And then there were 2!!! BYE BYE ESPN RADIO!!!

[IMATALKRADIOJUNKIE]

Rumors of them moving are false, word is now they are going away entirely!!!

 

[BRNout]

Hmmmm. something's fishy because they just invested a lot of time/money in a splashy new website. Are you sure you're not just hearing half of the story?

 

[blackgold]

I'll bet ya they're gonna switch to Spanish! (Maybe even become New England's first ESPN Deportes Radio outlet!)

 

[Deleted User]

If they go to Deportes I hope it is after baseball season, rumor has it MRBI was going to carry some of the post season games live and I could use the hours!

If they wanted to buy the entire inventory of WLYN and WAZN I could get them a deal on it I bet.

If anyone has an in at ESPN I'll make sure you get a nice spiff on the deal if you can set it up!

 

[scranton]

the website could be stand-alone like the chicago espn website

 

[dsturdy5]

Bruce Allen (Boston Sports Media Watch) tweeted about this issue tonight.

 

[JustinT]

the website could be stand-alone like the chicago espn website

ESPN Chicago has the website for O&O WMVP 1000 built in.

Not to create a rumor or anything, but could ESPN end up on 99.5? Nassau and ESPN seem to be pretty close, in addition to owning several affiliates Nassau also LMAs a station (1040 WNJE) directly to ESPN to expand 1050 WEPN's coverage. Nassau's financial problems are pretty well known, and if an LMA to Disney would provide more cash flow than classical, they might be up for it.

 

[raccoonradio]

here was where the tweet was posted; he said he got a tip from ESPN about 890 losing aff next week

http://twitter.com/fangsbites

 

[BRNout]

Yes, but there's been a lot of conjecture about this. One version of the story is that ESPN goes to 1200. Could it go to 99.5? Sure, but it would be guaranteed to have very disappointing ratings. Nassau should know better. Syndicated fare from ESPN Radio in the ultra-competitive Boston market is a really tough sell.

They'd be better off to carry WEEI (if they were to be considering such a move) and surely they know this. This isn't Little Rock; the locals don't care for birdfeed when they have not one but TWO local sports talk options.

 

[raccoonradio]

bostonradio tweeted that WCRB is not doing online streaming now (and a visit to their site has a message saying they have temp. stopped streaming but no reason given--technical? cost?) Maybe nothing to that, but is a format or
ownership change is in the offing?; who knows. (by the way out of curiosity I typed in 995espn.com and got
"ESPN Rapid City the Black Hills' only full time sports station!")

ESPN has supposedly said they want full or nearly full carriage of their programming and they did get that with 890
and 1400 but I'm not sure if they earn much $ for those stations' owners and I don't think they show in the ratings
at all (not at least in the ones we're allowed to see). True, with two full time, mostly local stations, and in a very parochial place sports-wise like Boston, ESPN would have a tough time no matter where they go. But they have
ads to sell and programs they'd like aired, but where? 1200, if CC felt they could reach a desirable audience...but again
the ratings would be lackluster comp. to 850 and 98.5. At least with ESPN there are some play-by-play of reg season and playoff games, but 890 and 1400 don't have the best signals. I've been at work or driving around and found 1410/Hartford or 1050/NYC came in better.

And thoughts of either EEI or BZ-FM: where would they put it, except maybe overnight? And 98.5 already has Sporting News while EEI is probably happy with Fox Sports. Suppose 98.5 picks up just part of ESPN, like with
play-by-play--oh look, ESPN has a playoff game between the Yankees and Tigers*...oops...the Bruins are playing...

*--I think if season ended today AL matchups would be NYY-DET/BOS-LAA

 

[beantownradio25]

bostonradio tweeted that WCRB is not doing online streaming now (and a visit to their site has a message saying they have temp. stopped streaming but no reason given--technical? cost?) Maybe nothing to that, but is a format or
ownership change is in the offing?; who knows. (by the way out of curiosity I typed in 995espn.com and got
"ESPN Rapid City the Black Hills' only full time sports station!")

WCRB hasn't been streaming for months ?

