ESPN to run business news

[liradioisbad]

I remember way back when ESPN tv used to air a business news show that lasted for a few hours in the morning for whatever reason. Guess they weren't established enough to run SportsCenter all morning yet.

Also, judging by the recent talk about ticket sales at the new ballparks on Mike Francesa's show, you would think that Bloomberg Radio carrying overflow WFAN games also works the other way around.

I don't really see the uproar over one non-sports segment on a sports segment. After all, Imus went for years on WFAN long after the rest of the station was well established.

 

[DToTheJ]

But this is just plain STUPID. ESPN's brand is SPORTS. You tune in to a sports station to hear sports. You tune in to a business station to hear business. This dilutes the brand and it dilutes the message of the station.

I've got to respectfully disagree with you too cawasinnj. I hear sports reports all the time on news/talk stations, all news stations. If a news junkie or someone listening for political commentary and debate is also interested in knowing the sports scores and headlines, than why be so narrow minded as to think that sports fans have no interests beyond sports?

A stock market report airing 3 times a day does not dilute the product. Would you say that a commercial for a car dealer that runs 3 times a day dilutes the product? Or course not. No difference here...this is another avenue for the company to generate revenue. Given the number of our colleagues who've lost their jobs due to the steep decline in advertising revenues, I'm surprised anyone in the business of radio would balk at this idea.

Agreed, I think it's a good idea.

And why is that, Mr. "I Like To Watch My Post Count Balloon Faster Than Limbaugh's Cholesterol" Radio Man? ???

 

[cawasinnj]

I've got to respectfully disagree with you too cawasinnj. I hear sports reports all the time on news/talk stations, all news stations.

Not the same thing. Sports reports are a subset of news. Business reports are not a subset of sports.

Would you say that a commercial for a car dealer that runs 3 times a day dilutes the product? Or course not.

Of course not. And the commercials a station runs have nothing whatsoever to do with the format the stations runs, so that's a non sequitur.

After all, Imus went for years on WFAN long after the rest of the station was well established.

Very good point. And he really didn't belong there, but the circumstances were unique. His show having 15 years of history on that facility (as WNBC) before WFAN even existed, having carried the station for the first few years, blah blah blah. A better example might be Stern on K-Rock for years and years. That really didn't make a lot of sense either, but there wasn't any other place doing what Howard did so at least they had somewhat of an excuse.

 

[Prais]

"Sports reports are a subset of news."

Well, if you own stock (half the people do) it would be of interest; a "subset" of your life - needed info. Isn't there NEWS on that station? No news there would be a mistake too.

 

[cawasinnj]

"Sports reports are a subset of news."

Well, if you own stock (half the people do) it would be of interest; a "subset" of your life - needed info. Isn't there NEWS on that station? No news there would be a mistake too.

That's one of the sillier arguments yet. Some sports fans like Top 40 music too, so why doesn't 1050 do a Top 10 Countdown. Some fans do gardening, so there should be a gardening show too. And on and on and on......

 

[Prais]

As I said before, YOU certainly believe that all sports fans are 1 dimensional and ONLY care about sports-nothing else. That is a load of baloney.

The more you serve the audience, the better. A ccouple of short reports would not hurt - especially if they bring revenue. If HALF of the people own stock (NYSE estimate) what's wrong with giving them the numbers?

 

[neo11]

As I said before, YOU certainly believe that all sports fans are 1 dimensional and ONLY care about sports-nothing else. That is a load of baloney.

The more you serve the audience, the better. A ccouple of short reports would not hurt - especially if they bring revenue. If HALF of the people own stock (NYSE estimate) what's wrong with giving them the numbers?

I always thought these reports were silly because being told that the Dow or NASDAQ or the S&P 500 went up or down doesn't necessarily mean anything at all when your individual stocks are concerned. I've known traders who have worked the floor at Wall Street and if you asked many of them over the course of the day if the Dow had gone up or down, they had no idea! They were concerned with their own stocks and those of their clients, not some more abstract aggregate.

 

[Prais]

Often times, "the most active" stocks and/or LOCAL stocks are reported My goodness, I can't believe the "detail" here over a couple of sponsored (PAYING) minutes a day. Put it on and ifd people complain, take it off. BIG DEAL!

 

[Prais]

If the reports a"don't mean anything" WHY are they on everywhere. I bought a station a few years ago and too off the "farm markets" (general info/no grain elevator prices) until I gotLOTS of comnplaints - "WHERE DID THAT GO?".We put them rigt back on.

