Gow Takes Over Sporting News Radio

[DToTheJ]

KGOW's owner has purchased a majority stake in Mission Media Group, current owners of Sporting News Radio. The owner of the print publication, American City Business Journals, recently sold off the radio operation to Mission. David Gow will serve as Mission's chairman, and subsequently relocate SNR's headquarters from Santa Monica to Houston, where KGOW will serve as the network's flagship station.

Full story:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6980951.html

 

[adguy]

Go Gow!!! It's finally good to see someone's media HQ come to Houston. Let's hope he expands his radio holdings and content companies based here. Kudos!!!

 

[93-3TheSurge]

KGOW's ratings have significantly dropped since the station dropped LSU Football for Oklahoma. Hopefully this move will save the station, but I doubt it.

 

[tomficker]

Surge...I backed off on the Saints talk but with a statement like that..are you just mentally ill? A Houston station choosing to run Oklahoma football as opposed to LSU on 11 Saturday's a year is that significant for a station's survival? Give me a break. A smarter move would be to run Kansas, Kansas State, or even Baylor who actually pay for their Texas airtime or at least were as of a few years ago. At least then there's some built in revenue. If anything, running Sporting News around college football show would probably outdraw them all.
I'm hoping you're just kidding and I think you are.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Tommy Ficker, I will take on any Saints argument you want to throw my way, and the same goes for my Fightin' Tigers of LSU. LSU did in fact pull in better ratings than OU on KGOW. Would they pull in better ratings in Austin? No. Dallas? No. San Antonio? No. But Houston? Yes. The biggest reason? Geographics, as Baton Rouge is four hours away, while Norman is seven hours away. LSU has a bigger alumni base in Houston than OU, not to mention all the bandwagon love LSU received after winning two BCS National Championships in 2003 and 2007.

Mentally ill? That may be an OU fan in Houston who thinks his team can beat LSU on a football field or in Arbitron ratings.


2003 BCS Championship
LSU 21
OU 14

So why did KGOW switch if LSU was pulling in better ratings? OU Alumni paid KGOW, and LSU Alumni weren't willing to do that, especially when they can pull in the LSU Sports Network affiliate from nearby Beaumont during the day, and WWL 870 at night.

 

[tomficker]

OU Alumni paid KGOW, and LSU Alumni weren't willing to do that, especially when they can pull in the LSU Sports Network affiliate from nearby Beaumont during the day, and WWL 870 at night.

Exactly that's what I mean. To me if you can get paid to run any college football team's radio network that would seem to be smart. I doubt Gow was selling any local inventory for LSU nor are they probably selling local ads for OU. However, if you can secure a grand or more per week to clear the Sooners and slam through 2 minutes an hour of freebie spots for Houston's best buffet and whatever car dealership of the week, I say go for it. It all adds up to essentially nothing in the end.
I can tell you his new network almost never sells out its entire inventory at full rates and is loaded with the freecreditreport/ focus factor/estherC type of commercials that I'm sure are being sold for pennies on a dollar.

 

[johndavis]

OU Alumni paid KGOW, and LSU Alumni weren't willing to do that, especially when they can pull in the LSU Sports Network affiliate from nearby Beaumont during the day, and WWL 870 at night.

Exactly that's what I mean. To me if you can get paid to run any college football team's radio network that would seem to be smart. I doubt Gow was selling any local inventory for LSU nor are they probably selling local ads for OU. However, if you can secure a grand or more per week to clear the Sooners and slam through 2 minutes an hour of freebie spots for Houston's best buffet and whatever car dealership of the week, I say go for it. It all adds up to essentially nothing in the end.

Cash is king. Ratings don't pay bills, billing does. You'll also notice that most sports stations don't get great ratings, but they all sell a ton of spots. If LSU alums offered the same cash for clearance to any station in town, they'd get a serious meeting with the GM.

I can tell you his new network almost never sells out its entire inventory at full rates and is loaded with the freecreditreport/ focus factor/estherC type of commercials that I'm sure are being sold for pennies on a dollar.

Can't you say that about any radio network, sports or otherwise? You don't hear blue chip advertisers on the big political talk shows either, but a lot of pay-per-inquiry. Anyway, I've known Clancy Woods long enough to not bet against him.

 

[FilioScotia]

One good reason for dropping LSU in favor of OU. In any given year, more than half the players at OU are from Texas. By comparison, LSU has only a handful of Texas players.

