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Espn Radio commercial break time changes

I also thought the new clock sounded weird... mainle because our local ESPN guys seemed to have trouble adapting. They would start their show at :55 with the open and everything, and then basically redo the entire 5 minutes of the open immediately after the TOH SportsCenter. It's like the local guys were so used to starting after the top, that they could just continue where they left off at :58, they had to start all over again. Made for very weird sounding first 20 minutes to their shows.
 
Seems like ESPN Radio took a cue from affiliate WKNR/850 in Cleveland. Their clockwheel for all local weekday programming is formatted the exact same way, with the stopsets at :05, :20, :35 and :50 past. Has been the case since Feburary 2007.

The only difference is that during local programming, WKNR's sports tickers only air at :20 past :)20 and :50 in afternoon drive). When Mike & Mike signs off at 9:59:50, it's the TOH ID, then straight to the start of Tony Rizzo's show. (Sister station WWGK, which has the traditional local updates three times an hour, so WKNR can get away with it.)

It is a distinct clockwheel, that's for sure.
 
I agree, that at first, the clock change sounded weird.

But now, I really like it - and I wouldn't want to go back.

I think the new clock does a better job of two important things:

A.) Keeping listeners tuned in - Listeners know that 90 seconds after the end of hour one - the 2nd hour starts up right away. The attrition rate (losing listeners) is higher the longer the TOH break.

B.) Less Break in Host's Conversation - A long 6-7 minute TOH break really breaks up the conversations, resulting in the host have to spend a lot of time re-mapping the terrain of the previous hour, which is boring for listeners who carried over from the previous hour.

A 90 second TOH break is hardly a break in the action - all you have time for is a drink at the bubbler (water fountain for those not from WI, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubbler).
 
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