Supposedly due to health issues.
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Shrinking Red Sox (Don’t say Radio) Network
- Thread starter jlehmann
- Start date
Supposedly due to health issues.
Please folks. This is a board about radio, not politics.
It's silly to say that a station that carries a political talk show was affected one way or the other from carrying the Red Sox. If you've got a baseball team with the Red Sox loyalty in New England, you preempt whatever programs you usually run to air the games. But if the network is charging too much to carry the games and you think it's not financially to your advantage, you don't run the games.
WEEI-FM used to get a fantastic boost from being the Red Sox flagship that would power them ahead of WBZ-FM. I think one year when the Red Sox were in the World Series, WEEI-FM went to #1 in the ratings that month. Now, whether the team is doing well or not, WBZ-FM stays ahead of WEEI-FM, even in summer. Add in that Audacy paid too much for the rights. I can remember when every New England city, large or small, had a Red Sox station, even if it was only a few miles from another affiliate. But cost is why some small stations have dropped the Red Sox and don't want to pay for the privilege.
Again, I don't see politics involved. Not the politics of the team, not the politics of any preempted shows.
It's silly to say that a station that carries a political talk show was affected one way or the other from carrying the Red Sox. If you've got a baseball team with the Red Sox loyalty in New England, you preempt whatever programs you usually run to air the games. But if the network is charging too much to carry the games and you think it's not financially to your advantage, you don't run the games.
WEEI-FM used to get a fantastic boost from being the Red Sox flagship that would power them ahead of WBZ-FM. I think one year when the Red Sox were in the World Series, WEEI-FM went to #1 in the ratings that month. Now, whether the team is doing well or not, WBZ-FM stays ahead of WEEI-FM, even in summer. Add in that Audacy paid too much for the rights. I can remember when every New England city, large or small, had a Red Sox station, even if it was only a few miles from another affiliate. But cost is why some small stations have dropped the Red Sox and don't want to pay for the privilege.
Again, I don't see politics involved. Not the politics of the team, not the politics of any preempted shows.
Let's put it right out there. The station that's being referred to here is 107.7 WTPL. They had been a Red Sox affiliate for many years, ever since 1450 WKXL and 102.3 WKXL-FM were broken up, and the Sox moved to 107.7 as the new WTPL. I'm unsure if the re-born 107.3 WEMJ carried the Sox last year or not.
It seems that the 3rd leg of the Pulse network, 1270/98.1 WTSN is sticking with the Sox. Will some other station in the Concord/Lakes area pick them up now that WTPL may have dropped them for political reasons?
It seems that the 3rd leg of the Pulse network, 1270/98.1 WTSN is sticking with the Sox. Will some other station in the Concord/Lakes area pick them up now that WTPL may have dropped them for political reasons?
The point of my deleted message was that the Red Sox are losing fans in part because of the ownership's overt politics.
20 years ago, there was still the multi-generational uniting force of 'will I live to see a World Championship?' That ended in 2004. Subsequently, the Red Sox ownership has been increasingly political. There are some lifelong fans who have had enough of it and have tuned out.
With respect, that point of view is usually very subjective. Our MLB team hosted a Pride night several days ago in recognition of LGBT Pride month. To read the some of the comments from a few knuckle draggers on that team's Instagram page, you'd think the team owners and everyone involved should be publicly hung. A few even claimed that THIS was the very reason why that team was under .500 for the season. Meanwhile, those same people say nothing when that same MLB team hosts a US Military appreciation night (which they do once per month throughout the season), or when they host a number of other events that recognize certain segments of the population, ethnic groups, etc. or when the players wear special uniforms to bring awareness to certain causes or charities.
To bring this back to the original topic at hand, if stations can't make money carrying the games, or at least do a bit better than breaking even, there is simply no incentive for them to do so. It's been discussed many times on this site that not as many companies advertise on radio. Many local advertisers that may have sponsored 162 baseball games on a particular station in the past got hit in the gut with the pandemic, and are now getting slammed by the recession. It simply may not make sense financially for stations that have carried the games, sometimes for years, to continue doing so.
You're correct. However, much like how you're advised not to talk politics or religion around the Thanksgiving dinner table, the same equally applies in business.
Or, as Michael Jordan was quoted once as saying "Republicans buy sneakers too".
I want to watch (or listen to) something for the entertainment value, not to have some opinion on an issue rammed down my throat. Except of course when I listen to Krazy K0000nah, in which case I am listening for the political opinion.
The rampant political pandering in professional sports is one reason why I don't bother watching professional sports any longer. Or TV in general for that matter. Most of my "TV time" I now spend reading various novels.... and I'll avoid an author if I know (or discover) s/he injects the same into his/her novels.
But the games themselves aren't political. A baseball game played by Klansmen would follow the same rules as one played by Black nationalists or by persons aligned with the nebulous non-organization known as antifa. Far different from a novel written to reflect and advance the views of its author.
