Portland Radio Group picks up New York Yankees

[newsbot]

Saga's 1400/1490 simulcast will carry the Bronx Bombers starting this season
http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/101093/yankees-ink-new-affiliate-in-portland-me

 

[Underminer]

Whores.

 

[murphy66]

Congrats to Saga. Incredible job getting the Yankees on air here in Maine...I look forward to catching a few games while I'm in Southern Maine during my vacation in OOB. This is good for both Yanks/Sox fans because I have long held the belief that "true" fans would rather see the Yanks/Sox play each other 165 a year than watch them play anyone else. This will give them local coverage of the Sox/Seadogs...and as mentioned in the article...a chance to follow their biggest rivals as well. And if getting paid for it...or possibly the impression of "selling out" is what "miner" is referring to...than that makes them all "whores" regardless if they're wearing stripes or sox...because they all do it for money. Somebody has to spend money and somebody has to make it...obviously someone in that market is actually making money to spend, and isn't that a good thing?

 

[MassMusicMan]

Whores.

What else are they going to broadcast that people want to hear on a summer night?

 

[Seltzer]

Whores.

What else are they going to broadcast that people want to hear on a summer night?

This is BAD BUSINESS. I would boycott any advertisers who support the enemy team on a Maine radio station. And if I were the Red Sox, I'd fight this over territorial rights.

 

[amguy]

Just a little different thought here--I'm a big Red Sox fan and enjoy the Sox-Yankee rivalry. When the Sox are on radio, it's kind of nice to switch between innings to the Yankee game to see how that game is going, or if the Sox have a day off, picking up some of the Yankee game is a nice diversion. I don't especially care for the style of the Yankee announcers, but it's certainly not offensive to tune the game in. A boycott seems a little drastic and the Sox network certainly doesn't have any "territorial rights" over what another team or station does. Certainly the market will ultimately determine if this will work, but under the free enterprise system this kind of programming should be welcome. And, of course, like it or not, the Yankees have a fair amount of fans in New England. It's hard to imagine someone disliking someone else because of a baseball team they follow.

Another problem could result here too if people boycotted advertisers that sponsored Yankee games--it's just possible that those same advertisers might also sponsor the Red Sox games too. And, what do you do when the Red Sox play the Yankees?

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

Whores.

What else are they going to broadcast that people want to hear on a summer night?

This is BAD BUSINESS. I would boycott any advertisers who support the enemy team on a Maine radio station. And if I were the Red Sox, I'd fight this over territorial rights.

I disagree, a fair amount of tri-staters vacation on the South coast of Maine during the summer... as amguy points out, the market will decide how successful this endeavor is. Good luck!

 

[ray ting]

I think amguy nails it.

Come on, people. It's only human to worship at the altar of your favorite team, but unless you are a player or a team owner, it's only a game.

 

[raccoonradio]

There are Red Sox stations outside New England (in Yankee, etc. territory) and some Yankee affiliates in New England. WVMT Burl VT has NYY, WJOY has Red Sox. For awhile the Yanks were on AM 1170 down
the Cape. They were on 94.5 in Rutland, VT etc. You can't just pin down fans to living in a certain area.

Especially in western New England, etc. One pizza place in Winooski VT is called Donny's NY Pizza and
signs say "Catch the Yankees games (on TV) here". One town over in Colchester you have the NY Pizza
Oven complete with pictures of the pinstriped team. (Shocking but true: Joe Castiglione grew up in
CT as a Yankees fan!) Meanwhile I drove through Hoosick Falls NY, just west of Bennington VT,
and went by a watering hole with a NE Patriots neon sign.

Shocking "This is Noo Yawk!" as the GEICO gecko said recently... (and some NY stations like
980 will now carry the Sox...Call the commissioner, launch an investigation )


Hey, if there are Yankee fans (and I'm a Sox fan) and a station
can make money running them, then hey, more power to 'em--Capitalism. And some Sox fans may want to check in on the Yankees game for the heck of it...even if they do have XM radio, as I do.

 

[Mainedude2007]

1160 out of Skowhegan, Maine ran them for a season back in 2006..was there hate and discontent? yes but I remember reading a piece in the Central Maine Morning Sentinel that blasted the decision but at the end said something to the effect of "it's nice to listen to the game as it happens and not wait for the highlights on the 11pm Sportscenter".

You may hate it, some advertisers may drop, but it's something different and it generates buzz and listeners. Sox rights have been getting pricey for local stations in the recent years and Saga lost the Sea Dogs to JJ Jeffery's group. Good move, I'm sure they could have picked up the Sox but there are already enough stations in Maine carrying them (Plus, if the rules haven't changed, WLOB AM owns the rights for Portland)

 

[4CX1000A]

Whores.

What else are they going to broadcast that people want to hear on a summer night?

This is BAD BUSINESS. I would boycott any advertisers who support the enemy team on a Maine radio station. And if I were the Red Sox, I'd fight this over territorial rights.