OU recruits so heavily in Texas it can almost be referred to as "Texas North".

If I owned a radio station, and could only carry one or the other, I would also favor OU.

Heck yes. OU's biggest game of the year isn't even played in Oklahoma. My point is that without Texas, and the coverage it gets on Texas radio and TV, OU would be just one more small town university on the prairie.

 

[sean1560]

I actually work at the station, so I feel qualified to comment on the "LSU-OU" debate....

While I obviously can't share specific numbers (mostly because I don't know them), and I caveat this with "we love the OU alumni group and the fact that they pay us a tidy sum to air the games of their alma mater," in terms of the station's overall Arbitron performance and general viability, this LSU vs OU "whose games should 1560 have carried" argument is basically like arguing whether Tim Byrdak or Jeff Fulchino are more important to the Astros having a successful season. Weekdays/daytime is where bills get paid. And last I checked, all our bills are paid and my paycheck just hit my account this morning. So I'm GOIN' TO SIZZLER, BITCHES!!!

Thanks, double rods, YAW YAW YAW, and g'night --

Sean

 

[93-3TheSurge]

One good reason for dropping LSU in favor of OU. In any given year, more than half the players at OU are from Texas. By comparison, LSU has only a handful of Texas players.

OU recruits so heavily in Texas it can almost be referred to as "Texas North".

If I owned a radio station, and could only carry one or the other, I would also favor OU.

Heck yes. OU's biggest game of the year isn't even played in Oklahoma. My point is that without Texas, and the coverage it gets on Texas radio and TV, OU would be just one more small town university on the prairie.

Yes, OU does have more recruits from the state of Texas than LSU, and I think that's great. It really shows the level of talent Texas HS football produces; however, as far as Houston is concerned, LSU typically has just as many (if not more) Houston area signees on National Signing Day as OU.

However, that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters most when it comes to Arbitron is how many more LSU fans there are compared to OU fans in Houston. LSU has a bigger alumni base in Houston than OU, and it has more fans than OU. OU has a closer tie to the state of Texas, I won't argue that; but when it comes to Houston, LSU has a lot more fans, largely because of its proximity.

To JOHN DAVIS---Yeah, I don't fault KGOW for getting paid by the OU Alums. Even if LSU doubled up OU in Arbitron, that doesn't trump the overall goal---making money. But I love the fact that OU had to pay KGOW to get an affiliate in Houston!! How pathetic is that? It's the equivalent of paying a girl to go out with you, or to put it in college football terms, it's the equivalent of paying a HS blue chipper to come play for you. In the beginning, LSU was on for free because KGOW knew the Fightin' Tigers would bring in lots of Houston area LSU fans. KGOW didn't want OU until they agreed to pay them.

LSU doesn't have to pay anybody. If you don't want us, we will find a station that does; the LSU Sports Network boasts affiliates in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. And at night, the LSU Sports Network can be heard in 38 states, with the help of two clear channel blowtorches, KWKH and WWL.

 

[tomficker]

LSU's football radio network
WDGL-FM 98.1 (FB, BB, LM, PM) Baton Rouge
WYPY-FM 100.7 (MB, TJ) Baton Rouge
WTGE-FM 107.3 (WB, VC, SNL) Baton Rouge
WNXX-FM 104.5/104.9 (SB) Baton Rouge

4 stations in Baton Rouge..a bit of an overkill.

WWL-AM 870 or 1350 New Orleans
no argument here.


and a bunch of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana stations.
KWKH-AM 1130 Shreveport
KZMZ-FM 96.9 (FB) Alexandria
KSYL-AM 970 Alexandria
KSLO-AM 1230 Opelousas/Lafayette
KKGB-FM 101.3 (FB) Lake Charles
KAOK-AM 1400 Lake Charles
KNOE-FM 101.9 Monroe
WBOX-FM 92.9 Bogalusa
KEUN-AM 1490 Eunice
KFNV-FM 107.1 Ferriday/Natchez
KCIL-FM 107.5 Houma
KJIN-AM 1490 Houma
KJNA-FM 102.7 Jena
KJAE-FM 93.5 Leesville
KNBB-FM 97.7 Ruston
KVPI-FM/AM 92.5/1050 Ville Platte
KWLT-FM 102.7 Crossett, Ark.
WHSY-AM 950 Hattiesburg, Miss.
WYAB-FM 93.1 Jackson, Miss.
WHNY-AM 1250 McComb, Miss.
WFCG-FM 107.3 Tylertown, Miss

I think this list is surprisingly underwhelming. I pulled it right off the LSU sports site. 38 states? . I'm sure on a clear night after all competing signals have powered down you can hear WWL in San Diego or something crazy like that. However, unless LSU is having 1am kickoffs, I don't see how that would ever occur during a football game. Is there a reason why Dallas with 4 or 5 newstalk and 3 sports talk stations is not on the list? I'm really surprised.

