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730 ESPN Press release

S

sjs1959

Their website (still under contruction) is www.730espn.com

Apparently Vernon is NOT doing PM drive after all. Also, how long should it take to do the tower upgrade?

730 ESPN Radio Set To Launch Local Programming

730 ESPN (KSUD – AM ), Memphis’ new all sports radio will debut Monday August 1, 2005 and will feature the best in both local and national programming.  730 ESPN will air “Mike and Mike In the Morning,” with hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic from 5am-9am.  Local talent Chris Vernon will follow Mike and Mike with “The Chris Vernon Show” which will air from 9a-12p.  Following Chris, Dan Patrick will be on from 12p-3p with “The Dan Patrick Show.”  From 3p-6p 730 ESPN will introduce a new talent to the Mid-South with “The Big Show with Kendall Lewis.”

“We are confident in the ESPN brand and believe that 730 ESPN Radio is far superior to anything Memphis has experienced before,” said Dave Greene, General Manager.  “Mike and Mike’s show has become one of the most popular syndicated sports radio shows in the country and Dan Patrick is one of the number one names in all of sports broadcasting.  If it is happening in the world of sports, it happens on Dan’s radio show.” Greene went on to discuss the local programming 730 ESPN will offer, “On the local side we have two incredibly talented individuals.  I think Chris Vernon is the top talent in the market because he is capable of doing compelling radio each and every hour, each and every day.  We are very excited about Chris becoming one of the top sports radio hosts in the country while working for Simmons Media Group.”

Rounding out local programming is Kendall Lewis who spent 7 years working for the all sports radio station in Cleveland, Ohio WKNR.  Lewis’ show consistently maintained a place among the highest rated sports shows in Cleveland and garnered national acclaim as one of the best sports talk shows in the country.  In 2001, Lewis was hired by ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT to work as a fill-in host and continues those duties today.  “We are very fortunate to be able to bring Kendall into the Memphis market.  Kendall is a nationally recognized talent and is a network caliber broadcaster.  He is passionate about sports – especially college football – and he will bring some much needed energy to the Memphis sports radio scene,” said Greene.

730 ESPN is also bringing Razorback Athletics back to Memphis.  In addition to local programming, 730 ESPN has announced a partnership with the Arkansas Razorback Sports Network, stating that they will air Arkansas Razorbacks football and men’s basketball.  “We are pumped about being able to bring the Hogs back to Memphis radio.  We have already heard from several hundred alum and Razorback fans in the area that cannot wait for the season to get started on 730 ESPN,” Greene said.  “As an all sports radio station our main focus is to be all over every subject that interests our listeners and that means covering everything from the Memphis Tigers and Grizzlies to the SEC and local high school athletics.  Our moniker will be “First With Sports,” and we will live up to that each and every day.”|

Simmons Media Group, operators of 730 ESPN, plans to announce a new technical upgrade for the 730 signal in the coming months as well as plans for a new broadcasting facility.
 
> Their website (still under contruction) is www.730espn.com
>
> Apparently Vernon is NOT doing PM drive after all. Also,
> how long should it take to do the tower upgrade?

From what I have heard from the Engineering company doing the upgrade, the rain earlier this year made the tower field so muddy, access to the site was impossible (unless one was using a swamp buggy). They simply had to wait till the fields dried up a bit.
 
> > Their website (still under contruction) is www.730espn.com
>
> >
> > Apparently Vernon is NOT doing PM drive after all. Also,
> > how long should it take to do the tower upgrade?
>
> From what I have heard from the Engineering company doing
> the upgrade, the rain earlier this year made the tower field
> so muddy, access to the site was impossible (unless one was
> using a swamp buggy). They simply had to wait till the
> fields dried up a bit.

Dave Green's "puff piece" on Kay-Sud does not address the fact that at best there are 3 shares of sports listening divided by 3 stations in the Memphis market. Memphis needs another sports station like the town needs another black radio station. There is not that much to talk about and having a midday local show with Vernon is useless. You won't be able to pick it up inside buildings, so you're left to the people that are 1) unemployed driving around looking for a job or 2) delivery people stocking the shelves at wal-mart. If there is going to be any in-office listening going on, it's going to WRVR or satellite.

Who is going to change formats first? Flinn's WHBQ? Probably not, because most of their programming is brokered. WMC-AM? probably not as long as they are making money with Univerisity of Memphis. And do you think that Kay-Sud is going to drop enough cash to get the Grizzlies away from Citadel.

Even with the upgrade, so what? It's AM, it's local programming will be inside stuff, self indulging, self centered and the same 6 callers will be their regulars. What makes Greene think it's going to be any different than what the other two sports stations are currently doing?

