Football on KRLD

[gordontalk]

In my entire time of living here in DFW, I've never heard football on KRLD until right now. When did this start? I always wondered why they never ran CBS sports and other stations would.

 

[Slambang]

They've done it for years...they used to be the Flagship for Your Dallas Cowboys...

 

[MikeShannon914]

It's probably by choice, KRLD running the CBS Radio Network sportscasts...but if there's a higher bidder (like KTCK, for example, who ran the Monday Night games for years) it may just put KRLD on the backburner. (I know MNF was on ABC, but CBS had the radio rights...Daddy Buck and Hank Stram used to do the PxP.) Besides, there's probably a factor in there where CBS can make more money running their radio broadcasts on a non-owned station instead of an O-and-O.

CBS may not have another local outlet interested right now, or if one is interested, there's probably a minimum coverage or wattage requirement (sorry, 990.) KTCK would otherwise be running a Cowboys game today; others (WBAP and KESN) might be committed to Stars or Mavericks weekend games, but none would likely wreck their regular, contracted commitment just to run a miscellaneous CBS football game to fill one hole here and there...and CBS would likely not sign up a station who wouldn't commit to a season's worth of broadcasts. KRLD also has to worry about the carryover of Rangers baseball into September (or perhaps October, in the next few decades) before committing to an obligation to run all of the CBS games.

Besides, those games wouldn't be of much local interest, except in a few cases where maybe it's the Texans, or a game that has playoff implications that affect the Cowboys. Die-hard fans of out-of-town teams probably already subscribe to the NFL cable TV package and watch their teams of choice.

There were a few years in there when I worked nights (late 90s) and would have to resort to DXing to hear the MNF games on radio...WWL in New Orleans and WHO in Des Moines usually came in clearly on fall and winter evenings.

 

[BKane]

They've done it for years...they used to be the Flagship for Your Dallas Cowboys...

Now that's an incredibly misleading reply.

I was there 10 years ('96-'06). Not a single football game aired.

BK

 

[MikeShannon914]

So what years WAS it the Cowboys' flagship?

In 1960, the Cowboys' inaugural year, KBOX had them. Then to KLIF starting in 1961. KRLD took flagship status in 1972. KWXI-97.1 carried them in the mid-70s, followed by KFWD/KTXQ in 1978 (but I believe KRLD was still considered the flagship, and the games were simulcast on FM as sort of a novelty.) Then to KVIL in 1989, I believe, then to KLUV in 2002. KTCK/KDBN picked up the games in 2006.

 

[MikeShannon914]

OK, with a little research in the Dallas Morning News archives, here's who had the Cowboys and when:

1960-KBOX 1480AM
1961, 1962-KLIF 1190AM
1963, 1964-KLIF 1190AM, AND KVIL 103.7FM
1965 through 1969-KLIF 1190AM (KRLD did broadcast one game instead of KLIF in Dec 1968)

1970, 1971-KLIF 1190AM and KFJZ 1270AM
1972 through 1974-KRLD 1080AM
1975-KRLD 1080AM and KWXI 97.1FM (KWXI was the former [and later] KFJZ-FM; sister to former simulcaster 1270AM)
1976 and 1977-KRLD 1080AM
1978 (and maybe beyond)-KRLD 1080AM and KFWD/KTXQ 102.1FM

There's a gaping hole in the archives from 1978 to mid-1984, but we know that KRLD had the games non-stop during that period, and continued through the 1990 season. Far as how long KTXQ/Q102 carried them, I don't know...likely just one or two seasons. And not sure if any other stations carried KRLD's simulcast.

KVIL got the flagship rights in 1991. Here's what the Dallas News said about it on 7/29/90: "The Dallas Cowboys last week handed off their radio broadcast rights for the next five years to KVIL-FM, ending an 19-year relationship with KRLD-AM. The professional football club sold the rights to KVIL for $3.5 million a year, sources said. KRLD currently pays about $2 million per season to broadcast the Cowboys' games. Its current contract with the Cowboys runs through the 1990 season. In addition to KRLD and KVIL, other local stations bidding for the broadcast rights included WBAP-AM, KZPS-FM and KLIF-AM."

Of course, KESS-FM carried the games in Spanish during the 1970s (Armando Quintero was their voice,) and others followed thereafter.

 

[little1]

In my entire time of living here in DFW, I've never heard football on KRLD until right now. When did this start? I always wondered why they never ran CBS sports and other stations would.

The other reason might be lack of 'paid' programming on a holiday weekend. If I were paying a buttload of money for an hour on the weekends, I'm not sure it would be a good use of my money to pay for a weekend where listening habits are so wacky. Between people having realtives in town, people out of town, etc, I bet the listener levels are such that the payers don't want to waste their money.

And something, like football, that CBS already has the rights to is probably a good alternative source of progrmming. No jocks to pay, etc, just pay a board op to ride herd on the bird...

 

[jd]

Far as how long KTXQ/Q102 carried them, I don't know...likely just one or two seasons. And not sure if any other stations carried KRLD's simulcast.

The Cowboy games did indeed begin in 1978 on Q102 but not as a actual simulcast of KRLD. They were fed from the Southwest operations center of the Mutual Broadcasting System, with which KTXQ was affiliated, and there were numerous Mutual affiliates throughout Texas and neighboring states which carried the games. Mutual's agreement prohibited any other Dallas area AM station from carrying the Cowboys, but in an obvious oversight didn't forbid an FM affiliate from picking them up. The Q102 pre-game shows were produced by Mitch Carr and the games made a lot of money for the station. I was the one running the board, handling commercial avails, scheduling and generating customized logs for all the broadcasts. For now, anyway, my memory is a little fuzzy; I can't recall when they ended but it was several seasons. I clearly remember, though, that KRLD wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea.

