Hawks Radio

[jabba17]

So, if Rodney's post (http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2010/07/16/the-zone-vs-the-fan-guess-whos-winning-now/ ) is correct, the Hawks are going to be on 99X (WWWQ-HD2/W250BC) next year, right? Is this the first case of major league pro sports being flagshipped on an HD2 signal? What is this, Spinal Tap opening for a puppet show?

Are things that bad? I would have thought that Dickey would have at least helped the Hawks' pride and put them on 1340 and then simuled them on the aforementioned signals or something...

 

[jimbo722]

680 has been mentioning some kind of announcement today at 5 PM, maybe it has something to do with the Hawks.

 

[t969696]

I'm wondering if Dickey's are going to have 680 Simulcast on 99x's signal...after picking up the Hawks....big announcement is that they will be the new sports station for the Hawks...now they will have the Thrashers....Hawks...and the Braves...are the Falcons Next...Wonder if Rick Caffey is talking to them about giving 790 the boot as Official Sports station for the Falcons and moving it to 680?

 

[jabba17]

I'm wondering if Dickey's are going to have 680 Simulcast on 99x's signal...after picking up the Hawks....big announcement is that they will be the new sports station for the Hawks...now they will have the Thrashers....Hawks...and the Braves...are the Falcons Next...Wonder if Rick Caffey is talking to them about giving 790 the boot as Official Sports station for the Falcons and moving it to 680?

Get too many teams and you'll forever be preempting one with another, or having the (ugly) sister station carry the less popular team. WSB kept having to do this when they had UGA, the Braves, and the Hawks. UGA football stayed on 750, the Braves got a full-power FM (B98.5 or 97.1), and the Hawks got WALR-FM (and UGA hoops went somewhere else). At least Cox had the stations to pull this off. Dickey doesn't.

Braves + Hawks have little schedule overlap, but Hawks + Thrashers have a LOT of overlap, as do the Braves and Falcons if the Bravos make the postseason.

 

[HGR1290]

They filed paperwork over the last few days to transfer control of another translator from Calvary to Cumulus ---the translator is licensed to Sandy Plains---93.7mHz, will move to Atlanta running 250 watts from Richland Tower on Briarcliff.

That might be where it ends up---maybe 680 gains a FM simulcast?

 

[jabba17]

They filed paperwork over the last few days to transfer control of another translator from Calvary to Cumulus ---the translator is licensed to Sandy Plains---93.7mHz, will move to Atlanta running 250 watts from Richland Tower on Briarcliff.

That might be where it ends up---maybe 680 gains a FM simulcast?

It says a LOT about the Atlanta AM dial when 250W FM translators (albeit from full-size class Cx towers) have better 24/7 coverage than over 95% of the Atlanta AM dial.

 

[rodneyho]

680 just confirmed 99X airing Hawks games. Here's the press release:

THE ATLANTA HAWKS, ATLANTA THRASHERS, CUMULUS MEDIA AND

DICKEY BROADCASTING COMPANY ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP



99X FM Becomes the Official Flagship Radio Station of the Atlanta Hawks

and the Atlanta Thrashers Remain on 680 The Fan for 6th Season



ATLANTA, GA (July 19, 2010) – The Atlanta Hawks, the Atlanta Thrashers, Cumulus Media and Dickey Broadcasting Company announced today a multi-year partnership that continues WCNN AM 680 The Fan’s designation as the official flagship radio station of the Atlanta Thrashers for the 6th season and names 99X at 97.9FM as the official flagship radio station of the Atlanta Hawks. This move, beginning in the 2010-2011 NBA season, brings the Hawks to the FM side of the dial for the first time in the team’s 42-year history in Atlanta.



“We’ve enjoyed a long-standing partnership with 680 The Fan as our flagship radio station for the Thrashers,” said Tracy White, Chief Sales Officer and Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers. “As a result of the success of that partnership, we are thrilled to have created a platform through which we can increase Hawks exposure to fans within the greater metropolitan Atlanta area and extend our reach to fans outside of the city.”



Utilizing the family of assets associated with Cumulus Media, Dickey Broadcasting Company and Dickey Publishing Company, the new Hawks radio partnership includes a multi-faceted marketing approach. All Hawks regular and postseason games will be broadcast on 99X (97.9FM) with long-time ”Voice of the Hawks” Steve Holman calling the games. Hawks ancillary programming, including pre and postgame shows, and a weekly coach’s program, will be found on sister station 680 The Fan. And in maximizing both parties’ new brand integration opportunities, 99X, 680 The Fan, and Jezebel and Tuxedo Road magazines will all make the Atlanta Hawks a promotional priority featuring players, coaches and additional content. The newly formed partnership also provides the Hawks with the opportunity to grow the Hawks radio network outside of the Atlanta metropolitan area.