 

[stan]

38 states may be if you listen to the Internet stream.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Let me defend the 38 states statement. WWL claims it can reach 38 states at night. It never said which 38 states, or if the conditions have to be perfect, etc. Nevertheless, WWL is one of the most powerful AM stations out there, and when you add it as an affiliate of any radio network, that radio network will reach the nation's mid-section as well as the east coast. LSU Football prefers to play its games at night, so WWL and KWKH's nighttime capabilities do get used a lot.

I don't know where you are getting 1am from, but if you have a 7pm or 8pm kickoff, especially in the fall months when the sun has gone down by then, that is when WWL is at its best and is typically when the Tigers play.

As far as being underwhelmed, why? This is a respectable list. I would put it up against your favorite college football team's radio network, or any other one for that matter. I have looked at this list several times at lsusports.net, and for some reason Beaumont is left off that list, as well as Texarkana and Greenville, MS. These stations were late arrivals to the 2008 season, and weren't added to the list of affiliates on the website. Anyway, when you look at this list, then consider the fact that it contains two 50,000-watt blowtorches with clear channel (not to be confused with Clear Channel the corporation) capabilities, you should be blown away.

As far as Dallas is concerned, if it is nighttime, you can tune into WWL to hear the LSU Sports Network. If it is daytime, you are screwed. I'm not sure why the LSU Sports Network hasn't made a deal with KLIF, WBAP, or even 1190AM. I can't defend them as far as Dallas is concerned.

 

[LibertyNT]

Daytime KWKH Tends to come in OK. KWKH sometimes has a surprisingly poor nighttime signal too. But WWL is a good Blowtorch. WBAP goes farther then it however.

as for LSU on WBAP, not going to happen TCU has it. 1190 could happen (unless they still carry the Baylor Games). 570 could happen, 660 could happen, 1310 could be possible, 103.3 could happen now too.

 

[smartestguyintheroom]

Before this thread went sideways on LSU, there was a remark that KGOW will now be the flagship for the Sporting News Network and the operations will be moved to Houston. Bringing the HQ to Houston is a fine idea. And I too have known Clancy for many years. I admire his successes, but also know him to be a no-nonsense competitor.

The question then will be can they affiliate stations or sell spots when the flagship has such awful ratings and doesn't sound very good. Some will disagree about the sound, but it's really not a good station. If David can get Clancy involved, KGOW has a chance. If not--same old same old.

 

[johndavis]

To JOHN DAVIS---Yeah, I don't fault KGOW for getting paid by the OU Alums. Even if LSU doubled up OU in Arbitron, that doesn't trump the overall goal---making money. But I love the fact that OU had to pay KGOW to get an affiliate in Houston!! How pathetic is that?

Yes, but you're missing the point, which Sean alluded to in his post.

If a LSU game scores a 0.2 in Arbitron and OU scores a 0.1 in Arbitron (which is pretty much what out of market weekend sports gets you)... and nobody is buying a sponsorship of the LSU games so you're just running rotators in those games while OU comes to you as a complete package with revenue, which one are you going to air? If people in Houston care about LSU, they've either gone to Baton Rouge for the weekend or they're watching it on TV.

Unless the person running the station has an emotional tie to the school, the games they'll carry are based on whether or not they can sell sponsorships. So if there's anything that's pathetic, it's that LSU isn't able to deliver sponsor money this close to Baton Rouge.

(And for the record, I have no dog in this hunt, my team plays in the PAC-10, so I listen to my team online or watch on DirecTV.)

 

[tomficker]

Some will disagree about the sound, but it's really not a good station. If David can get Clancy involved, KGOW has a chance. If not--same old same old.

