FSR clock change

[livingfruitvirus]

I wonder if any other stations besides the one I listen to weren't prepared for Fox Sports Radio to alter their network clock significantly.

The Fox Sports Report, now called Fox Sports News, is only 1:30 now at the top. The local break is shortened to 3 min 30 sec. and the program starts at 5 after. The first break goes straight into 2 minutes of network spots, then 4 minutes of local spots, then another Fox Sports News segment, which is likely optional since it's at the end of the break. The next break goes into another 2 minute network spot, followed by 3 min 30 sec. of local spots, and no Fox Sports News segment like there used to be. The next, and final, segment of the show goes straight to the top of the hour (with :10 of silence for station identification).

So basically, network and local spots remain the same, but truncating the reports and removing the network promo ends up adding to the program's length by some 4-5 minutes. The exception is Dan Patrick, who keeps the 4-segmented, 5-minutes-of-network-spots clock he's had.

 

[Mainedude2007]

interesting..........maybe a response to ESPN's changes?

I don't know if the bottom of the hour report is optional, but I'm guessing it could be, if you had enough commercials to fill the 5 or 6 minutes total. What's FSR air during local breaks? I know they don't have the PxP or TV connections like ESPN does (If ESPN Radio stations don't air local commercials, they get ESPN Radio, TV and ABC Sports promos)

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Sometimes FSR runs advertisements under the local breaks. They're usually pre-feeds of ads they plan to run in an upcoming network break. Otherwise, they run PSAs under the local breaks.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Prior to January 17, FSR had refeeds of their ads run after the TOH sports update. Then after the :20/:40 updates, show promos aired under the local breaks (ie, Czaben, Ben Maller, etc), while the :57-past stopset was a lengthy re-mix of the Fox Sports theme.

 

[the golden boy]

Maybe because I was used to one thing, but I don't like the clock change. I really hate only having the sports twice an hour rather than every 20 minutes. When the Petros and Money show first started, I remember the format clock was rather off-kilter, but I thought that maybe it was just because of KLAC.

 

[production]

I got the memo on this, and we made the change. (We also moved from starguide to xds at the same time.) There was a lot of confusion on the FSR end. Breaks were early/late, and at one point I decided they were on 5 second delay. They may have been, cuz our AM automation clock was always 5 sec off from our FM clock. Now, it seems to be ok. I was really against the change, since Krystal and Andrew was my favorite clock segment. (I'd send JT and Looney into outerspace in a second). I really hated P and M. But after a month of the new format, the only thing I still hate is JT. But it was a clusterfuck changeover. CLUSTERFUCK CHANGEOVER.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Yeah, it's been a while but I guess this clock didn't play too well, so they're changing it again as of Feb 15th.

- The Fox Sports News segments, which were already truncated from 2:00 to 1:30, will be shortened again to 1:00. The BOH segment will now occur before the commercials as opposed to after them.
- Programs will now start right at 01:00 past, with no commercials at the top. The first local set will float to ~13:00 past, and will be 3:00 following a net 2:00.
- Breaks two and three change to 4:00 each, both following a net 1:00.

Spot quantity remain the same. They've basically just rearranged the segments.

 

[Mainedude2007]

Yeah, it's been a while but I guess this clock didn't play too well, so they're changing it again as of Feb 15th.

- The Fox Sports News segments, which were already truncated from 2:00 to 1:30, will be shortened again to 1:00. The BOH segment will now occur before the commercials as opposed to after them.
- Programs will now start right at 01:00 past, with no commercials at the top. The first local set will float to ~13:00 past, and will be 3:00 following a net 2:00.
- Breaks two and three change to 4:00 each, both following a net 1:00.

Spot quantity remain the same. They've basically just rearranged the segments.

directly mirroring ESPN, which breaks at almost the same time

 

[saraswati]

can they directly mirror espn and buy out stephen a. smith too?

couldn't resist...

 

[livingfruitvirus]

directly mirroring ESPN, which breaks at almost the same time

Not really. ESPN Radio's shows have 5 segments instead of 4 (currently 3 on FSR). After the change the clock will have 4:00 net/11:10 local/2:00 news and 42:50 program, with Dan Patrick being the one show with its own custom clock, and I bet that changes too.

ESPN Radio's shows have these clocks:

6 AM - 10 AM: 37:50 program ; 14:10 local/5:00 net/3:00 sportscenter
10 AM - 2PM , 4 PM - 7 PM: 35:20 program ; 16:10 local/4:00 net/4:30 sportscenter
2 PM - 4 PM: 35:20 program ; 18:10 local/2:00 net/4:30 sportscenter
7 PM - 6 AM: 37:20 program ; 12:10 local/3:00 net/7:30 sportscenter

That's the first time I ever saw the ESPN clocks and they sure do have a lot of commercials.

 

[Evil Monkey99]

Everything now is based on PPM feedback/research

Does anyone know what percentage of the FSR affiliate base actually are considered PPM markets as opposed to diary??! OHHHH WAIT... its a Los Angeles station that essentially has a national platform. I'm sorry... I actually thought for a second this was a NETWORK. My bad...

 

[Mainedude2007]

That's the first time I ever saw the ESPN clocks and they sure do have a lot of commercials.

they used to have alot more commercials in a row, 5 or 6 years ago their clock included 5 or 6 minute breaks (including networks) at :15, :35 and :55 plus a short break after the TOH Sportscenter

 

[Rusty Muck]

Yeah, it's been a while but I guess this clock didn't play too well, so they're changing it again as of Feb 15th.

