The Game to Carry Alabama Football

[RoddyFreeman]

92-9 The Game will be carrying Crimson Tide play-by-play this season. The station's rationale is Atlanta is the home of numerous Alabama alumni.

On Rodney Ho's blog, a number of people have posted that they will never listen to The Game because of this. So doing this could alienate Georgia fans. Personally, I think that depends on how it's done. If The Game becomes "Crimson Tide radio," forget it. But if they do it in a low key way, making Alabama fans aware that the games are on but not overly promoting it, it could be a plus.

 

[BTAtlanta]

Very smart programming move, although the question now becomes this: how does 92-9 The Game attract an actual audience that returns day-after-day for their fix of sports talk? The answer is ADVERTISING. It makes no difference about a show time-change here, or a host fix there, if NO ONE knows about it.

Get advertising in line, then we'll talk.

 

[Radiopat1982]

I listened to the Morning Show this morning and some people are really upset about this. I think this could be a PR nightmare unless someone can step in and make the UGA fans realize that they are not turning their back on UGA but instead adding additional SEC coverage. The average listener just doesn’t understand that UGA, GT, and even GA. State are all tied up with flagship deals. I think the move is great because in my opinion the majority or The Game’s loyal listeners come from the West Georgia area. A place that has never really been able to hear 680 or 790 unless driving toward the perimeter. From the Alabama state line into metro Atlanta is where most of the Alabama fans seem to be, granted some are now bandwagon fans. I wonder if 92.9 is committed to having to air the complete pre and post-game shows? If they are not this may allow them time to air additional games on Saturdays along with Alabama through national deals with Compass or Dial Global networks.

 

[trusty]

Let's see.... Last year, Notre Dame was the best team in college football.
Why? Because Alabama didn't play college ball.
;D
It will be interesting to listen to the GAME just to see how Alabama will top last year.

 

[secondchoice]

I wonder how much the GA Athletics department is paying 92.9 for this. After all 92.9 is a cursed frequency, maybe the folks in Athens are hoping some of this bad luck will affect The Tide.

 

[jabba17]

I listened to the Morning Show this morning and some people are really upset about this. I think this could be a PR nightmare unless someone can step in and make the UGA fans realize that they are not turning their back on UGA but instead adding additional SEC coverage. The average listener just doesn’t understand that UGA, GT, and even GA. State are all tied up with flagship deals. I think the move is great because in my opinion the majority or The Game’s loyal listeners come from the West Georgia area. A place that has never really been able to hear 680 or 790 unless driving toward the perimeter. From the Alabama state line into metro Atlanta is where most of the Alabama fans seem to be, granted some are now bandwagon fans. I wonder if 92.9 is committed to having to air the complete pre and post-game shows? If they are not this may allow them time to air additional games on Saturdays along with Alabama through national deals with Compass or Dial Global networks.

Nobody was complaining when 680 and the other Dickey stations were carrying Auburn and Florida PBP in years previous. Didn't 1340 The Fan 3 carry Notre Dame for a while? ND lists the two Weber stations (1160 and 1690) as affiliates, although I wonder if that is still the case with the Ga. State deal.

...and the Dwags fans need to realize that Cox is NOT giving up UGA unless someone gets really silly with their checkbook. Period.

WDUN has Georgia Southern, which they picked up when Cox yanked the UGA rug out from under them.

Has anyone signed on for Kennesaw? Sounds like a good fit for WFOM 1230 The Fan 2, both in coverage and format.

 

[Radiopat1982]

You make some great points about Auburn and Kennesaw State. It was only a few years ago 680 was running Auburn and maybe right after a national championship? Sounds just like the same type of deal to me. Wasn’t the 680/Auburn deal before they had the FM signal though? I don’t think people was as concerned when you can’t hear the station at night anyway. I still think this could be a good deal for The Game if they put other SEC games around the Alabama broadcasts. They just can’t promote it to death.

