Major shift going on with MLB games on radio

[Jul]

There is a major shift going on here with MLB games being on legendary radio stations. For example, after 51 years, KDKA-AM 1020 will not be airing the Pirates anymore after this season, After 46 years WCCO-AM 830 will not air the Twins anymore after this season. As you know last year, KMOX-AM 1120 ditched the Cardinals after 52 years. All 3 stations are 50,000 watt clear channels. What is going on here?

 

[BDBopper]

I think it is just the business of radio. However I think the MLB wouldn't have it any other way since they are allowing it. Selig and Co. seem to only want people to be fans of a team in their local/regional market. I am convinced because television is being run that way as well. No longer can a cable superstation like TBS, WGN, or WOR broadcast most or all of a team's game to an International audience. MLB has the stupidest blackout rules of any professional sport. NFL is right behind them.

But while I think MLB has something to do with it I think it is mainly radio business. If you have the rights to the local baseball team, especially a popular one, people are usually going to listen to the rest of the station's programming. If your station has the rights to that team for decades, the chances are those same people are going to be listening for decades. Thus the demo of the average listener is going to be much higher. KDKA and WCOL have the same problem WSB had 15 years ago (I am guessing here so anyone please correct me if I a mwrong). WCOL and KDKA may be the best at what they do and people have been listening lyally for years, however revenue is probably down because of the demographic nightmare. With revenue down there's probably not enough money to keep the radio rights.

15 years ago WSB was number one in Atlanta however their demographics were even worse than an Oldies station or MOR. They were a full Service, they had had the rights to the Atlanta Braves for almost forever, the music was Soft AC, the talkshows were non political, and conservative (not in a political sense...no real debates, just fun bantering). Over 5-7 years though WSB gradually shook that demo nightmare but did so slow enough that they continued to be number one and have remained that way to this day. the music was phased out, the fun talk was also phased out. One of the new hires, David Paul clashed (literally) with Skinny Bobby Harper and both were fired (although Harper diod not do anything but get hurt....it was an excuse to get rid of the popular morning personality), No more Ag reports, the morning show was turned into a hard news program, WSB let the Braves go for four years, the older demo was chased out eventually and the younger demos came in droves to replace them. WSB got the rights to the Braves again in 1995 along with the Hawks (which caters to a younger more urban demo). Both theams are now elsewhere but I think you get where I am going.

 

[odomski]

Brian: Whereas, Mr. May's post is a legit one (considering the history of these MLB teams on one station), he doesn't care about the business of radio. He only cares about the fact the Pirates are no longer on KDKA, etc. We can explain to him these changes were a business decision, but he simply doesn't care. He has made similar posts on the Philadelphia board over the past few months (about why stations like KYW don't sound like they used to, why stations change format, why ESPN Radio is not on FM in Philadelphia, etc.) and he has stated in the past "I don't care how the business of radio works, I just care these changes are happening and I don't like it." We can answer his questions in every which way possible until we are blue in the face, and our responses will never become imbetted into his brain.

Julius: the information you provided is not news anymore. This information is several weeks, if not months, old.

 

[Jul]

Brian: Whereas, Mr. May's post is a legit one (considering the history of these MLB teams on one station), he doesn't care about the business of radio. He only cares about the fact the Pirates are no longer on KDKA, etc. We can explain to him these changes were a business decision, but he simply doesn't care. He has made similar posts on the Philadelphia board over the past few months (about why stations like KYW don't sound like they used to, why stations change format, why ESPN Radio is not on FM in Philadelphia, etc.) and he has stated in the past "I don't care how the business of radio works, I just care these changes are happening and I don't like it." We can answer his questions in every which way possible until we are blue in the face, and our responses will never become imbetted into his brain.

Julius: the information you provided is not news anymore. This information is several weeks, if not months, old.

I want to learn the business. The Pirates wanted to leave KDKA to reach a younger crowd.

 

[odomski]

Over the past months, we have attempted to teach you how the business works, but you have stated that you don't care. Therefore, why bother teaching you? Make up your mind already...and please stop saying you're sorry all the time. Why apologize for your behavior when you just go back to your old ways?

 

[Jul]

Over the past months, we have attempted to teach you how the business works, but you have stated that you don't care. Therefore, why bother teaching you? Make up your mind already...and please stop saying you're sorry all the time. Why apologize for your behavior when you just go back to your old ways?

All right, if you want me to change, fine. Tell me about the business aspect of these moves?

 

[odomski]

Julius: we have asked you numerous times to change your ways. Moderators have warned you about your excessive spamming of every radio board you can find. We have explained you the business aspect of changes in radio. You have stated that you don't care. Now you care all of a sudden? Puh-leez. : You have promised numerous times to change your ways, and you constantly break your promises...because you just can't help yourself but to post and post and post and post...and spam and spam and spam and spam. Please stop it.

 

[radionut925]

Julius: we have asked you numerous times to change your ways. Moderators have warned you about your excessive spamming of every radio board you can find. We have explained you the business aspect of changes in radio. You have stated that you don't care. Now you care all of a sudden? Puh-leez. : You have promised numerous times to change your ways, and you constantly break your promises...because you just can't help yourself but to post and post and post and post...and spam and spam and spam and spam. Please stop it.

All bashing and flaming aside, it's obvious that the nature and face of Major League Baseball broadcasts on radio is changing. After all, most teenagers and young adults growing up don't remember the time when they've scanned the AM dial at night just to follow a team aside from the one in their own region. These days, a Pirates fan can be in Mississippi, or a Twins fan can be in Connecticut, or even a Cardinals fan in Idaho, and not miss a single game, thanks to the internet, although such fans do have to pay for the privilege.