I agree. I don't Clancy Woods but his resume is very impressive. On the sports boards there was speculation that he was taking over the Sporting News Radio Network from the Bizjournals a few months ago but I guess everything including this new partnership wasn't finalized until now.

I think our discussion which is has sort of been merged into two topics is very relevant in this case. On the sports boards again this week there was an announcement that Premiere and Clear Channel have renewed their relationship for another 5 years I believe. That's gigantic news you would assume in a negative way to Sporting news radio. That agreement pretty much assures Fox Sports Radio hundreds of affiliates who really don't care what programming is actually airing on their station and also makes it next to impossible for SNR to add any Clear Channel affiliates. Couple that with ESPN's world conquering approach to affiliate relations and Sporting News Radio is a distant third place. However, that may not matter at all. With competent people in place and still a significant number of affiliates, thanks in part to many 3 sports station cities, they can still turn a potential profit. And that's probably more then Fox Sports can say despite being handed a larger audience. It's more about revenue then number of stations. I commend Clancy Woods for keeping the network on the air the last 6 years unlike crash and burn's like Prime Sports, SportsFan Radio etc. Like them or not, I think it's fair to say SNR is up against some very unfair almost monopolizing efforts by their competitors yet they keep themselves in business.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

To JOHN DAVIS---Yeah, I don't fault KGOW for getting paid by the OU Alums. Even if LSU doubled up OU in Arbitron, that doesn't trump the overall goal---making money. But I love the fact that OU had to pay KGOW to get an affiliate in Houston!! How pathetic is that?

Yes, but you're missing the point, which Sean alluded to in his post.

If a LSU game scores a 0.2 in Arbitron and OU scores a 0.1 in Arbitron (which is pretty much what out of market weekend sports gets you)... and nobody is buying a sponsorship of the LSU games so you're just running rotators in those games while OU comes to you as a complete package with revenue, which one are you going to air? If people in Houston care about LSU, they've either gone to Baton Rouge for the weekend or they're watching it on TV.

Unless the person running the station has an emotional tie to the school, the games they'll carry are based on whether or not they can sell sponsorships. So if there's anything that's pathetic, it's that LSU isn't able to deliver sponsor money this close to Baton Rouge.

(And for the record, I have no dog in this hunt, my team plays in the PAC-10, so I listen to my team online or watch on DirecTV.)

No John, I am not missing the point. The bottom line is making money, and the OU alums were able to raise enough money to BUY KGOW for 3 hours, and the LSU alums were not willing to do that, not when we have an affiliate in nearby Beaumont anyway. The LSU Alums decided to keep their $71,246 and spend it on boiled crawfish, hot boudin and cold cous-cous at all of their watch parties across the greater Houston area. And even though you are an Oregon Duck fan, you are always welcome!

LSU did deliver sponsor money to KGOW, that is why KGOW became an affiliate of the LSU Sports Network in 2007. It flipped to OU not because they could sell sponsorship, but because, again, they bought KGOW for 3 hours. That is pathetic. It is like paying a girl to go out with you. Either a radio station wants you or they don't, you shouldn't have to pay for it.

I love listening to games on the radio. I love turning down the sound on my TV and synchronizing the game with the LSU announcers, but most people don't, which is why this is all conjecture anyway. Fifteen years ago, when at least four games per year weren't televised, this discussion would have had more merit, but for the past five seasons or so, every single LSU Football game has been televised, and an LSU fan in Houston would rather watch the game on KHOU (CBS) or ESPN than listen to it on KGOW or WWL.

To Liberty, you may not be able to pick up KWKH at night in your hometown of Dallas, and I too have experienced this problem as well when I travel to Dallas and try to pull it in. I can assure you, however, that KWKH comes in (mostly) clear in Austin, San Antonio, Amarillo, Little Rock, Ft. Campbell, KY and Hamburg, Iowa. Why a listener cannot pick it up in Dallas is a mystery to me when a listener in Dallas can pick up KFAB 1110 out of Omaha and KMOX 1120 out of St Louis.

Also, WBAP may have a better daytime signal than WWL, but WWL certainly has a stronger nighttime signal. Also, that was a good list of possible affiliates, but it doesn't look like the LSU Sports Network is going to add a Dallas affiliate this year.

