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ESPN to affiliates: That'll be $100,000 please (impact on 890?)

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

(Covered in a thread below--oops, sorry for dupli.... But here are more details.)

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/espn-radio-wants-100000-from-local-affiliates-22740

Would WAMG 890/WLLH 1400 consider dropping ESPN after this latest bit of news? The sports
network wants to charge non-ESPN owned stations 100k

>>A source told me that ESPN is planning to charge some non-ESPN owned and operated sports radio stations fees to carry its radio network programming. For big markets (Top 30), the annual charge to stations is as high as $100,000.

Can they afford that, on what they make? It's not definite that ESPN plans to do this in every big market
(the article says smaller market stations tend to pick Fox Sports or Sporting News) but you wonder how
this move, if true, could affect 890/1400... Well, what's that, $80,000 or so per month? can they make
their money back on that?
 
Maybe that's why sports (ESPN) was dropped on WLVP-870 Gorham-Portland, Maine and WLAM-1470 Lewiston, Maine just 3 weeks ago or so. Now they're rock and maistream oldies. Not a major market ($100k fee) but I'm sure whatever ESPN was going to charge these Maine stations was too much. I can't imagine that there will be too many ESPN affiliates left after this recent attempted money-grab.
 
raccoonradio said:
(Covered in a thread below--oops, sorry for dupli.... But here are more details.)

Would WAMG 890/WLLH 1400 consider dropping ESPN after this latest bit of news? The sports
network wants to charge non-ESPN owned stations 100k
Click to expand...
As I said in the other thread, I believe that ESPN is subsidizing non owned affiliates in major markets because the network needs the spot clearances. Stations such as WAMG/WLLH and WPEN Philadelphia are probably receiving the subsidies. If smaller market stations are charged instead of subsidized, the fees they pay will, in effect, go to the non O&O major-market affiliates. WAMG may have lots to worry about, but affiliation fees from ESPN are probably not on the list.
 
I think they just introduced three new Ma/RI ESPN affiliates last month. You can't hear them after dark, I'm not even sure if any have any local programming at all. Just straight- 24 hours- ESPN personalities.
 
JIBGUY said:
Maybe that's why sports (ESPN) was dropped on WLVP-870 Gorham-Portland, Maine and WLAM-1470 Lewiston, Maine just 3 weeks ago or so. Now they're rock and maistream oldies. Not a major market ($100k fee) but I'm sure whatever ESPN was going to charge these Maine stations was too much. I can't imagine that there will be too many ESPN affiliates left after this recent attempted money-grab.
Click to expand...

I doubt you see many ESPN Radio affiliates at all (outside of the top 50 or so markets) unless they're big money makers. The little 1kw pea shooters on a graveyard frequency and small market stations on a medium grade signal will drop ESPN the minute they get the press release
 
I personally think the Boston radio sports media cabal is beyond horrible. Haughty, aloof, opinionated beyond all sense or reason, and downright irritating to listen to. Against that backdrop, virtually anyone from ESPN is more palatable. So let's say the cost to 'buy' this programming is $100,000 per year and likely less than that for smaller stations/markets. Are stations balking at this because the cost for them to staff their own talent is LESS than that? Could that be true? I would think that the stations SAVE money by going ESPN. This makes it sound like they wouldn't!
 
Good point though it still may be too much for some very small stations (then again, smaller markets,
smaller fees) and some might prefer to go to Fox Sports or Sporting News if available. btw tonight I tuned
briefly to WLLH Lowell/Lawrence (1400) and they had a _nationwide_ sports update during the World
Baseball Classic final and who should be doing it but Ryen Rusillo, who got into the news a couple years back when he tried to hit on John Dennis' girlfriend and got a nasty message left on his answering machine
by J.D.!
 
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