Red Sox Radio Legal Announcement

[radiodizzy]

Why does the script for the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network include the language "Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Major League Baseball or WEEI"? Is it just laziness? To hear the script read moments before announcing that I'm listening to the WRKO Red Sox Radio Netowk is a bit odd.

 

[raccoonradio]

Yes--it depends on what day you're listening whether or not it's the WRKO or WEEI (Shaw's) Red Sox
Radio network. At one point you could hear them say, "The Jimmy Fund Radiothon will be on
our flagship station, WEEI 850" while moments later they said it was the WRKO Red Sox network. etc

And as I said the other night, the flagship station of the WRKO Red Sox Network didn't break
away from Borders Language Culture Buy My Books Michael Savage to relay the word that the
Sox had just won the AL East divisional title, with player interviews and celebration, etc.

 

[BRNout]

I've said it before and I'll repeat it for another couple of years: the entire WRKO/WEEI/Red Sox arrangement is awkward. Yeah, radio geeks and professionals may think that it makes perfect sense - but it doesn't to those outside the business. WEEI is the Red Sox station and that is the foundation of the brand. This business of musical radio stations will only serve to dilute the same audience between the two stations.

What's worse, WRKO gets away with running their talk programming into the ground while coasting on decent numbers. But, wait until the season is over (hopefully not for another month! ) when they crash and burn. Then procrastination time will be over and we will all be able to see WRKO's new, 'FNX-style numbers. Only without 'FNX's demos. Ouch!

 

[radiodizzy]

Just to clarify... The legal announcement always mentions WEEI in the script, though it's on WRKO and WRKO is the flagship. Shouldn't the message be... "Major League Baseball and WRKO"?

 

[BRNout]

Just to clarify... The legal announcement always mentions WEEI in the script, though it's on WRKO and WRKO is the flagship. Shouldn't the message be... "Major League Baseball and WRKO"?

It should say WRKO as they are the originating station. I just went off on a tangent about how disorganized this arrangement seems. This was just another little example of that.

 

[TSBench]

Just to clarify... The legal announcement always mentions WEEI in the script, though it's on WRKO and WRKO is the flagship. Shouldn't the message be... "Major League Baseball and WRKO"?

It should say WRKO as they are the originating station. I just went off on a tangent about how disorganized this arrangement seems. This was just another little example of that.

The agreement is between Entercom Communications and the Boston Red Sox. Entercom is free to designate anyone they want as their point of contact. The Red Sox are required to defer to Major League Baseball ( or, more precisely, Major League Baseball Advanced Media.) This entire arrangement is driven mostly by streaming, which is, for MLB, a $150 mil + bonus baby. Since it's not a legal ID, Entercom could use WAAF as the point of contract if they wished, but since the sports operation is run out of WEEI, and not WRKO, and WEEI would be the more likely of the two to be involved in sports related decisions and streaming, they designate WEEI.

I'm sure this has created mass confusion amongst those who had difficulty remembering WEEI/Wednesday, but Entercom chose to take the risk, anyway.

Regards,
TSB

 

[BRNout]

The agreement is between Entercom Communications and the Boston Red Sox. Entercom is free to designate anyone they want as their point of contact. The Red Sox are required to defer to Major League Baseball ( or, more precisely, Major League Baseball Advanced Media.) This entire arrangement is driven mostly by streaming, which is, for MLB, a $150 mil + bonus baby. Since it's not a legal ID, Entercom could use WAAF as the point of contract if they wished, but since the sports operation is run out of WEEI, and not WRKO, and WEEI would be the more likely of the two to be involved in sports related decisions and streaming, they designate WEEI.

I'm sure this has created mass confusion amongst those who had difficulty remembering WEEI/Wednesday, but Entercom chose to take the risk, anyway.

Honestly, I was about to suggest that Entercom communications could be named but I have never heard anyone say this on-air. So, I appreciate that clarification.

However, though I often agree with you TSB (and respect your opinion), I must take exception to your snide comment about "remembering WEEI/Wednesday." Sure, you find it so very easy. And, it's not that I don't. But, being in the business can result in a combination of myopia and a bit of arrogance. The whole revolving affiliates thing violates the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) rule that the flagship stations of most other major sports teams manage to comply with. The present setup seems cobbled together and is not befitting a big-time team such as the Red Sox. That this is unnecessary is my complaint. And, it results in inconsistency.