Cumulus Media Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lew Dickey, “This partnership represents an exciting new chapter in our platform strategy to bring Atlanta’s best content assets to our listeners and advertisers. We are extremely pleased to announce this multi-year agreement with the Hawks and Thrashers which will provide an unprecedented level of coverage designed to bring the fans closer to the teams than ever before.”



All Atlanta Thrashers regular season and postseason games will again be broadcast on WCNN AM 680 The Fan, the five-year flagship of a radio network of 18 stations in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, with Dan Kamal, the team’s inaugural radio announcer, providing the play-by-play for the eleventh season. The renewed deal maintains the Thrashers’ promotional partnership with Jezebel and Tuxedo Road magazines, and also features pre and postgame shows, as well as a new weekly Atlanta Thrashers coach’s program on 680 The Fan.



“Dickey Broadcasting Company is very excited about extending and growing our partnership with the Hawks, Thrashers and Philips Arena,” said David Dickey, President of Dickey Broadcasting Company. “Serving as the official broadcast partner of both the Hawks and Thrashers will enable 680 The Fan to continue to strengthen its position as the region’s dominant sports station, and will allow us to deliver more team-oriented content, to Hawks and Thrashers fans, than ever before.”

 

[70sdj]

Seems like a lot of haters out there. Let's see. 97.9 every night, every game, or 790 with no signal, and pre empt games with a coaches show, and Tech games, and acc games, with NO coverage of the Hawks. Not to hard to figure even with some of you numb nuts out there who hate everything on the boards. Get a job!

 

[jabba17]

Seems like a lot of haters out there. Let's see. 97.9 every night, every game, or 790 with no signal, and pre empt games with a coaches show, and Tech games, and acc games, with NO coverage of the Hawks. Not to hard to figure even with some of you numb nuts out there who hate everything on the boards. Get a job!

No hate here...it makes perfect sense. It just looks bad when your flagship station is a *translator*. And as I said above it is really a reflection on the poor quality of the AM band in ATL.

Interesting: Do the Thrashers draw more listeners than the Hawks? Or are Hawks fans disproportionately ITP? Not sure who gets the short end of the stick in the north suburbs with 680's nulls.

Are 680 and 1230, as ESPN Radio affiliates, going to be carrying more non-Tech ACC games with ESPN's recent deal with the ACC?

 

[DToTheJ]

This is worse than "Damages" going from FX to DirecTV.

 

[taylorengineer]

This *translator* has a signal which is nothing short of terrific! It can be heard throughout the metro area - even on cheap radios. I live in Douglasville - it comes in on every radio in the house clear as a bell. This is a major upgrade for the Hawks and a win-win for the both the Hawks and the Dickey brothers.
As HGR1290 reported above, the boys have nailed down another one of these "monster" translators. These stations are almost the same as Class A's (3000 watts at 300 feet.) My bet is that 680 The Fan will wind up on either this one or 97.9.
Whoever at Cumulus made the call on aquiring these translators deserves a raise. To get, in effect, a Class A signal in market #7 in exchange for a rimshot Albany, Georgia station is the deal of the century. Like 'um or hate 'um......you gotta hand it to the Dickey boys - they can sling it and make it stick!

 

[TheRealOtherNeil]

When I think of the Atlanta Hawks the first thing that comes to mind is people who listen to Alternative radio. Besides, this team ain't going nowwhere, why not put it on a station that no one can find.

 

[jabba17]

This *translator* has a signal which is nothing short of terrific! It can be heard throughout the metro area - even on cheap radios. I live in Douglasville - it comes in on every radio in the house clear as a bell. This is a major upgrade for the Hawks and a win-win for the both the Hawks and the Dickey brothers.
As HGR1290 reported above, the boys have nailed down another one of these "monster" translators. These stations are almost the same as Class A's (3000 watts at 300 feet.) My bet is that 680 The Fan will wind up on either this one or 97.9.
Whoever at Cumulus made the call on aquiring these translators deserves a raise. To get, in effect, a Class A signal in market #7 in exchange for a rimshot Albany, Georgia station is the deal of the century. Like 'um or hate 'um......you gotta hand it to the Dickey boys - they can sling it and make it stick!

I agree, technically it makes perfect sense. And it probably doesn't matter to those out of the biz or non-radio-geeks.

Let's just hope for their sake that the FCC doesn't start banning analog FM translation of HD2 signals.

Maybe CC could do the same thing with WGST...nah, makes too much sense.

 

[RTibbs]

This is worse than "Damages" going from FX to DirecTV.

