Browns to 92.3 The Fan/850 WKNR?

[vjm]

Hey Vjm,

I don't know if you listen to WTEM-am (espn 980) out of DC, which is Dan Snyder's station...I used to live in DC, and that station, to me at least, isn't no more Redskins heavy than the other CBS-er sports station in town. Ironically, if you listen in, they have two shows with Kornheiser (espn) and Steve Czaban (formerly of Fox Sports Radio for a long time) who are nationally known. Both those shows are very man-cave, plus those shows tend to cover a diversity of topics on any given day. For example, John Thompson the former Georgetown coach had a popular afternoon show on there for a long time up until recently...and just think, with Thompson, Czaban and Kornheiser, that was over 9-10 hours of talk that wasn't heavily ordered to the Redskins. Their other shows are like that as well, with a few shows being dedicated to the Skins each day/week...you'd think they'd be wall to wall Skins, but they really aren't. Sometimes, I think that they do this so that there isn't a "bias" towards outwardly favoring the team and slanting any criticism that their hosts may have....

 

[vjm]

Hey Vjm,

I don't know if you listen to WTEM-am (espn 980) out of DC, which is Dan Snyder's station...I used to live in DC, and that station, to me at least, isn't no more Redskins heavy than the other CBS-er sports station in town. Ironically, if you listen in, they have two shows with Kornheiser (espn) and Steve Czaban (formerly of Fox Sports Radio for a long time) who are nationally known. Both those shows are very man-cave, plus those shows tend to cover a diversity of topics on any given day. For example, John Thompson the former Georgetown coach had a popular afternoon show on there for a long time up until recently...and just think, with Thompson, Czaban and Kornheiser, that was over 9-10 hours of talk that wasn't heavily ordered to the Redskins. Their other shows are like that as well, with a few shows being dedicated to the Skins each day/week...you'd think they'd be wall to wall Skins, but they really aren't. Sometimes, I think that they do this so that there isn't a "bias" towards outwardly favoring the team and slanting any criticism that their hosts may have....

I was talking more of the original "Triple X ESPN" that Snyder's Red Zebra Broadcasting bought to be the Redskins' flagship trifecta.

WTEM (which Red Zebra acquired later on) already had an established sportstalk format in place upon Snyder buying it.

Triple X was what got Snyder's foot in the door in the radio biz, which then enabled him to purchase the more established WTEM down the line.

 

[Capulet]

Couple of questions.

1) Does anyone know how many people watch a Browns game on TV versus listen to the game on radio? I gotta believe TV has a 10 to 1 advantage. ( Meaning for every 10 TV viewers, there is 1 radio listener. ) Can't remember last time I listened to a Browns game on radio.

2) How do they divide revenue? Do all three stations carry the same game day inventory? Does CBS get 2/3rds and Mels station gets 1/3rd?

The Browns certainly are the big winners. As many pointed out, the game day broadcast is not the prize. The real prize for the Browns is having 3 signals all say they are the Home of the Browns and provide all the non game day Browns programming all week long.

Now if only the Browns can play football as well as they can set up their " broadcast rights "!

This is about building a Browns "media empire"...not just finding stations to air the games.

I'm surprised these NFL teams just don't go out and buy a station or two. In the not so distant future the games will be viewed over internet streams.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder did just that a few years back...buy some smaller DC/Northern VA stations to carpet bomb the region with a 'Skins heavy sports talk format.

I knew about this in DC. Are there any other of the NFL franchises that own stations or is this guy a lone ranger?

 

[vjm]

I knew about this in DC. Are there any other of the NFL franchises that own stations or is this guy a lone ranger?

Only Snyder...most of the NFL flagship stations are owned by the usual big radio conglomerates (CC, CBS, Cumulus, ESPN) with a straggler here and there.

But no team outside the 'Skins has their own station.

 

[Capulet]

I knew about this in DC. Are there any other of the NFL franchises that own stations or is this guy a lone ranger?

Only Snyder...most of the NFL flagship stations are owned by the usual big radio conglomerates (CC, CBS, Cumulus, ESPN) with a straggler here and there.

But no team outside the 'Skins has their own station.

thanks

 

[CleveFan]

With the Browns on new radio stations, could the team look for new affiliates where WTAM had better coverage than WKNR (i.e. Michigan, Pennsylvania, other parts of Ohio) ?

