Gow Takes Over Sporting News Radio

[johndavis]

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.

That's pretty much what happened. Biz Journals wants to run a newspaper, not a newspaper and a radio network. My guess is that the one thing that Gow brings to the table is financing.

I'm not reading much into moving network operations here. My hunch is that most of the hosts do their shows over ISDN, and if that's the case, it's a lot cheaper to base the control room here than Santa Monica.

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.

You hit the nail on the head with "really don't care what programming is actually airing on their station." For most stations, the network is what keeps the needles moving outside of the local dayparts. (or in 97.5's case, just keep the needles moving and sell spots on the strength of the ESPN brand as opposed to their signal.) I don't think I would make any of the syndicated shows out there the cornerstone of a sports station right now. A few years ago, Rome would be the exception to that rule, but even Rome isn't that entertaining anymore. As long as sports continues with killer power ratios (huge billing with tiny ratings) there will be a need for several programming sources so there's room for SNR.

 

[johndavis]

Either a radio station wants you or they don't, you shouldn't have to pay for it.

Well, if there was such a plethora of ratings and revenue left on the table by Gow taking the OU alumni offer, why hasn't someone else stepped up and picked up the LSU network?

Pay for play sports is more commonplace than you think, especially when it comes to womens NCAA sports, minor league anything, MLS, and yes out of state NCAA football. You bid on the big teams and you take bids from everyone else.

Now the one football radio deal that I don't get is playing "follow the bouncing Aggies" every week with A&M between KTRH, KODA, and KKRW. I understand there's going to be Astros conflicts, but that can't be doing either FM any favors.

 

[schmave]

My question ... why is the LSU radio network entitled to have an affiliate in Texas?!

 

[93-3TheSurge]

My question ... why is the LSU radio network entitled to have an affiliate in Texas?!

No school is entitled to anything. LSU has an affiliate in Beaumont not because they are entitled, but because they have a strong following in Southeast Texas.

Well, if there was such a plethora of ratings and revenue left on the table by Gow taking the OU alumni offer, why hasn't someone else stepped up and picked up the LSU network?

I'm sure one of the four sports stations will pick up LSU at some point. It won't have priority, meaning if an LSU game conflicts with UT, A&M, UH, etc., it will be joined in progress, at best. That was the great thing about being on KGOW, LSU was the only school they aired, so the listener got LSU on the radio in Houston every Saturday.

 

[Triple Fake Jerry]

It's interesting (and a tad ironic) that Houston is buying the network and moving its HQ there when its most successful affiliate is in Dallas. Other than Todd Wright, I'm not a big fan of SNR. I wish the Ticket would just replay its day shows overnight.

 

[jd]

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

I didn't say that. But where he lives probably makes a difference to him, and his listening experiences may be different from someone in Dallas.

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.

Here is the application for the STA: https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101353845&formid=911&fac_num=60266

And here is the FCC letter granting the STA: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=16868

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.

Those are your opinions; I asked you a couple of questions and now you're willing to bet the house that you're right. But if you're interested in factual information about coverage areas there are a number of paid sites or services, as well as publications that are available. Here's one: www.v-soft.com/ You might also be interested in seeing the Night Pattern Book, available at www.nrcdxas.org from the National Radio Club. Here's a sample page www.nrcdxas.org/apb/apbmap.jpg,

While I can't link to the specific patterns for WWL or WBAP you can see some of predicted coverage through these examples:
https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=100983239&qnum=5110&copynum=1&exhcnum=1 (scroll to pages 21 and 22 for a partial illustration of WWL's nighttime 0.5 mV/m 50% contour)
https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101266930&qnum=5110&copynum=1&exhcnum=1 (scroll to page 22 for an illustration of WBAP's nighttime 0.5 mV/m 50% contour)

Compare those examples with this representation of WWL's coverage, which has no "qualifiers" and might be viewed as an exaggeration ("By Night, The Country!"??): www.wwlradio.net/CoverageMap.htm

or whatever other BS reasons JD can think up to try to discredit me, etc.
/snip/
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.

I'm not trying to discredit you. You have a right to your opinions, but please don't try to predict what conclusion I might reach. I'd also note that sometimes there is no right or wrong answer since there are many variables when comparing coverage areas, whether anecdotally or scientifically.

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'd rather not participate in further derailment of this thread, so in closing, consider this: statement as fact, when it's largely based on opinion, is not worth betting the house. IMHO.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Those are your opinions; But if you're interested in factual information about coverage areas there are a number of paid sites or services,

First of all, my findings of where I could pull in WWL and couldn't pull in WBAP isn't an opinion, its my testimony. Maybe you misread what I wrote. I didn't say "I think" you can pick up WWL in Iowa, I said "I did" pick it up. Whether you choose to believe the information I have provided is accurate is up to you.

As far as publications filled with factual information is concerned, the information I am giving you is factual. If I say I was in Iowa and picked up one and not the other, or in Colorado I picked up both, and have done so on multiple occasions, doesn't it at that point become fact? I wasn't just driving to the CWS in Omaha, the NBA Finals in Los Angeles, or several random Astros road games, but I was doing research as well, attempting to pull in WWL, WBAP, WOAI, etc. There is no need to predict what a 50,000-watt, non-directional tower with certain coordinates with a given climate in a city with multiple AM stations in the surrounding area would perform 550 miles NNW from its tower site would perform because I WAS ACTUALLY THERE!!!