 

[Steve Eberhart]

The Cowboy network feed used to be delivered thru TSN (Texas State Network).
At my first job, one of my duties was board-op for the games and that was in 1973. Later at my second job they occasionally landed on my shift and that was in 1977. I don't know how long TSN carried the network feed but it was a long time. Does anyone else remember Verne Lundquist and Al Wisk?

 

[MikeShannon914]

That could explain the connection with KWXI and KFJZ-AM carrying the games...I believe they were still the home base of TSN then, and simply took the feed from them. (I'm sure an OK from KRLD was in order first, though...but KFJZ could argue that they were only looking to make the games heard in Tarrant County.)

KWXI was playing oldies by 1975, but who was listening? No real threat there to KRLD, though they could have optioned the games for their FM outlet, KAFM, but didn't.

Sure, I remember Vern and Al, but not for their Cowboys broadcasts...Frank Glieber and Brad, all the way, since the nearby KRLD towers would have surely blocked out KRRV/KIKM had I tried!

 

[Robert Bass]

Does anyone else remember Verne Lundquist and Al Wisk?

I remember (barely) Verne, from when he was hosting the DFW area edition of Bowling For Dollars TV game show.

R

 

[stinker]

i remember Verne, Brad and Frank were in the booth at once.

in fact, i seem to remember Frank and Verne switching Playxplay during the game.

much like baseball announcers do.

not sure if it was by qtr. or half.

 

[Steve Eberhart]

As I recall, KWXI FM's SCA sideband was the method of feeding TSN throughout Texas through a series of relay stations.
They fed TSN audio throught the SCA of KWXI 97.1 FM from Ft.Worth, from there it would hop from city to city.
I remember working in Sherman where the SCA of KWXI was poor reception, so the network always sounded scratchy...then one day we threatened to drop TSN because the audio was so poor...and they had an 8KC line installed from Ft.Worth (TSN headquarters at the time) to Sherman. It was pristine from then on. Later they put it all on a sattelite feed but in the early days it was tough sleddin' sometimes with the old SCA hopping around the state.

There was a time when it was interesting to listen to the SCA for local FM's. At one time KVIL's SCA had a "hip elevator music" format. Orchestrated versions of rock songs. Most had "Muzak". I don't even know if any FM's have SCA anymore.
Anyone know?

 

[Robert Bass]

As I recall, KWXI FM's SCA sideband was the method of feeding TSN throughout Texas through a series of relay stations.
They fed TSN audio throught the SCA of KWXI 97.1 FM from Ft.Worth, from there it would hop from city to city.
I remember working in Sherman where the SCA of KWXI was poor reception, so the network always sounded scratchy...then one day we threatened to drop TSN because the audio was so poor...and they had an 8KC line installed from Ft.Worth (TSN headquarters at the time) to Sherman. It was pristine from then on. Later they put it all on a sattelite feed but in the early days it was tough sleddin' sometimes with the old SCA hopping around the state.

There was a time when it was interesting to listen to the SCA for local FM's. At one time KVIL's SCA had a "hip elevator music" format. Orchestrated versions of rock songs. Most had "Muzak". I don't even know if any FM's have SCA anymore.
Anyone know?

IIRC KERA has a text to speech service on their SCA.

R

 

[MikeShannon914]

I posed the SCA question on here about a month ago. North Texas Radio for the Blind (NTRB) is probably the most used and highest profile local broadcaster on the SCA band (3,000 average audience via specially-tuned receivers, per NTRB boss Steve Cumming.) Other posters suggested these:

"Many are used for data, like traffic reports linked to GPS systems, or for narrowcasting like Radio Tehran in LA. Plenty of applications exist, although the original use, background music, is almost all satellite delivered today." (Eduardo)

"RDS / RDBS is another form of data transmission over an SCA." (Robt Bass)

"Last I heard 97.1 still has one for those Microsoft watches that came out (briefly) several years ago that had news/whatever data on them." (Radi0chic)

I have a SCA tuner at home that I haven't hooked up in about three years, so I don't know what the current broadcasts are. I do recall a couple of very unrecognizable languaged-programs on there. As for music, I recall Eckerd's storecasting network on there at one time, but surely that's long gone (or used for CVS now?) I know I would sometimes get pager "noises" on there as well.

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

So what years WAS it the Cowboys' flagship?

In 1960, the Cowboys' inaugural year, KBOX had them. Then to KLIF starting in 1961. KRLD took flagship status in 1972. KWXI-97.1 carried them in the mid-70s, followed by KFWD/KTXQ in 1978 (but I believe KRLD was still considered the flagship, and the games were simulcast on FM as sort of a novelty.) Then to KVIL in 1989, I believe, then to KLUV in 2002. KTCK/KDBN picked up the games in 2006.

Sic' em, Mike. Get 'em boy! ;D

 

[MikeShannon914]

Woof woof! Where's my treat?

 

[Robert Bass]

Also, don't FM's that broadcast HD channels, use the sub carriers?

R

 

[Feyd]

The Q-102 pregame included Pat Donovan....based on the idea of having a lineman, not a "flashy player"...as the voice of the x's and o's. He was fantastic. The station also had Cliff and Charlie as the poster boys for the ad campaign.....Bud Stiker and the others were geniuses to see that loophole mentioned earlier. Allen Farmer was the voice of Bio-Rhythm Bennie...yes, it was the 70's......and it was a lot of fun producing the show for a couple of years before moving on to WFAA-AM Newstalk 57 for a two-year run with Joe and the gang.

Regards to all,
Mitch

 

[DoogieDown1]

Regards to all,
Mitch

Step away [size=12pt]from [size=14pt]the CARR!!![/size][/size]