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"The Game" news...and speculation

J

jd

John Royal at the Houston Press interviewed Chance McClain after his recent arrival at KGOW 1560, and it was somewhat revealing. At least on some things: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ballz/2008/01/getting_into_the_game_with_cha.php
So here's three things that we didn't know, or at least hadn't seen in print:

1) The station should be on the air with 19,000 watts at night sometime this Fall.

Really? That's news to me, and probably the FCC, since they haven't approved the KGOW application yet. Construction at the site near Katy can't begin until it's approved.

2) KBME 790 is going ESPN Deportes and Charlie Pallilo is going back to KTRH within a year, according to McClain.

Okay, that one's possible.

3) The Game is operating with their third 50,000-watt daytime transmitter.

The first one was a turkey. Did the second one have the same defects? Hopefully they kept their receipts.
 
jd said:
1) The station should be on the air with 19,000 watts at night sometime this Fall.
Click to expand...

That is only their hope. As we all know, reality can be vastly different. This is probably a couple of years away, if all the dominoes fall properly.

2) KBME 790 is going ESPN Deportes and Charlie Pallilo is going back to KTRH within a year, according to McClain.
Click to expand...

This is just speculation. Although running Pallilo from 3-7 on KTRH while dumping the rest of the 790 stuff might make pretty good sense, and would save a bunch of money. It would also tie in well with the Astros coverage. Isn't KTRH in the last year of the current Astros contract? Perhaps they'll make a decision when a new deal is signed.

ESPN Deportes on 790 would pretty much serve as filler to keep the transmitter on the air. I know DFW has it, but is there really a demand? Perhaps David Eduardo might have some insight.

3) The Game is operating with their third 50,000-watt daytime transmitter.
Click to expand...

Perhaps they included the 800 watt rig inherited from KILE, followed by two 50kw rigs. But some of the posts on this board seem to indicate the first transmitter from 2005 (a BE, IIRC) has been replaced twice, perhaps under warranty...so that might be correct, after all.



[/quote]
 
The statements about the nighttime power increase are another example of wishful thinking on their part, and 1560 has a history of getting the cart before the horse. Even if the FCC approved the application today, it would still be a long time coming, probably around two years like you mentioned. The proposed pattern is very complicated, using a lot of steel.

On the other points: ESPN Deportes in Dallas is on a poor signal (really a non-factor at night) and I'd be very surprised if they actually stick with it more than a year or so. Interest in the format in Houston might be slightly better, but again I don't see it as a potential success story. Finally, the transmitter tale is true. They had the better part of a year to make sure the first 50,000 rig was up to speed, and when the format change happened last August the thing self-destructed. What really happened with the second one? I guess that's a whole 'nother horror story.
 
I think the true measure of 1560 will be when they decide to be measured by the book. They're still operating on advertisers that are friends of the personalities. Maybe that's enough for the time being, but they'll eventually have to be measured against the competition.
 
The Game isn't in the game. Without encoding, they aren't on the radar. Why encode when you can't reach the (newly revised) minimums. Why subscribe when there are no numbers to sell? 1560 is very ill and it is like a death watch waiting for their game to be up.
 
jd said:
John Royal at the Houston Press interviewed Chance McClain after his recent arrival at KGOW 1560, and it was somewhat revealing. At least on some things: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ballz/2008/01/getting_into_the_game_with_cha.php
So here's three things that we didn't know, or at least hadn't seen in print:

1) The station should be on the air with 19,000 watts at night sometime this Fall.

Really? That's news to me, and probably the FCC, since they haven't approved the KGOW application yet. Construction at the site near Katy can't begin until it's approved.

2) KBME 790 is going ESPN Deportes and Charlie Pallilo is going back to KTRH within a year, according to McClain.

Okay, that one's possible.

3) The Game is operating with their third 50,000-watt daytime transmitter.

The first one was a turkey. Did the second one have the same defects? Hopefully they kept their receipts.
Click to expand...
So...CC is mulling over ESPN Deportes on KBME when the English version of ESPN didn't work on the very same dial position?!?! Something tells me this is filler until 790 is divested.
 
SPOTS FOR DOTS said:
The Game isn't in the game. Without encoding, they aren't on the radar. Why encode when you can't reach the (newly revised) minimums. Why subscribe when there are no numbers to sell? 1560 is very ill and it is like a death watch waiting for their game to be up.
Click to expand...
It's like a bad idea that has gotten worse. Mr. Gow better have some VERY deep pockets but if he has a lick of sense he needs to bail. Man was sold a bill of goods imo
 
that whole deal over at 1560 sounds like a bunch of frat guys hanging around the bar when one says "hey bro, let's start a radio station"
 
I sort of agree with that last post, but Gow is a smart guy from what I hear and has deep pockets that are even deeper from lots of investor money. As I posted several months ago when many said 1560 wouldn't last through Thanksgiving, they have enough money to carry on for a year or more without relying on just ad dollars for revenue. At some point in time ad dollars will have to support it. At that point (most likely a year from now), Gow will have to decide whether or not this station can survive. I agree with many of the pundits on this board that it's a longshot. Without a major sports franchise and pretty lame programming from noon on odds are long. You never know what will happen between now and a year from now. Remember when everyone said the new Fox Network would die a quick and painful death in the early nineties before they picked up the NFL. Don't look now, but that former failing network just scored the highest weekly ratings in TV history with the Superbowl, American Idol and other high rated programming. With 1560, only time will tell the tale. The same goes for 790.
 