Often times, "the most active" stocks and/or LOCAL stocks are reported My goodness, I can't believe the "detail" here over a couple of sponsored (PAYING) minutes a day. Put it on and ifd people complain, take it off. BIG DEAL!
[/quote]

 

[neo11]

If the reports a"don't mean anything" WHY are they on everywhere. I bought a station a few years ago and too off the "farm markets" (general info/no grain elevator prices) until I gotLOTS of comnplaints - "WHERE DID THAT GO?".We put them rigt back on.

Often times, "the most active" stocks and/or LOCAL stocks are reported My goodness, I can't believe the "detail" here over a couple of sponsored (PAYING) minutes a day. Put it on and ifd people complain, take it off. BIG DEAL!

[/quote]

It seems that you're the one that's getting riled up about this.

And yes, I am aware that the most active stocks or, sometimes, local stocks are reported...that still doesn't really mean much at all, since they still represent a tiny fraction of all the stocks out there. It's like Sportscenter only reporting scores for one or two teams.

As to why so many stations do these business updates? Well, most of those "many" stations are news/talk or business news stations, where they do make more sense, even if such 1-2 minute updates are still completely uninformative. Of course, just because the radio industry does something as a practice, doesn't mean that it's the correct thing to do!

 

[cawasinnj]

As I said before, YOU certainly believe that all sports fans are 1 dimensional and ONLY care about sports-nothing else. That is a load of baloney.

I never said anything of the sort. Maybe you should go back and reread everything to make sure you understand it.

 

[Prais]

Well, maybe YOU should count the number of replies and note that YOUR OPINION LOSES! ou are correct that you never posted about what you quoted from me, but having only sports accomplishes what I said. You think sports farns are stupid.. Why noty stop the commercials, too. They are "not sports."

And, (just like YOU), with respect, I have a right to post here, so "maybe YOU" should sit back and learn something.

 

[dmargalotti]

I get cawasinnj's point and understand the concern about diluting the product. However, I think he's missing the mark here. Even music intensive stations program non-music elements. Phone scams, entertainment news, news/traffic/weather, whatever. None of that dilutes the product or brand of the stations even though they sell themselves as being all about the music.

In the case of ESPN, we are not talking about an entire program devoted to business news and stocks. That would be out-of-place and inconsistent with their overall mission. We're talking about a stock market report that will probably be no longer than a traffic report. Packaged correctly and presented properly, it will not create a tune-out factor among the core audience and will most likely serve a large percentage of the audience that is, based on the stations demographics, interested in that information.

There's no right or wrong here in terms of programming, only differences in programming philosophy.

 

[neo11]

I have a great idea. ESPN should run hourly Citadel stock price updates. They can call it their comedy relief segment! ;D

 

[DanStrassberg]

In the case of ESPN, we are not talking about an entire program devoted to business news and stocks. That would be out-of-place and inconsistent with their overall mission.

How many ESPN Radio affiliates do brokered time on weekends? And of those, how many air hour-long financial talk shows as part of the brokered content?

My guess is that both percentages are appreciable (read: >20%). And of those that do this, how many feel that the $$$ the brokered financial shows bring in are not worth breaking the format for an hour or more a week? My guess on that one is ZERO.

 

[neo11]

In the case of ESPN, we are not talking about an entire program devoted to business news and stocks. That would be out-of-place and inconsistent with their overall mission.

How many ESPN Radio affiliates do brokered time on weekends? And of those, how many air hour-long financial talk shows as part of the brokered content?

My guess is that both percentages are appreciable (read: >20%). And of those that do this, how many feel that the $$$ the brokered financial shows bring in are not worth breaking the format for an hour or more a week? My guess on that one is ZERO.

Apples and oranges. Brokered programming, whether it is financial talk or anything else, can be far more lucrative than a 1-2 minute update a couple of times a day.

 

[cawasinnj]

Well, maybe YOU should count the number of replies and note that YOUR OPINION LOSES!

When did popular opinion start determining what is a correct business decision?

ou are correct that you never posted about what you quoted from me,

Thank you.

but having only sports accomplishes what I said. You think sports farns are stupid..

I never said that either. Have you ever thought about going into politics?

Why noty stop the commercials, too. They are "not sports."

Quite true. And I already addressed that. Programming and commercials are two separate things. We're only referring to programming here.

And, (just like YOU), with respect, I have a right to post here, so "maybe YOU" should sit back and learn something.

Again, you're making statements about what I'm saying that have no basis in fact. I never said you don't have the right to say something. When you make up things, that's a problem. (And that's being charitable.)