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Laurence Glavin
Guest
WOFX-AM 980 in Albany, New York, has signed on to carry Red Sox games in that market. Won't that bleed some listeners from WBEC-AM 1420 in Pittsfield?
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N1WVQ said:
I think the Mets have a Florida affiliate near or in Port St. Lucie, where they hold spring training, but WFAN is such a blowtorch -- even in the Capital District during the day -- that affiliates in the team's natural territory are largely unnecessary.
I remember hearing Mets games in their 1969 "miracle" season and a few seasons after that on WMTW (now WHOM), Mount Washington, NH. IIRC, this was to entertain Joan Payson, the team's owner, who had a summer home in northern New England -- Maine, I think.
Mets may have had WIRY Plattsburgh NY at one time. A diff. Pittsfield station (WBRK?) used to carry Mets
I think.
Certainly in western New England you will find some stations airing Sox, some airing Yankees (Burl VT
for example: WJOY Sox, WVMT Yanks). The Globe had an article last yr describing Yankee & Red Sox
territory in terms of radio. I think Sox have a station in Wyoming--anything to do with Curt Gowdy?
It's tough to say exactly where "sports territory" begins and ends. In the past the Yanks were on
a Cape Cod station and they're certainly on in Providence. Not long ago I went from Bennington VT
into NY state and saw a Patriots neon sign at a bar in Hoosick Falls NY. Patriots...wait, I'm in the
Empire State, how can that be?
Some in the Maritimes hope WEEI will stay on 850 despite the 93.7 signal. The 850 gets up there
and Sox fans in N.B. and N.S. can pick it up!
Albany paper article:
http://blog.timesunion.com/sportsmedia/wofx-980-am-dumps-mets-in-favor-of-red-sox/8311/
I think.
Certainly in western New England you will find some stations airing Sox, some airing Yankees (Burl VT
for example: WJOY Sox, WVMT Yanks). The Globe had an article last yr describing Yankee & Red Sox
territory in terms of radio. I think Sox have a station in Wyoming--anything to do with Curt Gowdy?
It's tough to say exactly where "sports territory" begins and ends. In the past the Yanks were on
a Cape Cod station and they're certainly on in Providence. Not long ago I went from Bennington VT
into NY state and saw a Patriots neon sign at a bar in Hoosick Falls NY. Patriots...wait, I'm in the
Empire State, how can that be?
Some in the Maritimes hope WEEI will stay on 850 despite the 93.7 signal. The 850 gets up there
and Sox fans in N.B. and N.S. can pick it up!
Albany paper article:
http://blog.timesunion.com/sportsmedia/wofx-980-am-dumps-mets-in-favor-of-red-sox/8311/
I wouldn't think so...just looking at Radio-Locator.com, I wouldn't guess that WOFX comes into Pittsfield all that well after dark. And WBEC certainly doesn't reach Albany after sunset, either.
I wonder if those Galaxy stations in Syracuse are going to be Sox affiliates again this year? I don't live near there anymore, but it was quite frustrating being so close to Red Sox games and yet forced to deal with WTIC skywave b/c I was juuuuuust outside those little Class C AM's nighttime contours.
I remember driving from Boston to Bangor, ME one night, and listening to the Sox/Angels late game (starting at 10pm) on 850 for the entire drive. I remember getting into Bangor just as the game was wrapping up. That far north, 850 was pretty weak but it was still perfectly listenable. And that's, what? 200 miles as the crow files? Maybe 220?
aaronread said:
That's because you're on the edge of WEEI's lobe during that entire trip. At night, they're sending the equivalent of 100,000 watts to the east (and northeast and southeast). Despite what radio-locator shows, I remember listening to booming local-grade signals from WRKO, WEEI and whatever 1510 was back in 2004, every single night up in Rumford, ME. Yet none of them get more than a few miles west of their respective transmitters at night. I've pulled in WRKO and WEEI at night from East Greenbush, NY with VERY weak signals and neither would be considered "listenable" by anyone aside from a dxer.