Also, changing subjects a bit, do you guys think WOIO 19 will make another go at landing preseason games away from WKYC 3, especially with the team under new ownership?

I will even through in a thought - Good Karma and Salem should consider swamping frequencies. In other words, WKNR goes back to 1220 and 850 either becomes WHKW with the religious format or picks up WHK's conservative talk format with 1420 returning to religious programming. Just a thought.

And another one - if CBS ever moves The Fan to 98.5, there would no longer be a need for 92.3 to carry the games. WNCX is carrying to help boost FM coverage for CBS since WKRK wouldn't quite cut it alone.

 

[schmave]

1. I can't see the Browns ever increasing their radio network in Michigan or Pennsylvania. Why would they? Those aren't Browns areas. West and north of Toledo is Lions country, until you start to hit Bears and Colts fans in Indiana.
2. Can't see WKNR ever returning to 1220 either. Why give up the great signal on 850 for a station that is nonexistent pretty much anywhere west of Cleveland daytime and nighttime?

 

[CleveRadioInsider]

I always thought that 1220 was a more powerful signal than 850? 850 has to power down at night where 1220 does not have to power down as much. I could be wrong though.

 

[vjm]

With the Browns on new radio stations, could the team look for new affiliates where WTAM had better coverage than WKNR (i.e. Michigan, Pennsylvania, other parts of Ohio) ?

Also, changing subjects a bit, do you guys think WOIO 19 will make another go at landing preseason games away from WKYC 3, especially with the team under new ownership?

I will even through in a thought - Good Karma and Salem should consider swamping frequencies. In other words, WKNR goes back to 1220 and 850 either becomes WHKW with the religious format or picks up WHK's conservative talk format with 1420 returning to religious programming. Just a thought.

And another one - if CBS ever moves The Fan to 98.5, there would no longer be a need for 92.3 to carry the games. WNCX is carrying to help boost FM coverage for CBS since WKRK wouldn't quite cut it alone.

The Browns like having the "triple-cast".

That was part of the reason why they left Clear Channel.

They wanted to have all 20 games (counting preseason) heard on multiple stations.

They couldn't get that on 1100/100.7, as the preseason and early September games usually conflicted with the Tribe.

And of course there's all the other extra programming that goes with it.

 

[vjm]

1. I can't see the Browns ever increasing their radio network in Michigan or Pennsylvania. Why would they? Those aren't Browns areas. West and north of Toledo is Lions country, until you start to hit Bears and Colts fans in Indiana.

The Browns may try to get a Toledo station (as there are some Cleveland fans there) but that's as far west as they're gonna go.

They're as far east as Erie, PA, but any further east will be going into Bills country.

And of course, Youngstown is ground zero between Browns and Steelers fans, and anything further east is black and yellow.

 

[Tim]

Cleveland Insider: 1220AM (WHKW, I think are the calls now) runs 50,000 watts 24 hours a day with the same directional pattern day and night.

WKNR 850 is 50,000 watts day, 4,700 watts nights, and very, very directional at night.

For a computer projected coverage map of each station, day and night, go to: www.radio-locator.com and type in the call letters (or city) who's stations you wish to look at.

 

[SonoSational18]

Salem once had the 1220 and 850 signals. They chose to move the sports format to 850. At this juncture, GK would have to buy 1220 from Salem who my be unlikely to want to part with it. 1220 has its own signal challenges. The 850 signal is much better by day but terrible at night. The 1220 signal is much better at night than 850 but still can't hold a candle to that of 1100.

 

[nsa1]

The 1220 signal is much better at night than 850 but still can't hold a candle to that of 1100.

Not to the southwest (Medina County) - both are at best a distorted mess at night. And 1220 gets hammered every night by WPHT/1210 IBOC (which at least 850 doesn't).

 

[CleveRadioInsider]

Cleveland Insider: 1220AM (WHKW, I think are the calls now) runs 50,000 watts 24 hours a day with the same directional pattern day and night.

WKNR 850 is 50,000 watts day, 4,700 watts nights, and very, very directional at night.

For a computer projected coverage map of each station, day and night, go to: www.radio-locator.com and type in the call letters (or city) who's stations you wish to look at.

Thanks Tim, I appreciate it and the link 8)