Braves Future

[RTibbs]

Do you think WSB is having a good laugh at CC's turmoil as it relates to the Braves. I believe this is the Braves final year of their deal. I have a feeling WSB is going to get the Braces back for the price of a song. CC I can;t believe would want to renew with the Braves.

The Braves can't be happy either about what is hapening with their broadcast partners. As it stand right now the Braves home is WGST a syndicated talker with no local programming. That wil make for a great lead-in to the games. Their FM partner is now called Project 9-6-1. An active rocker that does not seem to mesh thagt well with the Braves listening audience.

I will assume that they are probably going to move the Braves to 94.9 but is that so great either. I don't think their current format meshes with the Braves demo. If CC goes down their current path I guess it is probable that they will flip 94.9. I think their only option for a match with the Braves might bbe country music.

Either way WSB has to figure they can have the Braves back at their price.

 

[RandomGuy6]

Country music might be the best fit...for a minor league squad. Move to Rome, and you should get your wish.

What makes 96.1 a worse fit for the Braves than Dave is for the Falcons? I'm not defending CC's moves by any stretch, but who says that a station has to be a perfect "fit" just to air a sports broadcast? This could be the wave of the future. I'm sure the same things were said when football began shifting to FM.

Why not wait and see?

 

[96atl]

I thought the CC/Braves deal was for 5 years???

A problem with the Braves on Project 9-6-1 would be that it would turn more away from the station to 99X. Try to picture the Braves on the Buzz last year, that's basically what it is.

I don't know what the deal requires, but I'm thinking they will be moved to 94.9 or 105.3 (I don't know if the 105.3 signal would meet the terms). However, that is only if 94.9 is not AC anymore. If it remains AC, I think the Braves will stay on 96.1. It's a bad thing either way.

One part of me says, if the Braves were going to be on The Project wouldn't they already have that announced or on the website. 96rock never let you forget that they were "the home of the braves". Unless CC wanted to minimize any resistance to the station beyond what may already exsist from the end of 96rock and The Buzz.

 

[RTibbs]

The Falcons don't fit on Dave and when that contract expires after this year expect them to move. The one difference I find about baseball and football is with baseball it is almost every day for 7 months then the playoffs. For football it is one Sunday for four months. It is easier to build your schedule around that one event every Sunday as opposed to a daily oocusence for the majority of the year.

 

[bclark71.]

I thought the CC/Braves deal was for 5 years???

'Tis.

http://www.clearchannel.com/Radio/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=473

 

[RTibbs]

My bad. I thought I read here it was going to be the last year under the current contrct. I am sure the Braves will love the revenue stream but they can't be happy with the direction of its radio partner.

 

[Art Sutton]

My bad. I thought I read here it was going to be the last year under the current contrct. I am sure the Braves will love the revenue stream but they can't be happy with the direction of its radio partner.

I was told by folks who would know that the Braves have an out at two years if their agreement with CC didn't work out as they hoped. Major league baseball is pretty much pricing itself out of local coverage.

 

[bclark71.]

I was told by folks who would know that the Braves have an out at two years if their agreement with CC didn't work out as they hoped. Major league baseball is pretty much pricing itself out of local coverage.

If that's the case, then I would expect the Braves back on WSB in 2008, alongside the Falcons.

 

[BDBopper]

Wow if that's the case talk about things coming full circle. Back in 1991 and before that's exactly how WSB was, home of the Braves, Falcons, and Dawgs. I think it worked well on a Full Service as that was what WSB was going away from at the time both pro teams were let go. I don't think both franchises would work out too well for WSB with their current format. It could work if Cox uses an FM for spillover, like the River would be a perfect fit for that. But most of the year are you going to want to have Krok on from 11 PM-3 AM. I mean is he going to want to do that with a young child in the family?

At this point I do not see 9-6-1 or 640 being a viable Braves home base if you will. 105.3 doesn't have a good enough signal. 94.9 would be a good fit with a format switch but not now.

 

[taylorengineer]

Arthur Blanc is on the board of Cox....I would expect to see the Falcons back on WSB. I would guess that's why Hullinger was hired.

 

[Knowsnews2]

I was told by folks who would know that the Braves have an out at two years if their agreement with CC didn't work out as they hoped. Major league baseball is pretty much pricing itself out of local coverage.