I disagree and for someone who does not live here I don't really see how this affects you.

The signal on the Translator is much better than 790's signal. I receive 97.9 pretty darn good up in woodstock. In the winter I can't even listen to 790 OTP at 5:30.

 

[DToTheJ]

Tibbs, I was just being timely, as that was another recent development... but I suppose I may have been a little snippy since it is an HD Radio signal that is basically the origin of the signal...

When I think of the Atlanta Hawks the first thing that comes to mind is people who listen to Alternative radio...

Kinda like when you think of Atlanta Braves baseball, think "Project 9-6-1".

 

[Nyte Ryder]

When I think Falcons I think Dave FM.

I think radio sports on FM has officially transcended applicable formats. It's about making money. 99X will make a ton of money carrying the Hawks. More than they would get with the format at night. That had to be a big reason for doing this deal.

 

[Nate Wesley]

Seems like a lot of haters out there. Let's see. 97.9 every night, every game, or 790 with no signal, and pre empt games with a coaches show, and Tech games, and acc games, with NO coverage of the Hawks. Not to hard to figure even with some of you numb nuts out there who hate everything on the boards. Get a job!

No hate here...it makes perfect sense. It just looks bad when your flagship station is a *translator*. And as I said above it is really a reflection on the poor quality of the AM band in ATL.

99X @ 97.9 is technically WWWQ-HD2, right? Properly equipped, that should actually be seen as two places on the FM dial. Odd that the press release ignores mention of the HD Radio subchannel.

 

[Nate Wesley]

They filed paperwork over the last few days to transfer control of another translator from Calvary to Cumulus ---the translator is licensed to Sandy Plains---93.7mHz, will move to Atlanta running 250 watts from Richland Tower on Briarcliff.

That might be where it ends up---maybe 680 gains a FM simulcast?

With obvious audience declines, The Zone really should have such an agressive move. Big League should have been at Radio One's door with cash on hand the minute it secured the license for the 102.9 translator. If WCNN gets one on the air first--start the doomsday countdown.

 

[AMFMRadFan]

What is interesting about the other Northside translator, I look it up on Radio-Locator, it says that W221CG 92.1 is licensed in Kennesaw. The translator transmitter is actually in Southeast Dallas/West Hiram area. If you're coming from Powder Springs, you would take US 278/SR (State Route 6) west to the intersection at SR 92. Turn left on SR 92 south and follow it through downtown Hiram. Turn right onto SR 120 Connector/Hiram Sudie Rd. Once you're 3 blocks west of the intersection at Bill Carruth Pkwy, turn right onto Cochran Ridge Rd. at the intersection that has the Cochran Ridge Baptist Church sign. Follow Cochran Ridge Rd. past both the church & cemetery to a 3-way stop, and turn right at an angle onto Phillips Lee Rd. The road will eventually dead end. Right at the point of where it dead ends is what looks like the access road to the translator transmitter, and it's hidden behind some trees. If you were to follow US 278/SR 6 to Bill Carruth Pkwy and turn left, as you went down Bill Carruth Pkwy, you would not be able to see the translator transmitter from the road because of it being too far from the road. I do give credit to both Radio-Locator & Google Maps street view for making this finding possible. Here is the coverage map link for that Northside translator:

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=W221CG&service=FX&status=L&hours=U

 

[RTibbs]

What is interesting about the other Northside translator, I look it up on Radio-Locator, it says that W221CG 92.1 is licensed in Kennesaw. The translator transmitter is actually in Southeast Dallas/West Hiram area. If you're coming from Powder Springs, you would take US 278/SR (State Route 6) west to the intersection at SR 92. Turn left on SR 92 south and follow it through downtown Hiram. Turn right onto SR 120 Connector/Hiram Sudie Rd. Once you're 3 blocks west of the intersection at Bill Carruth Pkwy, turn right onto Cochran Ridge Rd. at the intersection that has the Cochran Ridge Baptist Church sign. Follow Cochran Ridge Rd. past both the church & cemetery to a 3-way stop, and turn right at an angle onto Phillips Lee Rd. The road will eventually dead end. Right at the point of where it dead ends is what looks like the access road to the translator transmitter, and it's hidden behind some trees. If you were to follow US 278/SR 6 to Bill Carruth Pkwy and turn left, as you went down Bill Carruth Pkwy, you would not be able to see the translator transmitter from the road because of it being too far from the road. I do give credit to both Radio-Locator & Google Maps street view for making this finding possible. Here is the coverage map link for that Northside translator:

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=W221CG&service=FX&status=L&hours=U

You lost me at "What is interesting about the other Noorthside translator....''