilmington Metro is where you're more likely to find O's fans.
I love minor league baseball - in person. I can't see listening to it on the radio. And for the Blue Rocks, it's hard to care about guys who are headed for Kansas City (if they are lucky). If the Rocks were a Phils affiliate (like Lehigh Valley, Reading or Lakewood, NJ), that would be a very different matter.
That is good news as now the baseball fan in the Wilmington area has three choices for listening, the Phils on WDEL, the Blue Rocks on WGLS, and now the Orioles on WWTX.
I was working at WNRK back when the Orioles were being aired on 1260. They had a different set of rules than the Phillies had. When the Phillies games were placed on rain delay, the flag ship would throw it back to the local stations and tell you when to come back to the Phillies network. The Orioles, on the other hand, back then required the stations to stay with the network as WBAL went and did live talk from a local bar in Baltimore somewhere. I remember asking Al Campanone about this as this happened on my air shift a couple of times and the first time, not knowing any better, did cut away to do local music until the rain stopped. I did get a phone call from the PD telling me I had to go back to the WBAL coverage, so when the song ended, WNRK went back to WBAL's live coverage of drunks in a bar discussing the game. Quite compelling radio. I kept wondering, if one of these drunks says one of the 7 words you couldn't say on radio, who'd get fined by the FCC.
Al told me, when I caught up with him, that he totally agreed with me, but it's in the contract so we have no choice, but to air the drunks in some Baltimore bar. So if you're listening to WWTX and catch a rain delay, let us know if that still is the policy. I wonder if WBAL has it on any sort of delay so they can bleep out any forbidden words before it goes out on their network.
I was working at WNRK back when the Orioles were being aired on 1260. They had a different set of rules than the Phillies had. When the Phillies games were placed on rain delay, the flag ship would throw it back to the local stations and tell you when to come back to the Phillies network. The Orioles, on the other hand, back then required the stations to stay with the network as WBAL went and did live talk from a local bar in Baltimore somewhere. I remember asking Al Campanone about this as this happened on my air shift a couple of times and the first time, not knowing any better, did cut away to do local music until the rain stopped. I did get a phone call from the PD telling me I had to go back to the WBAL coverage, so when the song ended, WNRK went back to WBAL's live coverage of drunks in a bar discussing the game. Quite compelling radio. I kept wondering, if one of these drunks says one of the 7 words you couldn't say on radio, who'd get fined by the FCC.
Al told me, when I caught up with him, that he totally agreed with me, but it's in the contract so we have no choice, but to air the drunks in some Baltimore bar. So if you're listening to WWTX and catch a rain delay, let us know if that still is the policy. I wonder if WBAL has it on any sort of delay so they can bleep out any forbidden words before it goes out on their network.
MikefromDelaware said:
Discussing a game that's not being played??? I guess you have to be really drunk for that. In all fairness, a lot of stations do sports talk shows from bars (including WIP).
I'd imagine the bar is used for some pre-game or post-game show, which was not carried on the full O's network. Otherwise, they'd either had to have somebody out there standing by in case of rain or rush out there when rain look imminent (which is chancy).
I'd think during a rain delay it would be better to:
Pick up another game. Maybe "drop in" on broadcasts of the team's minor league affiliates. The announcers would know they are on the parent team's network and could make a point of commenting on up and coming prospects in the game.
Instead of interviewing drunks in a bar, interview fans (under shelter) at the ballpark. In addition, the team PR people could set up interviews team personnel during the rain out.
To be totally fair, as it's been quite a while ago, I don't remember if they actually went to a bar or had plenty of drunks from bars calling WBAL to talk. But it seemed like only drunks were getting on the air. My shift was on Saturday nights, so that may have added to the drunk problem; either way, it was not compelling radio.
MattParker said:
I guess so, since nestled below the hi-rise billboards along the so-called "Christina viaduct" as you emerge from the Maryland Ave. onramp is a green sign saying "Baltimore 65". Unless it's intended to commemorate the Orioles' first world title but got the year wrong.
Howcum? Audio issues (such as [lack of] crowd noise])?
Non Phillies-affiliation didn't stop me from attending an occasional Friday night Rocks game from 1999-2007 when I worked in the Wilmington area (off and on 1999 to late summer 2004, continuously from late summer 2004 until fall 2007 when I was transferred below the canal). I assume your sentiments, Matt, held true during 2005-2006 when the Rocks were a BoSox affiliate before returning to KC in '07.
ixnay
ixnay said:
Most of what I love about minor league games gets lost on the radio. Channel 69 carries some Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs games (Phillies' AAA) and, in all fairness, it gets lost on TV, too. The initimate ballpark; no bad seats, everything is "up close and personal." Friendly crowds. Guys who are still happy to be playing a game and who take time to talk to kids and sign programs. All the hokey stunts and contests between games (when I go to major league games, I'm always a little disappointed that all they do is play baseball). They call MLB "the show" but minor league teams are the ones who realize they are in show business. And, finally, the ticket prices.
When I go by myself, I do sometimes listen to the game on the radio (if they don't have a delay that puts them out of sync) to get background on the players, which is interesting. But I don't listen otherwise because I really don't follow closely how the team is doing or individual player stats. I don't care much about minor league pennant races - just the game I'm watching when I'm there.
Truth told I didn't get more interested in the Rocks when they affiliated with Boston. I don't even attend the Rocks much. I'd rather drive the extra distance to see the R-Phils in Reading. I like the "classic ballpark" better and its fun to watch guys making their way up the Phillies organization. I know the Phillies have their high-A team playing at the spring training stadium in Clearwater (they own the team and the stadium), and attendance is dismal. I think everybody would be better off if they made a Player Development Contract with the Blue Rocks instead. Clearwater is their only non-rookie affiliate outside Phils territory (Allentown, Reading, Lakewood, Williamsport). With Phils' prospects in Wilmington, they'd back the stands each game and it would be better for Phillies' scouts and development people, better for moving players around the organization. I say the Phillies should come back to Wilmington (like back when Bob Carpenter owned the Phils and the original Blue Rocks).
A
al campagnone
Guest
Don't check this site with any regularity but I was happy to learn that the Orioles once again are being heard in the Wilmington area. When I owned WNRK in Newark, the Orioles were affiliated with the station for over 16 years, a partnership that was most enjoyable. Since moving to California nearly ten years ago I catch some of the Oriole games on Sirrus Radio.
Al it's good to hear from you. Hope life is good for you in California. I think you may have sold your station at just the right time. It hasn't been the same, or even remotely as good since you left town.
1260 is running a Regional Mexican format now. If I remember correctly (from what I read on another posting here) WNWK 1260 Newark will be going dark to allow some deal for the owner to expand an AM station signal in Ocean City Maryland.
1260 is running a Regional Mexican format now. If I remember correctly (from what I read on another posting here) WNWK 1260 Newark will be going dark to allow some deal for the owner to expand an AM station signal in Ocean City Maryland.
J
jhguthlac
Guest
The story is, the license was turned in to allow WWRC (12060) in DC to increase power. They will take 1600 in Dover as a consolation prize.
Does that include those low powered FM translators. Sounds like he may have made out as 1600 covered the Kent county area, plus the FM translators, better than 1260 did for NCC.
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