Why is this a problem? NYY have been on in the Portsmouth, NH market for years.

 

[KML0224]

Connecticut is most certainly a part of New England. NESN claims territorial rights for cable in Connecticut, except for Fairfield County. YES and SNY are on many cable lineups around here (Yankees and Mets, respectively). WPOP-AM 1410 of Hartford has carried the Yankees for seemingly forever (save for like two years on WDRC-AM 1360 of Hartford). Also, One of the two AM stations in Brattleboro, VT has carried the Yankees for a few years now.

The same thing can be said about the NFL and the Patriots. I've lived in New England (CT and ME) for my entire 40 years on this earth. I have NEVER been a Patriots fan and never will be. Where is the rule or law that states that you must root for a local team only? That's right...there is NO rule! I've been a Dolphins fan since 1983 (go ahead and laugh because I don't care!) I've been a Yankees fan since 1981. I will remain a fan of both in 2012, thank you.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>(Plus, if the rules haven't changed, WLOB AM owns the rights for Portland)

From what I saw from list of Sox affiliates, they're indeed on WLOB 1310 in Portland and also
on 95.9 WPEI Saco and 95.5 WPPI Topsham, on either side of Portland

 

[CatCall]

Whores.

What else are they going to broadcast that people want to hear on a summer night?

This is BAD BUSINESS. I would boycott any advertisers who support the enemy team on a Maine radio station. And if I were the Red Sox, I'd fight this over territorial rights.

Why is this a problem? NYY have been on in the Portsmouth, NH market for years.

Without giving that station a mention do you have any numbers on their ratings for during baseball season? I don't like the station because of their pro-New York slant. If it isn't the Yankees then they're gushing over the Jets.

 

[KML0224]

To be fair, I love the Yankees and even I hate the Jets. The Mets were cool once...in 1986. As for the local radio rights, who carries the Portland Pirates these days? I was last at the C.C.C.C. for a playoff game in May and didn't have my Walkman with me in there.

Back when I lived in Old Orchard Beach, I would check the Yankees on WABC-AM 770 and the NHL Whalers on WTIC-AM 1080. Fun times!

 

[Mainedude2007]

As for the local radio rights, who carries the Portland Pirates these days?

I believe they're on one of JJ Jeffery's stations...probably the WEEI simulcasts 95.5/95.9

 

[Seltzer]

Just a little different thought here--I'm a big Red Sox fan and enjoy the Sox-Yankee rivalry. When the Sox are on radio, it's kind of nice to switch between innings to the Yankee game to see how that game is going, or if the Sox have a day off, picking up some of the Yankee game is a nice diversion. I don't especially care for the style of the Yankee announcers, but it's certainly not offensive to tune the game in. A boycott seems a little drastic and the Sox network certainly doesn't have any "territorial rights" over what another team or station does. Certainly the market will ultimately determine if this will work, but under the free enterprise system this kind of programming should be welcome. And, of course, like it or not, the Yankees have a fair amount of fans in New England. It's hard to imagine someone disliking someone else because of a baseball team they follow.

Another problem could result here too if people boycotted advertisers that sponsored Yankee games--it's just possible that those same advertisers might also sponsor the Red Sox games too. And, what do you do when the Red Sox play the Yankees?

There are most certainly territorial rights. But it's up to the club..the Red Sox..to go to Major League Baseball and enforce them.

 

[murphy66]

Thank you to "amguy" and everyone else on here that has posted with common sense and a love for the game as opposed to the hatred of a team. As for seltzer and the sox ability to sue someone over this...you do realize that major television networks carried by every cable company in New England...and dish company...broadcast Yankee games, Phillies games, Dodgers games, Rangers...hey, don't tell anyone, but I think they even went so far as to broadcast the world series last year and the sox weren't even in it!!! Can you believe the absolute nerve of those people!?!?!?!?!?! Don't they understand this is sox nation and that stuff isn't legal in this part of the country?!?!??!!? Come on man...love the game...you'll feel better, really you will. Peace ;D

 

[murphy66]

I'll go just one step further and won't say anything else on this thread. I am a Yankee fan...grew up in Boston too...not Maine...Boston...but still proudly wear my pinstripes and as I have been quoted on here as saying "I love the rivalry of the yanks/sox as much if not more than I do the game of baseball itself". This is football season though and for all the die hard sox fans hear in New England...how many of you are Giants fans? Right? This is not only understandable but acceptable because before the Pats...the Giants were "the" team here in NE...I love and respect that kind of loyalty. I am currently rooting for a NE v NY rematch in the big game on super sunday...and I'm not alone...my friends that are Giants fans want the same thing...GO PATS!!!!

 

[Underminer]

ray ting said: "...unless you are a player or a team owner, it's only a game."

Clearly, you are not a Red Sox fan. Or, if you are, you're one of those pink hatters. Shame.