- The Fox Sports News segments, which were already truncated from 2:00 to 1:30, will be shortened again to 1:00. The BOH segment will now occur before the commercials as opposed to after them.
- Programs will now start right at 01:00 past, with no commercials at the top. The first local set will float to ~13:00 past, and will be 3:00 following a net 2:00.
- Breaks two and three change to 4:00 each, both following a net 1:00.

Spot quantity remain the same. They've basically just rearranged the segments.

It's almost (but not quite) now similar to the Jim Rome clock... which has the show directly starting at the TOH and not at 1:00 past.

There are a few stations that will get screwed over, particularly news/talk stations (like WEOL/930 in Elyria) that air FSR as filler during the evening and weekends and no longer can carry a TOH newscast at all.

 

[Rusty Muck]

directly mirroring ESPN, which breaks at almost the same time

Not really. ESPN Radio's shows have 5 segments instead of 4 (currently 3 on FSR). After the change the clock will have 4:00 net/11:10 local/2:00 news and 42:50 program, with Dan Patrick being the one show with its own custom clock, and I bet that changes too.

ESPN Radio's shows have these clocks:

6 AM - 10 AM: 37:50 program ; 14:10 local/5:00 net/3:00 sportscenter
10 AM - 2PM , 4 PM - 7 PM: 35:20 program ; 16:10 local/4:00 net/4:30 sportscenter
2 PM - 4 PM: 35:20 program ; 18:10 local/2:00 net/4:30 sportscenter
7 PM - 6 AM: 37:20 program ; 12:10 local/3:00 net/7:30 sportscenter

That's the first time I ever saw the ESPN clocks and they sure do have a lot of commercials.

ONLY two minutes of net spots for Scott Van Pelt? THAT'S really odd...

 

[Mainedude2007]

directly mirroring ESPN, which breaks at almost the same time

Not really. ESPN Radio's shows have 5 segments instead of 4 (currently 3 on FSR). After the change the clock will have 4:00 net/11:10 local/2:00 news and 42:50 program, with Dan Patrick being the one show with its own custom clock, and I bet that changes too.

ESPN Radio's shows have these clocks:

6 AM - 10 AM: 37:50 program ; 14:10 local/5:00 net/3:00 sportscenter
10 AM - 2PM , 4 PM - 7 PM: 35:20 program ; 16:10 local/4:00 net/4:30 sportscenter
2 PM - 4 PM: 35:20 program ; 18:10 local/2:00 net/4:30 sportscenter
7 PM - 6 AM: 37:20 program ; 12:10 local/3:00 net/7:30 sportscenter

That's the first time I ever saw the ESPN clocks and they sure do have a lot of commercials.

ONLY two minutes of net spots for Scott Van Pelt? THAT'S really odd...

that's because they take an extra minute during mike and mike, there's a network minute before and after the :20 sports center, everyone else going front content to sportscenter at :20 past

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Well here's their reasoning behind the change

Attention Fox Sports Radio Affiliate:

The new Fox Sports Radio Program Clock is attached and takes effect on Monday, February15 at 12:00 midnight Eastern time (Sunday, Feb.14 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific).

It contains the same levels of network and local inventory.What has changed is the position of the breaks, nowstraddled across adjacent quarter hours. That's intendedto maximize AQH performance.

At Arbitron’s annual Fly-In, “The Impact Of Commercials On Station Performance,”Arbitron VP of customer enhancements John Snyder explained that placing commercial breaks at the top and bottom of the hour (or at 15 and 45 minutes past) would minimize bounce and reduce missed quarter hours.The average station could increase its AQH performance by 35% by getting credit for all the quarter hours in which listeners heard the station, Snyder said.

We also reduced the duration of the top of hour break to only one minute toretain more audience from one hour to the next.And, Fox Sports Updates will be reduced from :90 to :60-seconds.

for CC stations only: [Jess Hanson, Clear Channel SVP Research, designed the clock using his extensive research and GeneRomano, EVP - Programming, endorsedit.]

Even though this new clockis redesigned withPPM methodology in mind,it is expected to have apositive effect in diary markets.

*For those FSR affiliates that air The Dan Patrick Show (Mon-Fri 9a-12p ET/6a-9a PT), the current programming clock will not change at this time.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Kurt Kretzschmar
National Marketing Director
Premiere Radio Networks

 

[Evil Monkey99]

Exactly... PPM research and feedback...

 

[Rusty Muck]

Even though the small-market news/talk stations (again, those that carry three-to-five minute top of the hour newscasts) that carry FSR during the weekends will now be left with an unusable clock. I just can't see how they can adapt their top element - in this case, the main TOH news update - onto the format. Kinda difficult. :

Don't get me wrong... I personally really like the clock.. for all-sports stations. It's excellent, and better than ESPN's, IMO. Full-service stations? Don't really like it as much. Just saying.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

CNN Radio, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, and AP all offer a one minute news update that these "FSR" stations could employ on weekends.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

CNN Radio, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, and AP all offer a one minute news update that these "FSR" stations could employ on weekends.

Fox News Radio does too. Our FSR affiliate out in the Antelope Valley opts out of the Fox Sports News segment for Fox News Radio. An odd choice to make because they are FSR 24/7 and brand themselves as Fox Sports Radio.