Could Cards' Deal Push KTRS To All-Sports??

[Joseph_Gallant]

With the start of the 2006 baseball season, when it will become the new radio flagship of the St. Louis Cardinals, KTRS-550 will have a lock on St. Louis professional sports (they already have the Blues and also carry the Rams, although KLOU-103.3 also simulcasts the games).

Although KTRS is currently a "general" talk station with some sports-talk programming, could the acquisition of the Cards and the team's purchase of a 50% stake in the station result in KTRS flipping to all-sports??

A flip to all-sports would make sense for a station that carries all three of St. Louis' professional teams. An expansion of local sports-talk programming would allow fans to call-in and talk about the Blues, Rams, and especially the Cards.

I would not be in the least surprised if "another shoe drops" as a result of the Cardinals/KTRS deal, and that it resultsin KTRS changing to an all-sports format.

 

[mikebatchelor]

Honestly, I don't see KTRS flipping to all sports, since there are already three other sports stations in St. Louis, KFNS, KRFT, & KSLG.

The new management team lured Station Manager Craig Unger out of a lucrative job running WXYT in Detroit to remain at the big 550, under Tim Dorsey, and former Jacor President/COO Robert Lawrence. I think that this team is poised to try to make KTRS into what KMOX used to be.

There will of course be a certain focus on the Cards, but the station's talk programming, particularly Frank O. Pinion's program make the station a lot of $$$.

If they did All Sports, they would have to either program the station locally 24-7 (I can't think of another local all sports station, except WFAN in NYC, off the top of my head), or snag the affiliation of Fox or Sporting News away from Big League Broadcasting, which is unlikely, considering they have seemingly formed somewhat of a partnership, in that they will air the games on their far suburban KFNS-FM.

What I could see KTRS becoming, though, is more of an Entertainment/Guy Talk station. Almost everyone on the staff already has a background in Sports Radio already. Bill Wilkerson, Scott St James, McGraw Milhaven, and Kevin Horrigan all did sports duties at one point and time at the mighty MOX. And Frank O Pinion's show already fits to that format, being a lighthearted comedy oriented program. You already don't hear too much politics being talked on 550, except some in Millhaven & Horigan's program, and the syndicated overnight George Noory show, which often originates from the KTRS studios when George is at his home in St. Louis. It is already very common to hear sports topics talked about on pretty much any of KTRS' local shows.

My guess is KTRS will ultimately sound a lot like the only other radio station that is co-owned with a baseball team, Chicago's WGN.


> With the start of the 2006 baseball season, when it will
> become the new radio flagship of the St. Louis Cardinals,
> KTRS-550 will have a lock on St. Louis professional sports
> (they already have the Blues and also carry the Rams,
> although KLOU-103.3 also simulcasts the games).
>
> Although KTRS is currently a "general" talk station with
> some sports-talk programming, could the acquisition of the
> Cards and the team's purchase of a 50% stake in the station
> result in KTRS flipping to all-sports??
>
> A flip to all-sports would make sense for a station that
> carries all three of St. Louis' professional teams. An
> expansion of local sports-talk programming would allow fans
> to call-in and talk about the Blues, Rams, and especially
> the Cards.
>
> I would not be in the least surprised if "another shoe
> drops" as a result of the Cardinals/KTRS deal, and that it
> resultsin KTRS changing to an all-sports format.
>