Should the Dodgers Simulcast on FM?

[musicfan101]

I came across this website via the S.F. board http://newsblaze.com/story/2010080409310300001.pnw/topstory.html

Basically this site shows the cume listenership for the top 15 teams, if you read it you'll see the Dodgers are ranked #15 in overall listenership on KABC, and in Men 25-54, the Dodgers/KABC don't even make the top 15.

Is this reason to worry? I mentioned in the title simulcasting on FM because many of you on here believe that younger demos, or anyone else is abandoning AM radio. Would the Dodgers simulcasting on, let's say KLOS, improve the ratings?

 

[davideduardo]

I came across this website via the S.F. board http://newsblaze.com/story/2010080409310300001.pnw/topstory.html

Basically this site shows the cume listenership for the top 15 teams, if you read it you'll see the Dodgers are ranked #15 in overall listenership on KABC, and in Men 25-54, the Dodgers/KABC don't even make the top 15.

Is this reason to worry? I mentioned in the title simulcasting on FM because many of you on here believe that younger demos, or anyone else is abandoning AM radio. Would the Dodgers simulcasting on, let's say KLOS, improve the ratings?

Good question, and interesting link.

The issue is likely a bit more complicated than just the AM issue.

Outside of the NY teams and the Cubs, there is not a lot of difference between the cume of different teams. This is a baseball-on-the-radio issue, this is a Dodger fan base issue (note that the cume of KWKW was not included and that may in fact be larger than the KABC cume) and this is a "LA is not a sports town" issue.

Part of the LA problem is that for first generation Hispanics, baseball is not a sport of interest. Another part is the fact that much of the LA population is not either born here or, perhaps, feels little city spirit. And, of course, the Dodgers are not having a great season... often a reason for low interest in games on the radio.

Many music FMs carry NFL teams... but the intrusion is generally on weekends and does not disrupt revenue or audience flow. Baseball, with, IIRC, 162 games, some verrrrrry long, in a season, music stations get killed as a rule.

 

[Uncle Rob]

[
Many music FMs carry NFL teams... but the intrusion is generally on weekends and does not disrupt revenue or audience flow. Baseball, with, IIRC, 162 games, some verrrrrry long, in a season, music stations get killed as a rule.

I remember listening to the California Angels on an FM jazz station in Phoenix during the late '70's. Always thought that was strange.

 

[Oatman]

Baseball, with, IIRC, 162 games, some verrrrrry long, in a season, music stations get killed as a rule.

Maybe not just music stations. Though I have absolutely no empirical evidence, I always felt that KFWB's downfall began when they started carrying the Dodgers. Keeping your customers happy (in any business) is all about meeting or exceeding their expectations. WB did such a good job of convincing us that tuning to 980 would give us "All News, All the Time," that when it sorta added "except during the Dodger games, pre-games, post-games, etc" it lost our little "share of mind" as a dependable news source.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

I remember listening to the California Angels on an FM jazz station in Phoenix during the late '70's. Always thought that was strange.

And around the same time (perhaps the mid-1970s), for at least one season,
the San Francisco Giants were broadcast on a classical music FM in Phoenix.

Unfortunately the feed was on an un-EQed 3.5 kHz phone line. Same thing
for the Dodgers then on KTAR 620 (and before that, on 55/KOY).

It was always a "thrill" when visiting El Lay to hear both Dodgers and Angels
home games via a 15 kHz local loop (or could have been a microwave link);
even the road games on the flagships were 5 kHz EQed lines.

 

[Big E]

a couple of weeks ago, there was a simulcast of the Dodgers game on KABC-AM and sister KLOS-FM. This did'nt go over well with the KLOS audience, and most likely didnt get any attention from the Dodgers fan who are used to the "AM" sound. I tuned in by mistake, and didnt like it...just didnt sound like a Dodgers baseball game. I dont think baseball on FM will happen anytime soon in LA.

 

[LKellerIII]

I came across this website via the S.F. board http://newsblaze.com/story/2010080409310300001.pnw/topstory.html

Basically this site shows the cume listenership for the top 15 teams, if you read it you'll see the Dodgers are ranked #15 in overall listenership on KABC, and in Men 25-54, the Dodgers/KABC don't even make the top 15.

Is this reason to worry? I mentioned in the title simulcasting on FM because many of you on here believe that younger demos, or anyone else is abandoning AM radio. Would the Dodgers simulcasting on, let's say KLOS, improve the ratings?

Good question, and interesting link.

The issue is likely a bit more complicated than just the AM issue.

Outside of the NY teams and the Cubs, there is not a lot of difference between the cume of different teams. This is a baseball-on-the-radio issue, this is a Dodger fan base issue (note that the cume of KWKW was not included and that may in fact be larger than the KABC cume) and this is a "LA is not a sports town" issue.

Part of the LA problem is that for first generation Hispanics, baseball is not a sport of interest. Another part is the fact that much of the LA population is not either born here or, perhaps, feels little city spirit. And, of course, the Dodgers are not having a great season... often a reason for low interest in games on the radio.

Many music FMs carry NFL teams... but the intrusion is generally on weekends and does not disrupt revenue or audience flow. Baseball, with, IIRC, 162 games, some verrrrrry long, in a season, music stations get killed as a rule.

A good point. One of the reasons for the recent failure of 106.9/KFRC in the Bay Area was their obligation to run all the Oakland As games - left over from the failed Free FM talk format. I'd tune in from time to time for my Classic Hits fix, and it seemed like more often than not, I'd find a baseball game on. The As haven't interested me in many years. It was really irritating.

 

[K6JHU]

But the Dodgers are on FM. Just an HD-2 signal