 

[raccoonradio]

and I really would like ESPN on 99.5 (baseball playoffs) because at work, and I work nights, it comes in great (work in N. Reading, 99.5
stick in Andover. That and Mike 93.7--stick in Peabody--come in best

 

[DanStrassberg]

and I really would like ESPN on 99.5 (baseball playoffs) because at work, and I work nights, it comes in great (work in N. Reading, 99.5
stick in Andover. That and Mike 93.7--stick in Peabody--come in best

And we all know that, whatever ESPN does, they are thinking of one and only one person, and that's YOU, Bob. Must give you an IMMENSE sense of power!

 

[raccoonradio]

Actually ESPN is hoping to serve sports-hungry consumers with their programming and advertising. I'd just like to hear some of the other baseball playoff games--as I am not only a Red Sox fan but a baseball fan. Some turn away from
baseball when their team either doesn't make playoffs or gets eliminated. I listen till the very last out of the World
Series, no matter which teams are involved. And I'd like to hear the games.

Yes, I have TV at home. Yes, I have XM in my car. But when I'm at work--when most of these games take place-- I'd like to be able to hear the games...and it's not just me. Others would like it too--but of course not as many as those who would tune to WBZ-FM and WEEI...

 

[BRNout]

But that's not nearly enough to build a successful format with. Furthermore, the demand for out of town sporting events (not involving local teams) in Boston is pretty low. I know it may come as a shock, but Boston is one of the more parochial markets when it comes to things like that. It's not like Washington D.C. or Las Vegas or Miami - where everyone is from somewhere else. In those sorts of markets, ESPN Radio can grab a niche audience. But, as we all know, Boston is not like that.

Also, it's interesting that you brought up ESPN 99.5 from Rapid City - I was just out there a couple of weeks ago and listened to that station for a while. It's a relatively new format for them, which has been on for less than a year. Let me assure you that ESPN's syndicated talk fare is extremely pale when compared with the local offerings at WEEI and WBZ-FM. There's no way that it would be competitive, no matter if it's on AM or FM. Not in Boston. It's as dull as ditchwater and I can just imagine the quarter hour PPM ratings for a typical discussion revolving around what the Georgia Bulldogs are doing this week or the Florida Marlins' odds for a playoff run in 2010.

ESPN's ratings on AM in Boston were microscopic and would remain as such even on FM. There are just too many direct competitors who are very good at what they do and who talk about subjects that are relevant to the local listener.

 

[JustinT]

ESPN's ratings on AM in Boston were microscopic and would remain as such even on FM. There are just too many direct competitors who are very good at what they do and who talk about subjects that are relevant to the local listener.

ESPN on FM would undeniably lose to WBZ-FM and WEEI, but I think their primary goal is to make themselves competitive in a city that is addicted to sports - and if ESPN's new home is an LMA'd station, making a huge profit (but hopefully making one) doesn't seem as important as making themselves relevant and drawing traffic to the new website. Obviously ESPN is not pleased with 890/1400, and since the latter seems to be clearing almost all of the network's programming, it seems like the signal is playing a big role in this. To me it seems hard to believe that it would be going to 1200, seeing as Clear Channel runs the Fox Sports network. And when it comes to signals that are known to be up for grabs in the Boston market, 99.5 jumps to the top of the list.

Just my two cents, and I really don't want to see ANOTHER sports station, but it seems kinda likely.

 

[BRNout]

ESPN on FM would undeniably lose to WBZ-FM and WEEI, but I think their primary goal is to make themselves competitive in a city that is addicted to sports - and if ESPN's new home is an LMA'd station, making a huge profit (but hopefully making one) doesn't seem as important as making themselves relevant and drawing traffic to the new website. Obviously ESPN is not pleased with 890/1400, and since the latter seems to be clearing almost all of the network's programming, it seems like the signal is playing a big role in this. To me it seems hard to believe that it would be going to 1200, seeing as Clear Channel runs the Fox Sports network. And when it comes to signals that are known to be up for grabs in the Boston market, 99.5 jumps to the top of the list.

Just my two cents, and I really don't want to see ANOTHER sports station, but it seems kinda likely.

If it turns out that you are correct, that would be a colossal waste of a perfectly good frequency. It seems wasteful enough in a place like Rapid City, but for metro Boston it is absurd. But you're right in that ESPN really doesn't care about that and would probably settle for a 0.8 rating.