By the way, here in Philly, WPHT was broadcasting live from the Phillies celebration in Center City. They would sneak the coverage into hard breaks in their talk show schedule. Not the best arrangement to be sure, but it was the best that CBS Radio could do in this market.

Who was broadcasting live from the Red Sox celebration at City Hall Plaza? Was it the flagship station, WRKO, or was it the non-flagship sports talk station, WEEI? The answer to that question would tell us a lot about who the Red Sox' REAL station is. I think that we all know the real answer to that.

 

[Finn]

I'm conducting a very informal poll of nonradio Red Sox fans.... casually asking "hey, what do you think about the Red Sox on WRKO and WEEI" and the general reaction is summed up in this quote, "I hate it - I can't figure out where they are, drives me nuts." I asked the guy who said this if he has WRKO on his presets in the car yet and he hadn't. Now, it seems like that would be the solution to his problem, and it doesn't seem that hard to me (I mean, even I can find a Law and Order episode when I really need one), but I'm not feeling the love from the fans about it for the moment.

Takes a while to build up a habit though - apparently more than one baseball season.

 

[radiogurl45]

They have to say that, because like you said it is a legal announcement. All the MLB teams make similar announcements, at least once during their broadcast. "without expressed written consent of the [insert name] radio network....."

 

[Dark Knight]

This always seemed like much ado about nothing to me. If I don't hear the game on WRKO, I switch to WEEI and there it is. Not really much of a nuisance.

Television does this all the time - Fox is the national carrier, NESN is local, but years ago it was TV38 and NESN and Fox as the national carrier. I think a few years ago they even had a few on WBZ in addition to Fox, TV38 and NESN. In the age of the remote control and the on screen guide it never really bothered me.

Now radio asks us to possibly hit an extra button - who cares?

 

[BRNout]

The trouble with the idea is that it lacks consistency and dilutes (what has become) a very successful brand. If you take WRKO out of the equation and place the games back on WEEI, you are back to having a sports juggernaut. Add to that the consistency of the "WEEI" brand throughout New England - particularly as envisioned in the Nassau deal - and you have one valuable commodity. The WRKO move doesn't seem to fit with logical long-term plans for the WEEI network anyhow.

WRKO's involvement seems unnecessary and just confuses the issue. Frankly, the Red Sox network is large enough that you're really not gaining much territory by flipping from 850 to 680. Yes, 680 is a better signal, but not all that much better. It's not like putting the games on a blowtorch like WBZ. Reception in places like Worcester County or Nashua is still better on their respective local affiliates - which is also the case on the north shore with WBOQ.

In short, it just muddies the water and is a silly waste of effort on the part of Entercom.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>Now radio asks us to possibly hit an extra button - who cares?

When my workplace has crappy reception of WEEI and I work nights, I do. Also it's just kind of
weird when they say RKO, RKO, RKO, your Red Sox flagship and don't even pick up the ball, so to speak,
when the news come that the Yanks have lost and fans at Fenway are celebrating. And we want to hear from the players, etc. But yeah,
hopefully real Sox fans knew enough to tune to WEEI in the unlikely event that the Sox DID clinch
that night.

Just put the Sox and the WEEI lineup on the station with the Burlington stick. WEEI 680 and WRKO 850,
folks. I won't miss too many of the talk shows WRKO has. Howie won't be back and there's not much
reason for me to tune in now. Felon, Feinburg, et al. Better yet, let some other station pick up
Rush or Savage and turn WRKO into Classic Country. Parton is such sweet sorrow!

>>Yes, 680 is a better signal, but not all that much better.

For me it's way better (at work). Or put games on FM too like 93.7 which comes in really well at
work

>>WRKO's involvement seems unnecessary and just confuses the issue

The idea was to have WEEI continue its sports talk and pick up the Celts and have WRKO run strong
talk programming till 7 pm then go to the Sox...talk all day, Sox at night. But with the losers
currently at 'RKO, why bother? There's a ratings bump in summer but watch that go away now.
Watch for a big drop come November.

 

[TSBench]

>>Now radio asks us to possibly hit an extra button - who cares?

When my workplace has crappy reception of WEEI and I work nights, I do.

J.H.C., Rac, quit whining, for gawd's sake. Life if imperfect. You act like they did it just to piss you off. Sorry you missed the celebration, but nobody is going to make programming decisions because you're unhappy.

Give the Derangement Syndrome a rest for a while.