Aside from WTIC, none of the Red Sox affiliates can get very far to the west. And Albany lies within WTIC's cancellation zone, so it's not a great signal at night. So, having a Capital District affiliate for the Sox is a good idea. And the Mets fans won't lose much anyway as WFAN booms up the Hudson River to that area, day and night.
Very true regarding those AM stations you mentioned as I found on a trip to Portland ME and then a bit further north/northeast. Those AMs and also the likes of WXKS 1200 can be picked up. Days and especially nights. For that matter on the NH seacoast and up toward Portland WEEI 93.7 does well (WEEI is also
// on 95.9 and 95.5 in Port. area) and quite a few Boston FMs get up there well.
// on 95.9 and 95.5 in Port. area) and quite a few Boston FMs get up there well.
BRNout said:
Did WHYN Springfield make it up to the Capital District at night when it was part of the Sox network?
Yes, I'd read in that Albany Times-Union article, I think, that WCKL and another small station had also
picked up the Sox.
Speaking of baseball and NY state, once, I was heading west on the NY thruway and
was to spend a night in Syracuse. I tried to get WTIC as long as I could (this way daytime; I didn't have XM yet) and finally lost it so I tuned to the Yankee broadcast instead; it was a very hot day and Sterling and Waldman were
talking about it. "Boy, it's a good thing air conditioning was invented...Mr. Carrier really helped people out with that".
At that precise moment I was on Carrier Circle (nr the Carrier AC plant, one presumes) in Syracuse
picked up the Sox.
Speaking of baseball and NY state, once, I was heading west on the NY thruway and
was to spend a night in Syracuse. I tried to get WTIC as long as I could (this way daytime; I didn't have XM yet) and finally lost it so I tuned to the Yankee broadcast instead; it was a very hot day and Sterling and Waldman were
talking about it. "Boy, it's a good thing air conditioning was invented...Mr. Carrier really helped people out with that".
At that precise moment I was on Carrier Circle (nr the Carrier AC plant, one presumes) in Syracuse
L
Laurence Glavin
Guest
The Albany-Schenectady-Troy ratings are out and WOFX-AM is apparently a non-factor in the market, coming in at BELOW out-of-market WABY-AM. I don't know if adding the Red Sox will help unless it attracts the kind of people who slow down at accidents on the highway. They may be interested in following NEXT fall's team collapse.
That part of NY state (along with CT/RI) you will get a mix of
Red Sox/Yankees/Mets fans. If they can pick up 100% of the
Sox fans in that area, it should do well for them!
Red Sox/Yankees/Mets fans. If they can pick up 100% of the
Sox fans in that area, it should do well for them!
I was in Albany this past weekend and all the sports stores, visible fan loyalties are very divided - there is a good segment of Boston fans up there (of all 4 major sports) as well as New York sports.... it seems to be a pretty even mix between Sox and Yankees and then the Mets 3rd.....football seemed more Giants but certainly more Pats than Jets...
To answer a couple of questions that were posted on this topic.....WOFX-980 is the old WTRY...a major Top 40 station in the market in the 60s and 70s...and one of the best AM signals in the market. 560-WHYN Springfield is nulled away from Albany...and fades rapidly as you get west of Springfield...
I was in Syracuse for a night last summer, and there was an ESPN radio affiliate - on FM - carrying a Red Sox broadcast. They had liners about how the station was the "Home of the Red Sox." Joe Castiglione and Dave O'Brien were broadcasting. I had no idea there would be enough demand for a Red Sox affiliate in Syracuse.
ScottBurns said:
The ground has shifted up here in the last decade or so. Sure, there are and will always be lots of Yankees fans all across western New York, but there's a healthy Sox fan base as well. It's not unusual to go to a minor-league game up here (not even a PawSox appearance) and see as many Boston hats and jerseys as Yankees gear. And when Youk was in rehab with the PawSox last fall and played in a couple of games here in Rochester, the crowds were huge.
WOFX is the fourth Sox affiliate now in upstate NY, and I have a hunch that number is only going to grow.
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