The Game is just bad radio. Financial reality will catch up. Gow has got to be asking himself, "what was I thinking.....?"
 
It is amazing to me that you same 5 or 6 people just keep on bashing away at this radio station. Just because these people are able to try to follow a dream you people just can't stand it. What the hell? Why is it so important to you all that this station fails and quickly? Are you few sitting with money in place ready to take it over and show everone how it's done? What do you want them to do? Can you offer anything constructive? If not than why don't you just shut the Hell up. Don't just pop off hiding behind your computers either. I'm easy to find if you want to talk. I have posted my number here many times before. I am sick of you. :mad:
 
Dragrage
I'm feeling the love, dude. This board is for the expression of opinions and we appreciate yours (without the rage). The reason some of us have negative opinions regarding 1560 is because it is an embarassment to the medium in which some of us make a living. As for constructive advise, I would say we ALL would be better off if 1560 just turned off the transmitter and you turned off your computer.
 
I just love your attempt at sarcasm. It is so clever. ;D I am not turning off my computer, and i bet that they are not turning off there transmitter that is operating legally. In all of your funny catchy sarcasm, you failed to answer my question. I'm sure that you really can't answer it either. You and your 5 friends obviously only have this site to make yourselves feel good. By the way i have been makeing a living at this medium for going on 16 yrs. now. Next!
 
I'm not one of those five or six people who think "The Game" should go away. Maybe some of the people who post here think I've got a sort of preoccupation with 1560, but it's mainly a fascination with their technical problems. Their climb from 800 to 50,000 watts was a real struggle and I hope for their sake that they can get approval to run 19,000 watts at night. I want them to succeed mainly because they are locally owned and if they do it's proof that hard work pays off.

I'm not a programmer but I can suggest a few things: by now it's obvious Hoffman is not a radio host. The afternoon team is amateurish. They need a sports guru in late mornings or early afternoons. They need encoding for PPM now and they need to have a stable of showcase advertisers (sports-oriented or not) as promo partners with real, produced spots, not your live reads for mom and pop shops. And finally they need to listen to airchecks and take take a cue from the Ticket in Dallas: line up promos and sell the station as a "must listen" like the Ticket does. Tease it, promote it, sell it, deliver it and then tell them what you did. That's the way to stay in the Game.
 
Thank you for your constructive input JD. The reason that they brought Chance in is to try and institute many of the things you are talking about. They really are new to the "Business" of sports radio. They have come quite a long way. They have a lot of work to do, but The "Bigs" did not get there overnight either. Just getting past many of the technical problems has been a struggle to say the least. Again, thank you for being positive.
 
AMEN JD:

My sentiments exactly. I'm a Game fan and hope the make it as a locally owned operator. I also root for BizRadio for the same reason. Gow is smart and I believe he will prevail. Frishberg at BizRadio is basically an idiot when it comes to marketing and media, but he has one of the best at his side in Brent Clanton.

As for 1560's programming, they sure could use a Charlie Pallilo in the afternoon and perhaps a sydicated show in place of Hoffman and that moron he partners with. From noon on it defititely sounds like the amateur hour. I heard one too many "who's the hottest super model" list and turned it off. John and Lance in the morning are solid as they always were and Richard Justice is great and perhaps should be expanded to 2P in place of Hoffman and the moron. Like any new station it will always be a work in progress and I'm sure Gow and his leaders will make the appropriate adjustments, including encoding their signal for PPM measurement. I think they would be pleasantly surprised by the results.
 
jd said:
I want them to succeed mainly because they are locally owned and if they do it's proof that hard work pays off.
Click to expand...

Yay, will you be my Valentine? *hearts and flowers and emoticons and stuff* This is the boogeyman that the NAB's afraid of. It's not such a bad thing, is it?
 
adguy said:
As for 1560's programming, they sure could use a Charlie Pallilo in the afternoon and perhaps a sydicated show in place of Hoffman and that moron he partners with. From noon on it defititely sounds like the amateur hour.
Click to expand...

KGOW too often sounds like a poor man's KTCK. John and Lance was a good addition (although I don't personally care for either) but yes, the rest of the lineup is sub-par. A Pallilo type would be out of place on The Game, unless they were to scale back the guy talk and go more towards thoughtful sports talk...but I'm not sure an intellectual approach resonates with a lot of the target audience. I don't really care for KTCK either, but I'll be the first to admit it is a hugely successful station that has carved out some impressive male demos in DFW.
 
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