Radio Insight.com: Timberwolves leaving WCCO-830 For "Super Non-Traditional" Broadcast Agreement

[Joseph_Gallant]

Radio Insight.com is reporting (Minnesota Timberwolves Depart WCCO - RadioInsight ) that radio broadcasts of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves have left WCCO-830 after twelve seasons.

The site quotes a team official as saying the club would have a "super non-traditional route" for it's radio broadcasts at least for the coming 2023/2024 season and that an announcement would come soon.

Could the team have left WCCO due to fear of WCCO parent Audacy Communications' potential future financial problems?

Or will the team's radio coverage go streaming only?

Inquiring minds in the North Central United States want to know.

 

[TheBigA]

The site quotes a team official as saying the club would have a "super non-traditional route" for it's radio broadcasts

Seems to me the Oakland A's said something similar when they left Audacy's The Game in San Francisco. They ended up going an online route before signing a deal with one of the iHeart AMs. I think the Suns or the Coyotes did something similar in Phoenix. The thing some of these teams want is more online content. Traditional radio alone isn't enough for these teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they do something with IHeart. Maybe not full-time, but some partial plan.

 

[Gregg.]

I suppose the theory is that traditional AM radio is so outdated that these teams would rather just do streaming. But after a few years, most of these teams go back to traditional radio. After all, you can both stream and be on traditional radio.

As BigA says, the Oakland As are getting heard on 960 KNEW in the San Francisco area. The NY Islanders had no radio home for a few years, except for a college station on Long Island, along with streaming. The team is now also on 50,000 watt 1050 WEPN (but not on 98.7 WEPN-FM).

I doubt it has anything to do with Audacy's problems with its stock price or debt. It is the #3 owner of radio stations in the U.S.

 

[TheBigA]

I doubt it has anything to do with Audacy's problems with its stock price or debt.

Although I would bet that Audacy asked the team for a price cut. I could hear them explaining how ad rates for the games have dropped 30%, so they would want a similar cut in the rights fee. And the team walked away.

 

[Kent]

Although I would bet that Audacy asked the team for a price cut. I could hear them explaining how ad rates for the games have dropped 30%, so they would want a similar cut in the rights fee. And the team walked away.

My thoughts were along similar lines. I suspect Audacy either asked to get out of the deal or asked to renegotiate. Wouldn't be surprised if Audacy is paying something to the T-Wolves to get them to leave.

Can't imagine the Wolves were very helpful to the bottom line at 'CCO. I understand the team has had somewhat of a resurgence over the last couple years, though it has generally been a doormat outside of the Joe Smith and Kevin Garnett eras.

 

[iKnowTC]

I bet they'd love to be on KFAN, but the Vikings, Wild and Gophers are already there. They'd be fourth-class citizens there. Can't imagine any music station would want them.

 

[CTListener]

I bet they'd love to be on KFAN, but the Vikings, Wild and Gophers are already there. They'd be fourth-class citizens there. Can't imagine any music station would want them.

Oldies/classic hits and country stations seem comfortable with baseball, and classic rock stations carry NFL football, but nobody wants the NBA? Are urban AC or hip-hop stations ever interested, or would a basketball/Black music arrangement appear too stereotypical for comfort?

 

[TheBigA]

I bet they'd love to be on KFAN, but the Vikings, Wild and Gophers are already there. They'd be fourth-class citizens there. Can't imagine any music station would want them.

I agree, that's why I say they'll do some kind of side deal with iHeart to mainly access the iHeartRadio app and provide online content.

Oldies/classic hits and country stations seem comfortable with baseball, and classic rock stations carry NFL football, but nobody wants the NBA?

The Dallas Mavericks are on what used to be the Eagle, and it's now The Freak, also owned by iHeart. As they say in the release, teams are looking for non-conventional ways to handle radio.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Oldies/classic hits and country stations seem comfortable with baseball,

Not as flagships, at least not to my knowledge. All the baseball flagships I know of air a talk format -- news, political, sports, or business.
The economics are different for airing the Twins in Minneapolis, and airing the Twins as an affiliate in Bemidji.

and classic rock stations carry NFL football,

It is much easier to justify the NFL since there are only 17 games, the majority of which are on Sunday afternoons.

but nobody wants the NBA?

Only three serious competitors in the Twin Cities -- Audacy, Hubbard (for Skor North), or iHeart.
Skor North is not a major competitor in the Twin Cities sports landscape. They literally have a 0.1 share in the latest book.
iHeart's sports station, KFXN already has the Wild, the Vikings, and the Golden Gophers, so they would likely be unable to fit the T-Wolves if they wanted to.