If that's the case, then I would expect the Braves back on WSB in 2008, alongside the Falcons.

Never happen. The Braves stand to make $13 million each of the years of the deal with CC. If they opt out, they will NEVER get another deal close to that.

The Braves care about the money. If they cared about the station they never would have left WSB.

 

[jal41]

Country music might be the best fit...for a minor league squad. Move to Rome, and you should get your wish.

Sorry. Rome Braves broadcasts are on news/talk WLAQ 1410 and classic hits (formerly oldies) WATG 95.7.

The comments the regional VP made to the AJC's Rodney Ho sounds like 94.9 will be gone after Christmas. I suspect whatever goes on there (if it flips) will be built with the Braves in mind. 94.9 was the Brave's FM flagship from 1992-1994. Even if Lite FM remains, expect it to be the new FM flagship for the Braves.

105.3 will not work, since it is not heard throughout the entire metro (Transmitter is 61kw from near Newnan).

Now that the Braves are no longer playoff material, I suspect the Braves will go back crying to WSB after the opt-out. If there were a Braves/Falcons/Dawgs mix on WSB, expect Kiss 104.1 or 95.5 The Beat (or both at the same time) to be backups, as Cox hates when B98.5 has to interrupt its 300 song jukebox (Cox execs said that River will be sports-free). 104.1 acted often as backup when Cox had Hawks games. (The last preemption on B98.5 for sports was last year for the Dawgs during a Braves conflict. I suspect 98.5 has to act as a backup for the Dawgs because it is WSB-FM).

 

[Jul]

I think that the Braves should be on WSB or WSB-FM in the 07 season.

 

[Tom Riddle]

Knowsnews2 is right. Why would the Braves give up a guaranteed $13M+ per year? As bad as the flagship situation is, the Braves this year weren't a playoff team, and not a great property for a station to be saddled with 162 nights. You think the Braves would dare opt out for a better operation to not get even half the current broadcast rights fee?

WSB would take them back if they cut about $8M off the yearly fee. Chop Talk is still better than Krok Talk.

Falcons to WSB will happen in the next few years, if not sooner.

 

[RTibbs]

Expect the Falcons to happen next season. I am quite sure this is the last year on Dave.

 

[Chief Rainmaker]

Knowsnews2 is right. Why would the Braves give up a guaranteed $13M+ per year? As bad as the flagship situation is, the Braves this year weren't a playoff team, and not a great property for a station to be saddled with 162 nights. You think the Braves would dare opt out for a better operation to not get even half the current broadcast rights fee?

WSB would take them back if they cut about $8M off the yearly fee. Chop Talk is still better than Krok Talk.

Falcons to WSB will happen in the next few years, if not sooner.

I agree with this...FYI: CC pays the higest rights fee of any organization to a major league team. More than the flagship stations in NY, LA or Chicago. The Braves aren't going anywhere.

I understand Arthur Blank sits on the board for Cox....even if the Falcons don't pull in big money from Cox for the rights fees...from a marketing standpoint...they are waaaaay better off with WSB. It makes the brand of the Falcons much stronger associating with WSB.

 

[caller10]

Braves could be carried on Lite 94.9, with play-by-play and color commentary by Delilah for all the night games.

 

[Jul]

. The Braves aren't going anywhere.

The braves need to leave 640 AM. They need to move to a better signaled station in Atlanta in the 07 season. It doesn't make any sense to me to stay on a 1,000 watt nighttime signal station like WGST.

 

[grmf]

I’m glad the Brave are not on WSB. I like listing to WSB and not baseball games. There’s nothing more annoying then when they preempt the local programming for a baseball game. I’m also glad the got rid of the Hawks. I’m not a fan of Georgia basketball at night either.

At least with Dave and the Falcons it only effect Sunday.

 

[chuckydoll]

94.9 was the Brave's FM flagship from 1992-1994. Even if Lite FM remains, expect it to be the new FM flagship for the Braves.

Jacor held Braves radio rights from 1992-94; back then WGST-640 had all the games and WPCH-94.9 carried only night games. AM signals still had some listener loyalty in Atlanta at the time. That is no longer true.