Regionalizing MLB?

[radiogeek07]

I am not a conspiracy theorist at all, but I was wondering if there is a sort of attempt by major league baseball to take its teams off of 50000-watt flame throwers? It's happened in Minnisoda, St. Lewis, and Pittsburgh. The Reds new ownership expressed interest in buying a radio station. Am I wrong in deducing that the idea is to make the flagship a less powerful AM or if possible move it to FM, have enough radio affiliates to cover the necessary strategic smaller markets, and then force all people outside the region to buy a subscription to mlb.com or have Satelite Radio? Thoughts?

 

[steve90031]

The Angels owner bought 830 AM KLAA earlier this year. It is a 50,000 watt station. I think these are individual decisions each team and station has made, not any kind of a trend. If there is a trend, it is that the 50,000 watt news talkers don't find that baseball and the rest of the format they offer mix. I think you are going to see more play by play rights in the future going to the sports formatted stations. My limited experience says that news/talk listeners and baseball fans are almost mutually exclusive groups.

 

[bigtalkradiofan]

I think you'll find your answer here:


http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114770830431853004-vC0epAmLa3K90suXWnwHRGh8D3w_20070618.html?mod=rss_free

Hearing Red

Does Cardinals' Switch to Smaller Station
Signal Eclipse of Free Radio Broadcasts?

By LARRY BOROWSKY
Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 19, 2006

Larry Borowsky writes about the Cardinals daily at Viva El Birdos, a blog on the SB Nation network. He lives in Denver and listens to Cardinal radio broadcasts over the Internet. Write to him at [email protected].

"It is probably inevitable that baseball radio broadcasts will go to a 100% subscription model," says Larry Rosin, president of Somerville, N.J.-based Edison Media Research. "It might take five years, 10 years, 20 years -- but nothing can stop it. It will happen because there's too much money in it not to do it."

From fans' point of view, that would be a familiar story: As recently as the early 1990s, "free" TV stations carried more than 80% of local broadcasts. Today, that share has dwindled to 23%; subscription-based cable services carry the rest. Seven major-league teams -- the Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers -- won't have any local broadcasts on free TV this season.

Mr. Rosin, for one, believes radio could follow a similar trajectory.

[Click link above for the complete Wall Street Journal newspaper article.]

 

[MikeStandardsFromIndiana]

I know there was an uproar in atlanta when the Braves left WSB a 2nd time for WGST. but the Outside of Atlanta Braves Nation seemed to cope with the Deal especially when Braves games also started to Disappear from TBS at the same time. Yet the Cardinals fans make a Big Stink over the Cards leaving KMOX for part Ownership in its new Flagship Station in KTRS. I Havent even seen a slither of an outcry of the twins leaving WCCO for KTSP. some Pirates Fans are giving an out cry over the KDKA to WPGB Move for the Pirates. Unless the Reds can get one of Clear Channel's AM's in Cincinnati and the rest of the AM's are regional graveyard AM's in cincinnati so it they have to go for an FM Station and the FM's in cincinnati 4 are CC, 4 for Entercom who is bying CBS Radio Cincinnati and 3 for Cumulus and 2 for Radio One i dont see them getting a big FM either in Cincinnati so if i was the Reds id just stay with WLW.

 

[chuckydoll]

Not "regionalizing" -- more like relocating

Ground conductivity in Georgia is poor, which means a 50,000-watt AM signal doesn't get out very far even on the low end of the dial. That's why 96 Rock is the "Home of the Braves".

As for KMOX, KDKA and WCCO? CBS Radio has told its stations not to pay big money for pro sports play-by-play. KMOX, KDKA and WCCO are owned by CBS Radio.

 

[stljohn]

Chucky's right, here in " St. Lewis" the Cardinals made the move simply because of the promise of more money. CBS wanted to reduce the guarantee from the last contract making the Cardinals assume more risk. Guess they figured if they were gonna take the risk they wanted to be part-owner in the station so there would be no funny bidness with the books.

But I think in the end they will be sadly disappointed by how many people will pay to listen to games.

 

[KeithE4]

Re: Not "regionalizing" -- more like relocating

Ground conductivity in Georgia is poor, which means a 50,000-watt AM signal doesn't get out very far even on the low end of the dial. That's why 96 Rock is the "Home of the Braves".

As for KMOX, KDKA and WCCO? CBS Radio has told its stations not to pay big money for pro sports play-by-play. KMOX, KDKA and WCCO are owned by CBS Radio.

Is this a recent decision? CBS Radio has all the big-league sports in Chicago other than the Cubs. The White Sox and Black Hawks are on WSCR, Da Bears are on WBBM, and the Bulls are on WCKG starting this season.

 

[MikeStandardsFromIndiana]

i think this is a recent desicion with CBS Radio because when you look at the Twins Leaving WCCO in Minneapolis and The Pirates Leaving KDKA in pittsburgh within weeks of each other for new Flagships next year. i remember hearing where CBS Radio doesnt want to pay the big rights fee's for Sports PBP. My guess will see CBS Radio only keeping radio sports PBP in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Probly CBS Philadelphia will Keep the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Flyers cuz of Philly Being a top 5 Market.

 

[steve90031]

The only CBS play by play property in Los Angeles are the Dodgers with KFWB. Rumors are that the Dodgers will switch to KSPN 710 after both the Angels and Dodgers contracts expire after the '07 season....

 

[MikeStandardsFromIndiana]

Well that doesnt Shock me if the Dodgers jump ship to ABC and KSPN since The Angels are leaving for its recently purchased 830 am

 

[BDBopper]

As I have said on another forum, I think this is radio being radio. However MLB is pleased as punch considering its TV regional rules today. After a baseball team has been on one station forever those stations hurt as a whole because of demographics. What you are going to see is a cycle. In Atlanta WSB will get the Braves back after awhile for that very reason. After five-ten years one radio station isn't going to want to be the flagship for a baseball team any longer. That station will allow another station to outbid them and will wait for the next contract to come around and buy the rights back. In the case of WSB when they let the Braves go to WGST the first time, the next contract came up right after the Baseball strike so it was only three years. But ten years passed and Cox allowed WGST and Clear Channel to get the rights to the Braves.

Bud Selig and the MLB, based on their TV rights and regional blackout rules don't want a team to have fans outside of their regional home. So the teams leaving 50,000 watt AM stations for their flagships should be pleasing to them.

 

[MikeStandardsFromIndiana]

Now with the Twins and The Pirates Jumping to new Flagships that leaves the Cubs and the Reds As the longest reigning teams with the same station the cubs at WGN i dont see that ever changing as long as WGN Radio and the Cubs are Co-owned and WLW and the reds just reupped for a couple more years i believe.

 

[chuckydoll]

After a baseball team has been on one station forever those stations hurt as a whole because of demographics. What you are going to see is a cycle. In Atlanta WSB will get the Braves back after awhile for that very reason.

The Yankees moved to WABC in 1981, the last full year that station played music. The Bronx Bombers were perfectly happy to be on 77 but got dumped after the 2001 season. Why? Rush Limbaugh complained about being pre-empted for day games -- and his show originated at WABC.

With WSB and the Braves it's a different matter. The first time Jacor outbid Cox; since WGST is 50kwD-1kwN, Jacor arranged to have night games simulcast on soft-AC FM giant WPCH. The second time Clear Channel outbid Cox; this time, because FM is so dominant in Atlanta, Clear Channel made 96 Rock and WGST co-flagships. Visit the 96 Rock website and you'll find the tomahawk in the station's logo.