Are urban AC or hip-hop stations ever interested, or would a basketball/Black music arrangement appear too stereotypical for comfort?

The Charlotte Hornets air on an Urban AC station. Other than that, all NBA teams air on sports or political talk radio stations.

 

[ksradiogeek]

The Charlotte Hornets air on an Urban AC station. Other than that, all NBA teams air on sports or political talk radio stations.

Not anymore - they’re on ‘FNZ-FM.

 

[CTListener]

Not as flagships, at least not to my knowledge. All the baseball flagships I know of air a talk format -- news, political, sports, or business.
The economics are different for airing the Twins in Minneapolis, and airing the Twins as an affiliate in Bemidji.

Correct. I was referring to all stations on MLB teams' networks, not just the flagships. Up here in NH/VT's Upper Valley, the Red Sox are heard on three stations: Oldies WHDQ-HD2/W294AB Hanover, NH, classic country WCNL Claremont, NH, and alternative rock WWOD Woodstock, VT. The service area is a bunch of towns all with populations well under 20,000, many not even 10,000, so the Bemidji comparison is accurate.

 

[pattywells]

Oldies/classic hits and country stations seem comfortable with baseball, and classic rock stations carry NFL football, but nobody wants the NBA? Are urban AC or hip-hop stations ever interested, or would a basketball/Black music arrangement appear too stereotypical for comfort?

That's an interesting idea. SiriusXM promotes basketball games on their Urban channels. Now that the demographic skews older for Urban AC stations, it might be worthwhile. You'd just hate to have people turn off the station because the game is on.

However for Minneapolis, there is no full-size Urban AC or Hip Hop station. There's one public radio station that does Urban AC. And one iHeart station that broadcasts an Urban AC national feed over a very small translator.

I suspect it just goes to streaming. People who really want it in their cars will stream from their phone.

 

[CTListener]

That's an interesting idea. SiriusXM promotes basketball games on their Urban channels.

SXM has used Black voice-over talent -- or should I say, since this is radio we're talking about, voice-over talent that sounds distinctly African-American -- for its basketball promos for as long as I've been a subscriber. It's the only sport that gets that treatment. Guess there's something of a glass ceiling there for Black announcers with good pipes who want to do sports work. (Promoting Soul Town and Real Jazz is another option.) Again, there could be Black voice talent there that doesn't have the stereotypical accent and speech pattern and is being used on other channels. I have no way of knowing.

 

[PrevueTalk]

maybe it will end up on FXN in minneapolis

 

[NoDakObserver]

My thoughts were along similar lines. I suspect Audacy either asked to get out of the deal or asked to renegotiate. Wouldn't be surprised if Audacy is paying something to the T-Wolves to get them to leave.

Can't imagine the Wolves were very helpful to the bottom line at 'CCO. I understand the team has had somewhat of a resurgence over the last couple years, though it has generally been a doormat outside of the Joe Smith and Kevin Garnett eras.

According to the Star Tribune, WCCO increased their offer from the previous contract, not decreased, and they were still turned down.

Wolves dump WCCO, indicate they will use ‘super non-traditional’ partner

The station had been the flagship for Wolves broadcasts since 2011 and offered the team more money to stay in contract negotiations. Longtime play-by-play man Alan Horton will remain a part of the team's plans.

www.startribune.com

 

[mnradiofan]

It is much easier to justify the NFL since there are only 17 games, the majority of which are on Sunday afternoons.

I'd normally agree with this line of thinking, but KMNB airs the Twins, and doesn't seem to have a problem with that. Obviously this wouldn't be the case here since KMNB is owned by Audacy, but it is not unheard of to have a music station also air a sport with lots of games, even if it is more rare.

 

[PrevueTalk]

i think it would be on KFAN or be streamed on iheart or apple

 

[CTListener]

i think it would be on KFAN or be streamed on iheart or apple

Would that "apple" service be via Apple+? That's a huge risk. A team choosing to air its games solely on the internet already shuts out fans who, either by personal preference or economic hardship, don't have internet access. Putting the games on an outlet like Apple+, which charges a monthly fee, would lose even more listeners. A nondescript team like the Timberwolves doesn't need to be making its games harder for its smallish fan base to access, especially since the T-Wolves hardly ever appear on ABC's national telecasts.

 

[PrevueTalk]

so the wolves will go with kfan again

hope we find out where its going

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

But how many Timberwolves games will KFAN carry?

And will any other I-Heart Minneapolis/St. Paul stations carry Timberwolves games that can't be accommodated by KFAN (due to conflicts with broadcasts of the Vikings, Wild, or University Of Minnesota football/men's hockey/men's basketball/women's basketball)?

Or will any, many, or most Timberwolves games be streaming-exclusive?