 

[jd]

To Liberty, you may not be able to pick up KWKH at night in your hometown of Dallas, and I too have experienced this problem as well when I travel to Dallas and try to pull it in. I can assure you, however, that KWKH comes in (mostly) clear in Austin, San Antonio, Amarillo, Little Rock, Ft. Campbell, KY and Hamburg, Iowa.

It may be a minor point, but LibertyNT is in McKinney, not Dallas. Maybe you missed the discussion of KWKH's coverage a few months ago over on the DX and Reception board. The station has been operating under special temporary authority using 12,500 watts non-directional at night for some time now. As a result it has been heard in many areas where it should have little if any nighttime coverage.

Also, WBAP may have a better daytime signal than WWL, but WWL certainly has a stronger nighttime signal.

Certainly? Is that based on your observations only or do you have anything factual to back it up? I'd concede that thanks to WWL's directional pattern it has excellent coverage over much of the Gulf Coast states region but in overall coverage do you actually think WWL is the better of the two?

 

[93-3TheSurge]

To Liberty, you may not be able to pick up KWKH at night in your hometown of Dallas, and I too have experienced this problem as well when I travel to Dallas and try to pull it in. I can assure you, however, that KWKH comes in (mostly) clear in Austin, San Antonio, Amarillo, Little Rock, Ft. Campbell, KY and Hamburg, Iowa.

It may be a minor point, but LibertyNT is in McKinney, not Dallas. Maybe you missed the discussion of KWKH's coverage a few months ago over on the DX and Reception board. The station has been operating under special temporary authority using 12,500 watts non-directional at night for some time now. As a result it has been heard in many areas where it should have little if any nighttime coverage.

Also, WBAP may have a better daytime signal than WWL, but WWL certainly has a stronger nighttime signal.

Certainly? Is that based on your observations only or do you have anything factual to back it up? I'd concede that thanks to WWL's directional pattern it has excellent coverage over much of the Gulf Coast states region but in overall coverage do you actually think WWL is the better of the two?

McKinney? Oh yeah, that makes a huge difference!!!!!!

As far as KWKH is concerned, I'm not sure where you got that info, but I haven't noticed any changes in its nighttime signal. I was in Dallas a month ago and I couldn't pick it up at night, but by the time I got to Waco I could, I live in Austin and I can still hear my LSU Baseball broadcasts on it loud and (mostly) clear, its the same as it ever was if you ask me.

As far as WWL is concerned, I would bet my house that WWL has better nighttime coverage than WBAP. I will give WBAP props in daytime coverage (it may be the best in the US) but WWL is superior at night. Last summer, I was driving back from Omaha (LSU won the College World Series) and I could pick up WWL, not WBAP in Hamburg, Iowa (rural, no interference from a station next to it on the dial) when I was stationed in Ft Campbell (nowheresville) five years ago I could pick up both, when I was in a rural area an hour east of Denver I could pick up both, when I was driving between Columbus and Cleveland (rural, no interference from a station next to it on the dial) I could pick up WWL and not WBAP, and just south of Washington, DC, I could pick up WWL, not WBAP. In Van Horn I could pick up both, but by the time I got to Tucson, I could pick up neither. Same result for Phoenix and Blythe, CA (on I-10 at the AZ/CA stateline).

Is any of that factual? No, and maybe the conditions were perfect for that particular moment, maybe WBAP was off the air for a minimal amount of time when I checked, maybe WWL was running at 500kw because it wanted to get fined by the FCC for no apparent reason, or whatever other BS reasons JD can think up to try to discredit me, etc. Again, from my experiences late at night driving to various sporting events, Lollapalooza or a visit to our nation's capital, there were several areas where I could pick up WWL and not WBAP, north, east, and west. You can't really say south because of the Gulf of Mexico, but I tried to pick up WWL in Monterrey, MX but couldn't because of a station on 860AM. So yeah JD, go ahead and use an ionospheric conditions clause to try to discredit everything I just said, but if you were to drive across the US at night and attempted to pull in WBAP and WWL, you would discover WWL's signal is superior to WBAP's.

Furthermore, WBAP doesn't even have the most powerful nighttime signal in Texas. That honor goes to WOAI San Antonio, which can be heard from Arizona to Alabama. I really wish that radio-locator.com had predicted coverage maps for the non-directional 50,000-watt AM stations. That would be pretty close to factual, more so than Pete and Ted's Excellent Road Trip adventures, but like I said, I would bet my house.