They are losing fans because the team started horribly and they only care about winning. So are they really fans?
But again, what you consider "political pandering" and "having an opinion or issue rammed down your throat" is subjective. An ethnic group or theme night you personally may have an issue with, may be fine for most every other fan in the ballpark. Others may not like certain ethnicities, but that doesn't stop the team from hosting them.
Keep in mind that having events like theme nights and community nights is also how the team puts additional butts in the seats and help fill otherwise empty sections of the stadium with paying fans. Military appreciation night is a good example - They offer reduced price tickets for active military and veterans, who then spend $$ on concessions, souvenirs and parking and probably bring other members of their family who pay full price for their tickets. Same with Italian-American night or nights highlighting other ethnicities or groups or cultures that might be prevalent in the community where that team is located. It's called "marketing". and regardless of a few fans who may have strong views about "political pandering", it does make good business sense and it does generally work in a team's favor to show they are involved with and welcoming to all members of the community where the team is located.
Regarding a team being accused of having an agenda or playing politics, I picked a random baseball team - The Milwaukee Brewers. They have about 15 theme nights and community nights this season, including; Greek Night; Star Wars Night; Healthcare Appreciation Night; Aloha Night; Bark at the Park / Bring your dog; Sesame Street Day; Pajama Party; Top Gun Nght; Batman Night; Greek Night II; Cervesas Day; LGBT Pride Night; Military Appreciation Day. They also have discounted tickets to every home game for a limited number of military. I didn't list them all, but there are about 15 theme or community nights this season and 81 home games in total. So out of 81 home games and 15 theme nights, because they host 1 group you don't care for, then suddenly that team must "have an agenda" or they must be "ramming an issue down your throat"? OK, sure, but the sheer numbers and reality simply don't play out that way.
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I didn't directly compare just those two. What I did in both my previous posts is to list out several kinds of community and theme nights, just as the MLB teams' websites do, and yes, Military Appreciation Day and Pride Night happened to be 2 of the several theme nights mentioned.
That said, the good news is that you don't have to be one or the other - you can be both! Since 2011, more than a decade ago now, LGBT folk have been welcome to serve proudly and openly in our country's great military, and according to the military heads and generals who've testified at least a few times about it, there has been no noted impact, and certainly no degradation to our fighting forces, their morale or any other aspect as a result. For most folks, especially in 2022, it's simply a non-issue.
Back to the original topic and hand, MLB baseball on the radio - Here's an article from 2020, explaining the Oakland A's were ditching their radio broadcast network completely, in favor of streaming:
We don’t need to mourn the end of baseball on the radio
The A’s will be cutting their radio broadcast in favor of a streaming service, signaling the end for baseball and radio’s almost perfect relationship.
www.sbnation.com
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I was waiting to see when streaming would be mentioned in this discussion. I'm guessing that people are listening on satellite radio or streaming NESN on their phones and therefore aren't catching the broadcasts on a terrestrial radio station as much. The days of listening to the game on the old AM/FM portable radio while on the hammock in the backyard are long over. With all the other financial concerns, broadcasting Red Sox games on your local station isn't viable in many cases.
You're absolutely correct.
I get to choose with my wallet, just as liberals get to choose with their wallet by not buying Chik-Fil-A (or however its spelled) because they disagree with the company's Christian principles.
// Off Topic //
Ooooh, reading your post earlier today reminded me I hadn't had Chick-fil-A in a little while... Sitting here now with a grilled chicken breastesses sammich and waffle fries. Nom, nom, nom..... Running a few extra laps tonight to make up for it, tho
// Resume Thread //
I'm not sure how eliminating their radio broadcast network and going streaming only has worked out for the A's - that article I posted above was from a few years back. That said, even if a sports team has to cut back to fewer stations in their broadcast network, with smart speakers, apps on mobile devices and even laptops/desktops with access to stations' websites, listeners should be able to find and listen to most any game they seek, unless certain games are under contract and are only carried on subscription services, etc.
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Looks like the Oakland As are back on terrestrial radio.
www.mlb.com
TV & Radio Broadcast Affiliates | Oakland Athletics
Get info about all of the A's television and radio broadcast affiliates and broadcast coverage.
www.mlb.com
Most smartphones are just a bit larger than an old shirt-pocket transistor radio, so it's kinda the same type of thing.
I wouldn't use the Oakland A's as a barometer of much, good or bad. I'm relatively convinced they are trying to alienate the people of Oakland to more easily justify a move to a different city.
WSYB AM in Rutland, VT still carries the team in question on their 100.1 FM outlet. They very recently became a FOX
Sports affiliate, so no idea how much longer they will provide the service. The downside is that they almost immediately cut back to FOX, thus no postgame. WEEI stream ...
Sports affiliate, so no idea how much longer they will provide the service. The downside is that they almost immediately cut back to FOX, thus no postgame. WEEI stream ...
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