Additionally,the fact that Pittsburgh has become the first city to have at least three major pro sports franchises utilize FM stations as flagships also reflect the diminishing influence of the AM band within the terrestrial radio landscape at least. It's not limited to baseball, though. The NFL, in fact, has many franchises such as the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, among others, where FM stations lead their aforementioned radio networks. In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks have ESPN 103.3 as their flagship station, while the Minnesota Timberwolves will move their flagship rights to an FM station this season. Even multiple minor league, small college, and high school teams have FM stations broadcasting their games. So, basically, it's a matter of going where the audience is, whether most people like it or not.

 

[BDBopper]

Brian: Whereas, Mr. May's post is a legit one (considering the history of these MLB teams on one station), he doesn't care about the business of radio. He only cares about the fact the Pirates are no longer on KDKA, etc. We can explain to him these changes were a business decision, but he simply doesn't care. He has made similar posts on the Philadelphia board over the past few months (about why stations like KYW don't sound like they used to, why stations change format, why ESPN Radio is not on FM in Philadelphia, etc.) and he has stated in the past "I don't care how the business of radio works, I just care these changes are happening and I don't like it." We can answer his questions in every which way possible until we are blue in the face, and our responses will never become imbetted into his brain.

Julius: the information you provided is not news anymore. This information is several weeks, if not months, old.

I realize that. Thanks. I just was able to put two and two together and wanted to flaunt it LOL Also it gave me somewhere to vent my frustration with the MLB. And I am sorry for all the typos.

 

[chuckydoll]

Why KDKA and WCCO will soon lose baseball

There are 2 factors here:

(1) The breakup of the clear channels in the 1980s. Because of that FCC measure the big 50,000-watt stations now concentrate on their home markets. Any out-of-market audience they get is gravy.

(2) CBS has adopted a corporate policy of not paying big money for pro sports play-by-play. KMOX, WCCO and KDKA are owned by CBS.

 

[ixnay]

Who's replacing WCCO and KDKA respectively? And who replaced KMOX? And what formats are the Twins, Bucs and Redbirds interrupting on the new flagships?

ixnay

 

[PTBoardOp94]

I don't remember callsigns, but WCCO will be replaced by 1550 in the Twin Cities.
KDKA will be replaced by 106.3 in Pittsburgh, and
Cards are on directional 580 AM in St. Louis.

I'm pretty sure all three new homes are newstalk or sportstalk.

 

[Jul]

I don't remember callsigns, but WCCO will be replaced by 1550 in the Twin Cities.
KDKA will be replaced by 106.3 in Pittsburgh

I'm pretty sure all three new homes are newstalk or sportstalk.

The first one is KTSP the second is WPGB 104.7 FM

 

[Jul]

I don't remember callsigns, but WCCO will be replaced by 1550 in the Twin Cities.
KDKA will be replaced by 106.3 in Pittsburgh

I'm pretty sure all three new homes are newstalk or sportstalk.

The first one is KSTP 1500 AM the second is WPGB 104.7 FM

 

[PTBoardOp94]

My memory must really be going ... I even got the frequencies wrong

 

[fred flintstone]

The stations losing baseball are all CBS Radio stations.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Cards are on directional 580 AM in St. Louis.

KTRS 550.

5kw DA-N.

 

[FightingIrish]

Julius: we have asked you numerous times to change your ways. Moderators have warned you about your excessive spamming of every radio board you can find. We have explained you the business aspect of changes in radio. You have stated that you don't care. Now you care all of a sudden? Puh-leez. : You have promised numerous times to change your ways, and you constantly break your promises...because you just can't help yourself but to post and post and post and post...and spam and spam and spam and spam. Please stop it.

All bashing and flaming aside, it's obvious that the nature and face of Major League Baseball broadcasts on radio is changing. After all, most teenagers and young adults growing up don't remember the time when they've scanned the AM dial at night just to follow a team aside from the one in their own region. These days, a Pirates fan can be in Mississippi, or a Twins fan can be in Connecticut, or even a Cardinals fan in Idaho, and not miss a single game, thanks to the internet, although such fans do have to pay for the privilege.

Additionally,the fact that Pittsburgh has become the first city to have at least three major pro sports franchises utilize FM stations as flagships also reflect the diminishing influence of the AM band within the terrestrial radio landscape at least. It's not limited to baseball, though. The NFL, in fact, has many franchises such as the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, among others, where FM stations lead their aforementioned radio networks. In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks have ESPN 103.3 as their flagship station, while the Minnesota Timberwolves will move their flagship rights to an FM station this season. Even multiple minor league, small college, and high school teams have FM stations broadcasting their games. So, basically, it's a matter of going where the audience is, whether most people like it or not.

I don't know the whole story about the Timberwolves, but from what I heard, KFAN (the Timberwolves' flagship) and the team could not come to terms on a new deal. Perhaps Clear Channel didn't see the value of keeping them on KFAN. The Wolves have gone to a rimshot FM country station for the coming season, not to attract younger demos, but because it was the only station that bit.

Also, many teams are taking their broadcasts, radio and TV syndication and ad sales in-house. This may have something to do with all of the switches. I do know that the Twins will produce their own games next year.

 

[MediaBoy4Radio]

This from DCRTV.................

Orioles To CBS Radio? - 10/10 - A DCRTV source tells us: "Word is Orioles have invoked clause in Orioles contract with WBAL (1090 AM) putting rights out for bid. Apparently not too happy that WBAL starting pimping Ravens during O's games. Infinity (er CBS Radio) may be front runner for Free FM (WHFS 105.7) to carry in '07 and beyond".....