But then again, what do I know?
>
 
Here's a question: how well do 56 & WMC-AM bill? while flinn does make money through brokering, one has to believe that there's money to be made here, or else Simmons wouldn't have taken the risk.

I'm betting that, a year from now, WHBQ is in, 730 is in and WMC is out.



> > > Their website (still under contruction) is
> www.730espn.com
> >
> > >
> > > Apparently Vernon is NOT doing PM drive after all.
> Also,
> > > how long should it take to do the tower upgrade?
> >
> > From what I have heard from the Engineering company doing
> > the upgrade, the rain earlier this year made the tower
> field
> > so muddy, access to the site was impossible (unless one
> was
> > using a swamp buggy). They simply had to wait till the
> > fields dried up a bit.
>
> Dave Green's "puff piece" on Kay-Sud does not address the
> fact that at best there are 3 shares of sports listening
> divided by 3 stations in the Memphis market. Memphis needs
> another sports station like the town needs another black
> radio station. There is not that much to talk about and
> having a midday local show with Vernon is useless. You
> won't be able to pick it up inside buildings, so you're left
> to the people that are 1) unemployed driving around looking
> for a job or 2) delivery people stocking the shelves at
> wal-mart. If there is going to be any in-office listening
> going on, it's going to WRVR or satellite.
>
> Who is going to change formats first? Flinn's WHBQ?
> Probably not, because most of their programming is brokered.
> WMC-AM? probably not as long as they are making money with
> Univerisity of Memphis. And do you think that Kay-Sud is
> going to drop enough cash to get the Grizzlies away from
> Citadel.
>
> Even with the upgrade, so what? It's AM, it's local
> programming will be inside stuff, self indulging, self
> centered and the same 6 callers will be their regulars.
> What makes Greene think it's going to be any different than
> what the other two sports stations are currently doing?
>
> But then again, what do I know?
> >
>
 
Simmons took the risk because ESPN is very plug and play, and anything would make more money than what 730 had on before. Simmons seesm to be plugging ESPN into nearly ALL of the little coffee-pot AM's they are buying, St. Louis and Little Rock included. They didn't take the market into consideration.

560 and 790 do respectably because of the play by play commitments they have. They also have signals that cover the metro with ease. That plays heavily into any play-by-play requirements. WHBQ could have a 0.1, and keep the Redbirds, etc. because you can hear them (and make money on the contract), as well as what WHBQ is willing to give the team in return. Same goes with 790 and the U of M. Also, sponsors will buy time on those stations to have the affiliation with those programs.

I bet in a year all 3 will still be here, all with below a 1 share, and 730 will still have yet to show in Arbitron. 560 and 790 also survive because they have other stations in their cluster carrying the load, 730 does not. If Simmons came hard and picked up an existing cluster in town, it would be a different story.

> Here's a question: how well do 56 & WMC-AM bill? while
> flinn does make money through brokering, one has to believe
> that there's money to be made here, or else Simmons wouldn't
> have taken the risk.
>
> I'm betting that, a year from now, WHBQ is in, 730 is in and
> WMC is out.
>
>
>
> > > > Their website (still under contruction) is
> > www.730espn.com
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Apparently Vernon is NOT doing PM drive after all.
> > Also,
> > > > how long should it take to do the tower upgrade?
> > >
> > > From what I have heard from the Engineering company
> doing
> > > the upgrade, the rain earlier this year made the tower
> > field
> > > so muddy, access to the site was impossible (unless one
> > was
> > > using a swamp buggy). They simply had to wait till the
> > > fields dried up a bit.
> >
> > Dave Green's "puff piece" on Kay-Sud does not address the
> > fact that at best there are 3 shares of sports listening
> > divided by 3 stations in the Memphis market. Memphis
> needs
> > another sports station like the town needs another black
> > radio station. There is not that much to talk about and
> > having a midday local show with Vernon is useless. You
> > won't be able to pick it up inside buildings, so you're
> left
> > to the people that are 1) unemployed driving around
> looking
> > for a job or 2) delivery people stocking the shelves at
> > wal-mart. If there is going to be any in-office listening
>
> > going on, it's going to WRVR or satellite.
> >
> > Who is going to change formats first? Flinn's WHBQ?
> > Probably not, because most of their programming is
> brokered.
> > WMC-AM? probably not as long as they are making money
> with
> > Univerisity of Memphis. And do you think that Kay-Sud is
> > going to drop enough cash to get the Grizzlies away from
> > Citadel.
> >
> > Even with the upgrade, so what? It's AM, it's local
> > programming will be inside stuff, self indulging, self
> > centered and the same 6 callers will be their regulars.
> > What makes Greene think it's going to be any different
> than
> > what the other two sports stations are currently doing?
> >
> > But then again, what do I know?
> > >
> >
>
 
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