Regards,
TSB

 

[raccoonradio]

I didn't miss the celebration, but it didn't come in as well. I'll stop whining when everyone else here
stops doing their personal whine and cheese.

Using blue font color may cause irritability and toothaches. Use only as directed and see your doctor in case these side effects pop up.

 

[Finn]

Last night, yet another friend offered a completely unsolicited comment on the following lines: "Did you know that the Red Sox are now broadcast on two different stations?" Me: Really? What do you think about that? Her: " It's really irritating - you can never remember which one it's on, so you have to try each station until you find it. This is something you just don't want to have to think about, you just want to go to the Red Sox station and push the button."

This is someone I've never spoken about radio or the Red Sox with before.

FWIW.

 

[TSBench]

Last night, yet another friend offered a completely unsolicited comment on the following lines: "Did you know that the Red Sox are now broadcast on two different stations?" Me: Really? What do you think about that? Her: " It's really irritating - you can never remember which one it's on, so you have to try each station until you find it. This is something you just don't want to have to think about, you just want to go to the Red Sox station and push the button."

This is someone I've never spoken about radio or the Red Sox with before.

FWIW.

I guess this is going to turn out to be a chance to play 'my friends are more incompetent than your's.' If these folks were in medical research, people would be dying of hay fever.

I received the following e-mail from someone who took issue with what I wrote...

...Dear Benchguy....You pointy-headed elite librals are all the same, never understanding what life is like for us real folks. I was looking forward to listening to the Sox on my transistor, untill my cousin Deke dropped it into his vat of squeezins last Tuesday and recked it. All I have now is this old Hallicrafters set I found in the bomb shelter I had dug in 1959 that Ida uses for a mushroom celler, It is short wave only, so what am I going to do now, Mr, Know-it-all? It has 1500 presets, so don't tell me to 'channel surf', because at one button evry 10 seconds the game will be over before I find it. And don't give me this junk about 'listen until you find something that sounds like a baseball game'. because, mr smartee, how do you say Boston in french or Julio Lugo in spanish? Not as easy as you think, is it???

And don't tell me to watch it on television on some hi falutin' foreign station like Fox or TBS, because I bought the bargain package from my cable company and only get CSPAN and the Home Shopping Club. So, after being a Sox fan for years, I guess I'm really screwed now. All I can do now is wait for the boston newspapers to arrive at the general store and have Effie May Sugarman, the owners stepdaughter, read the sports pages to me.

You massachusitts millionairs with your fancy car radios and lots of cable stations and McGovern bumper stickers just don't understand. I'm screwed, and it's all Julio Kahn's fault, I bet, who's probably a illigal immigrent.

Opperman "Op" Possum
Jackman, Maine................

Regards,
TSB

 

[Finn]

I guess this is going to turn out to be a chance to play 'my friends are more incompetent than your's.' If these folks were in medical research, people would be dying of hay fever.

Gee, you're right TSB - my friend is dumb as a post, so I'm sure no advertisers would be interested in reaching someone so stoopid. And, given that you're a radio sale guys, you're making me think that the folks in radio sales actually like it when the listerners don't like something about the programming because they prefer a challenge to something too easy.



P.S. As I said in an earlier post, I personally don't think the schedule is that hard to remember and do think people will manage to find the Red Sox (it is, after all, only two stations - one or the other). However, I am struck by the number of nonradio people who have pretty strong, negative feelings about it. I would have thought that Entercom would be 'focus-grouping' it, since it's such a major investment, but I don't know how prevalent that is in the industry. Anybody know?

 

[TSBench]

Gee, you're right TSB - my friend is dumb as a post, so I'm sure no advertisers would be interested in reaching someone so stoopid. And, given that you're a radio sale guys, you're making me think that the folks in radio sales actually like it when the listerners don't like something about the programming because they prefer a challenge to something too easy.

Actually, us radio (in my case, former) sales guys liked numbers and sellable programming. What's not to like about this, your friends notwithstanding?

Curiously, everyone complaining about this has already figured it out. Evidently, they're posting for the benefit of their stupid friends. Sort of a plaintiff-by-proxy. "Hey, I'm not inept...but my friends are all nitwits."

P.S. As I said in an earlier post, I personally don't think the schedule is that hard to remember and do think people will manage to find the Red Sox (it is, after all, only two stations - one or the other). However, I am struck by the number of nonradio people who have pretty strong, negative feelings about it.