Compare those examples with this representation of WWL's coverage, which has no "qualifiers" and might be viewed as an exaggeration ("By Night, The Country!"??): www.wwlradio.net/CoverageMap.htm

How is this map an exaggeration? If anything, it seems rather modest. I have picked up WWL outside of the coverage area they provided on several occasions.

I'd rather not participate in further derailment of this thread, so in closing, consider this: statement as fact, when it's largely based on opinion, is not worth betting the house. IMHO.

Give me a break... :

What interests me the most about your posts on this particular thread is that you provide no testimony of your claim that WBAP is stronger than WWL. You never mentioned that you went on a road trip to Chicago and you were able to pick up WBAP and not WWL, or you went to see the Sasketchewan Roughriders and in North Dakota WWL faded out but WBAP was still going strong. If anything, it is you that are giving opinions when you haven't gone outside of Dallas and tested your ability to pull in WBAP on your own when travelling in Arizona, Minnesota, Indianapolis, etc.

 

[tomficker]

Surge..with all due respect all of your opinions seem to be coming from a Pro-Louisiana standpoint. Do you support anything outside of the home state?

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Surge..with all due respect all of your opinions seem to be coming from a Pro-Louisiana standpoint. Do you support anything outside of the home state?

I'm a huge Astros fan. The 'Stros used to have an affiliate in Baton Rouge, WIBR-AM (The Team 1300). As a kid, I would listen to Milo Hamilton and Larry Dierker in the early to mid-90s every night, and as a family we would make the four hour drive to Houston every summer to make at least one weekend series. I was also in attendance at Minute Maid Park for Game 4 of the '05 World Series. Before this heads to TIO, let me just say that I still enjoy listening to the 'Stros every night on KVET-AM here in Austin, and I struggle to pull in the 10th Inning Show on KTRH, which comes in with a little static but the signal is still perceptible.

 

[salemjedi54]

Baylor paid WBAP to air their football games in D/FW. Now I don't know if Baylor is going to stay on WBAP AM/FM but now that seems unlikely since WBAP is now the flagship of the TCU Radio Network. It makes since for Baylor to pay to be on KSKY.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

It makes since for Baylor to pay to be on KSKY.

I think it made sense for Baylor to be on WBAP. They are a Baptist school, so they should be on WBAPtist, right?

I'll be here all night!!

I am surprised that schools haven't tried to get KCTA 1030AM Corpus Christi to become an affiliate of their sports radio network. Sure they are a daytime only station, but at 50kW, that station is a blowtorch. It covers all of South Texas and the Texas Gulf Coast. I have heard KCTA as far east as Grand Isle, LA, which is 450 miles away from Corpus.

 

[Mediafrog+]

I am surprised that schools haven't tried to get KCTA 1030AM Corpus Christi to become an affiliate of their sports radio network. Sure they are a daytime only station, but at 50kW, that station is a blowtorch. It covers all of South Texas and the Texas Gulf Coast. I have heard KCTA as far east as Grand Isle, LA, which is 450 miles away from Corpus.

Whatever happened to KCTA's nighttime authorization? Thought they had been on that...Am I mistaken or did they give it up? Haven't done much nighttime AM DXing in a while.

 

[schmave]

They'd have to go pretty highly directional at night, I'd think, because of WBZ.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Whatever happened to KCTA's nighttime authorization? Thought they had been on that...Am I mistaken or did they give it up? Haven't done much nighttime AM DXing in a while.

KCTA gave up on it when they learned they would have to construct a more complex antenna system that would protect Mexico City's XEQR to the south and Boston's WBZ to the north.

As Fred Cantu pointed out, KCTA would not add that much more revenue using nighttime ops anyway.

 

[DToTheJ]

In a related story...

Former ESPN baseball insider (and current MLB Network employee) Peter Gammons will now provide daily commentary for Sporting News Radio, and also make exclusive appearances on SNR stations, including KGOW here:
http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/75106/gammons-joins-sporting-news-radio

(This is in addition to the recent appearances he has been making on CBS-owned sports stations such as WFAN and WJFK, which will not be affected.)

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Peter Gammons certainly knows baseball. This is a good pickup for SNR.

I thought Gammons was locked into a contract with ESPN, but then again maybe that is just on the television side...

 

[jd]

Somehow I missed this, but I just noticed another David Barron article in the Chronicle about the Sporting News deal. It was the next day after the one that was linked in the original post here, and contains a few more details, including this:

Gow said the deal will not affect KGOW's program lineup, which includes Tim Brando's midday show and Sporting News Radio's nighttime, overnight and weekend programming.

“Looking ahead with the talent that Sporting News Radio is pursuing and likely to roll out, we think there will be ways to sprinkle that talent across our radio station, and we hope there will be opportunities for some of our talent to participate in network shows,” he said.

I don't know if it really makes a difference but the last paragraph, I'd think, could be a little revealing and maybe somewhat disturbing to the local staff. Just sayin...

 

[mrbeasley]

They let a few people go several months back. They weren't on-air people, though.