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ESPN Says To Affiliates: Fork It Over - A Bump In The Road For 710?

Bongwater

Bongwater

...and meanwhile, as we're getting ready to launch 710 ESPN Seattle to great fanfare, a problem has occurred at Mission Control.....

It's reported that ESPN is cranking up the fees for it's program content sky high.

Will this be a mere bump in the road? Or back to the drawing boards for 710 kHz? Will this be a way of killing off the small-medium market affiliates (like KPUG up here in the 'Ham) in favor of major market affiliates? KIRO-AM certainly does not have the best nighttime signal up here......

Whazzup?
 
TVradioguru said:
I'm willing to bet there isn't enough population in Skagit or Island counties for KIRO to care.
Click to expand...

Oh....sorry. Just me, my wife and kids (and if you count our dachshund) 5 souls live in Bellingham - which is neither in Skagit or Island counties . My bad.....
 
Bongwater said:
Oh....sorry. Just me, my wife and kids (and if you count our dachshund) 5 souls live in Bellingham - which is neither in Skagit or Island counties . My bad.....
Click to expand...

Neither your family nor dog are a factor since none of you live in the Seattle/Tacoma Metro. Whatcom and Skagit counties are not counted, so the quality of signal from a Seattle station that far North is irrelevant.
 
TVradioguru said:
Bongwater said:
Oh....sorry. Just me, my wife and kids (and if you count our dachshund) 5 souls live in Bellingham - which is neither in Skagit or Island counties . My bad.....
Click to expand...

Neither your family nor dog are a factor since none of you live in the Seattle/Tacoma Metro. Whatcom and Skagit counties are not counted, so the quality of signal from a Seattle station that far North is irrelevant.
Click to expand...

OK, so we're irrelevant compared to Seattle. Say that proudly next time you're in Bellingham.....

So what about KPUG 1170? KPUG depends on ESPN for most of it's programming. I sorta think ESPN's little ploy will be a MASSIVE gain for Fox, Sports Byline USA and others.......which in turn will probably hurt ESPN that much more.......

But what do I know? We're IRRELEVANT.......
 
Bongwater said:
OK, so we're irrelevant compared to Seattle. Say that proudly next time you're in Bellingham.....

So what about KPUG 1170? KPUG depends on ESPN for most of it's programming. I sorta think ESPN's little ploy will be a MASSIVE gain for Fox, Sports Byline USA and others.......which in turn will probably hurt ESPN that much more.......

But what do I know? We're IRRELEVANT.......
Click to expand...

Personally I don't ever go into Bellingham. There's nothing of interest to me there.

Here let me explain this again to you Bong...If Bellingham isn't part of the Seattle/Tacoma DMA, then KPUG, or whatever local Bellingham-centric station of your choice, will have no adverse effects on the success or revenue of a Seattle/Tacoma DMA station, or especially ESPN Radio Network.

By the way, isn't the term "massive gain" and Bellingham a contradiction in terms? From what I understand about Bellingham, the only thing massive is the buried toxic waste in the old Superfund sites.
 
TVradioguru said:
Bongwater said:
OK, so we're irrelevant compared to Seattle. Say that proudly next time you're in Bellingham.....

So what about KPUG 1170? KPUG depends on ESPN for most of it's programming. I sorta think ESPN's little ploy will be a MASSIVE gain for Fox, Sports Byline USA and others.......which in turn will probably hurt ESPN that much more.......

But what do I know? We're IRRELEVANT.......
Click to expand...

Personally I don't ever go into Bellingham. There's nothing of interest to me there.

Shame. It's a lot more fun up here than you might think.......

Here let me explain this again to you Bong...If Bellingham isn't part of the Seattle/Tacoma DMA, then KPUG, or whatever local Bellingham-centric station of your choice, will have no adverse effects on the success or revenue of a Seattle/Tacoma DMA station, or especially ESPN Radio Network.

Not saying Bellingham specifically, but ALL smaller/medium market soon to be former ESPN affiliate sports talkers. When you look at market size and population, there's a small number of major markets with a LOT of people. But most of the actual US population is scattered amongst the medium/small market areas around the country. The sports talkers in those areas are most likely to balk at ESPN's rate increase and will want to switch to an alternative network, thus boosting Fox and other sports networks. That will have an overall impact on ESPN they're not seeing now. But they will eventually. And if ESPN doesn't want the small/medium markets, NASCAR and Fox would LOVE to have them. Some of the most rabid sports fans in the country are in these areas, where there's no other major big city distractions like fine arts or rock concerts. In some of these areas, sports is all they have for entertainment. And they love it.

By the way, isn't the term "massive gain" and Bellingham a contradiction in terms? From what I understand about Bellingham, the only thing massive is the buried toxic waste in the old Superfund sites.

And Seattle is built on an earthquake fault that could go any minute. And you're wrong again about Bellingham. Aberdeen and Everett are far worse Superfund-wise than Bellingham. There are places EVERYWHERE that are Superfund sites (including in Seattle), but the most massive things here is the lovable laid-back Bellingham hippie vibe and the steakburgers at the Horseshoe Cafe.

Don't just take my word for it. Come on up and check it out......
Click to expand...
 
Bongwater said:
...and meanwhile, as we're getting ready to launch 710 ESPN Seattle to great fanfare, a problem has occurred at Mission Control.....

It's reported that ESPN is cranking up the fees for it's program content sky high.

Will this be a mere bump in the road? Or back to the drawing boards for 710 kHz? Will this be a way of killing off the small-medium market affiliates (like KPUG up here in the 'Ham) in favor of major market affiliates? KIRO-AM certainly does not have the best nighttime signal up here......

Whazzup?
Click to expand...

The word is that this will only affect stations that want to go 24/7 ESPN Radio syndication.
 
Without engaging in the specific inside-baseball of the main part of this thread I will comment on a tangent. If you put Whatcom and Skagit counties together they'd have 400,000 plus people headed to 500.000 within a decade or not much longer. Not Seattle-Tacoma market sized or attached but big enough they'd be about the 100th market right now and head to 75th within that next decade. And within a decade or so they probably be considered a part of a Seattle centered consolidated metropolitan statical area at least by the census and maybe by radio market services.
 
The KIRO deal with ESPN was done some time ago and contains specific clearance agreements and a long-term contract according to my sources at ESPN. The anticipated ESPN changes have no impact on KIRO for now. The affiliate fees will come into play as a vehicle to force clearance of prime shows and spot banks in prime time. Stations will now have a cash option. Not as radical or significant as the trades make this out to be in my humble view.
 
radioprofessor said:
The KIRO deal with ESPN was done some time ago and contains specific clearance agreements and a long-term contract according to my sources at ESPN. The anticipated ESPN changes have no impact on KIRO for now. The affiliate fees will come into play as a vehicle to force clearance of prime shows and spot banks in prime time. Stations will now have a cash option. Not as radical or significant as the trades make this out to be in my humble view.
Click to expand...

And even IF KIRO had to pay $50k-$100 to become an affiliate, they'd do it anyway - and pay for it by laying off a couple more people in the newsroom (as they did this past week).
 
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