Well, the combined numbers for WEEI and WRKO are higher this season than last, and still stayed pretty high despite their heavy hitters (D&C, Carr) being on the sidelines for most of the last monthly rating period. Evidently, either the difficulty of figuring this out, or the outrage, is, shall we say, overstated.

Regards,
TSB

 

[Finn]

Curiously, everyone complaining about this has already figured it out. Evidently, they're posting for the benefit of their stupid friends. Sort of a plaintiff-by-proxy. "Hey, I'm not inept...but my friends are all nitwits."

Well, the combined numbers for WEEI and WRKO are higher this season than last, and still stayed pretty high despite their heavy hitters (D&C, Carr) being on the sidelines for most of the last monthly rating period. Evidently, either the difficulty of figuring this out, or the outrage, is, shall we say, overstated.

I'm not drinking the kool-aid TSB, I'm just passing on what friends have said. It's obviously not statistically significant - but when you're hearing 'noise' about something, it seems like that's a place to investigate and get some metrics on whether you can do better.

Don't the numbers have to be higher, given the higher costs?

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.... and I look forward to seeing what happens when the season ends.

 

[TSBench]

I'm not drinking the kool-aid TSB,

You're one of the last people I'd expect to have WRKO Derangement Syndrome.

I'm just passing on what friends have said. It's obviously not statistically significant - but when you're hearing 'noise' about something, it seems like that's a place to investigate and get some metrics on whether you can do better.

Well, nothing succeeds like success, and it seems to be working quite nicely. Perfection is the enemy of good enough, and is impossible to achieve, anyway. I guess you could focus group this to death, research the bejeezus out of it, tweak it hourly, but sooner or later you have to make a decision and roll the dice. Luckily for WRKO/WEEI, it came up 7.

Don't the numbers have to be higher, given the higher costs?

The revenue has to be higher, although any station gets a bounce from carrying the Sox. The ball game sponsorships are independent of the overall station ratings....if you want the Red Sox radio audience, and the cache and promotional goodies that go with a sponsorship, Entercom is the only game in town. And you will pay a premium, regardless of what the rest of the station(s) is doing.

What drives me nuts is folks (not you) who take exception to every station ploy as if it was a personal affront. Radio station marketing is as much an art as a science, but there is a technical component to it. The writting is on the wall for radio stations, especially the big AMs, that relying on spot sales to pay all the bills is now a non-starter. That is why WEEI runs games on Wednesday...because they have branded Wednesdays as 'Red Sox Wednesday', giving Sox sponsors the opportunity for added bang for the buck, and enabling those advertisers without the deep pockets required for a game sponsorship an opportunity to run with the big dogs. Sales departments love 'hooks', and this is a great one. And since the Sox broadcasts, and their sponsorship revenue, is a corporate entity, rather than station specific, why not add frosting to the cake by tossing in a game if you have the ability to do so? The insanity would be not doing it, not doing it (rather tortured, but you get my drift.) Heck, WEEI has Patriots Monday, and they don't even have the games.

Putting the rest of the games on WRKO was a no-brainer. The Sox replaced syndicated programming which didn't generate mega revenue or listenership. And, the one thing they needed to avoid was audience cannabilization, which they managed to pull off. Thje combined ratings for WEEI/WRKO were higher than the combined ratings from the previous year. And the combined revenue was higher (I assume, since Entercom doesn't report revenue on a station- by-station basis to the SEC.).) Yes, some people may have found it initially confusing, but they should have been able to sort it out in pretty short order. Of course, there probably are a few who never managed to pull that one off, but if you start managing your programming by catering to the exceptions, you won't last very long. That is what this board is all about, the exceptions, and it is why nothing suggested here programming or business -wise, ever happens, except by coincidence or accident.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.... and I look forward to seeing what happens when the season ends.

Interestingly, nobody has mentioned that despite Howie Carr being hors de combat for the last monthly ratings, WRKO only took a hit of .2...from a 5.4 to a 5.2. With the Sox audience flat (which I think is a logical assumption since the team was essentially in first place from the beginning of the season and the baseball numbers historically only tumble if the team falls out of contention and you lose the casual fan) it looks like the rest of the schedule was holding up pretty well. And. with WTKK numbers falling off the table, it doesn't appear that the PMD audience is jumping ship to Severin in large numbers. If Howie stays gone (either contractually or by personal preference), unless they really step on their cranks, I have the feeling that WRKO will be able to eventually take up most of the slack. It will be interesting.

Regards,
TSB