As for K-State, stations may want to see them play a couple years before signing on. Even then probably a small AM station at best would carry them. GA State is now in the Sunbelt and they are still not that relevant in the media. Probably won’t be until they start winning. The crazy thing about GA State is they have one of the best signals in Atlanta on 88.5 and can’t really do anything with it for football and men’s basketball.

 

[kilamanjero]

I don't know to or : at this. I'm originally from Birmingham and attended UAB for undergrad and Auburn for graduate school. I moved away from this to not deal with this "Alabama versus Auburn" shenanigans on a daily basis. No, I'm not a fan of neither school, period.

If CBS wants to have the SEC football on 92.9 then add a team with an actual fan base in Metro Atlanta which is Auburn. Sorry, the truth is that 40% of the Auburn University student body are from the state of Georgia, but particularly metro Atlanta. I know this from working for the university to confirm this.

 

[Radiopat1982]

I agree that there is probably a lot more Auburn grads in the Metro Atlanta area than Alabama grads. Let’s face it Auburn is much closer to Atlanta. That being said, why would 92.9 want to run Auburn? The drive is close enough for most true fans to make. You can’t really say that about Tuscaloosa. Plus most of the games are normally on TV especially with the increased TV coverage. Not to mention the obvious fact that Auburn is in a downward spiral and Alabama is the defending National Champions.

I would imagine that the average college football fan watches multiple SEC games on Saturdays. SEC football starts at like 11AM and extends to like 8 or 9 o clock kickoffs. If you need to hop in the car to go somewhere, 92.9 might have the game you were watching on TV. I wonder how many die hard college football fans get Satellite radio just so they don’t miss any games while in the car?

I work in Birmingham often, I think the unique thing about that city is that you get the whole Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry. It sure has worked well for Paul Finebaum's pockets.

 

[ChrisWright]

I worked in Tuscaloosa at the station that carried Alabama games there at the time. We were a country station and our country competition played the Auburn games. It was easily the most listened-to item on their schedule. A great move for a station that knows it is not the big "Dawg" as we will say for this situation but if they ever want to move up the ladder they will need to get a home town team eventually. The plan may actually be to get UGA or Tech by telling them that they can get on the big signal and get Alabama off of it in one move. You know it will get under their skin in a big way.

 

[Nate Wesley]

92-9 The Game will be carrying Crimson Tide play-by-play this season. The station's rationale is Atlanta is the home of numerous Alabama alumni.

On Rodney Ho's blog, a number of people have posted that they will never listen to The Game because of this. So doing this could alienate Georgia fans. Personally, I think that depends on how it's done. If The Game becomes "Crimson Tide radio," forget it. But if they do it in a low key way, making Alabama fans aware that the games are on but not overly promoting it, it could be a plus.

That "I'll never listen" is just idiot fan bloviating that I wouldn't pay any serious attention to. (I think picking Florida would be the real eye-poke for locals.) The Game as a common staff/station wouldn't be rooting or pimping Alabama football explicitly or exclusively. CBS isn't stupid enough to turn its Atlanta station into WJOX.

This is a business move to mine local advertising dollars through SEC football games in the biggest SEC-friendly market. The company could always be honest and say it hopes to capture one of the local teams rights when they're up, or note the numerous Tide games bound to be seen on The SEC on CBS this season.

For at least two dates (September 14, at Texas A&M and November 9th, vs LSU), WSB is going to wish it had rights to air the Tide instead of Bulldog games vs Open Date State and Appalachian State.

 

[RhubarbFan]

This won't stop me from listening to the game,as long as the have Kristen Ledlow,they're fine. the Tide's play by play guy Eli Gold did Nascar on MRN for several years back in the early 90's then he went to The Nashville Network to call the races on that channel.

 

[jabba17]

92-9 The Game will be carrying Crimson Tide play-by-play this season. The station's rationale is Atlanta is the home of numerous Alabama alumni.

On Rodney Ho's blog, a number of people have posted that they will never listen to The Game because of this. So doing this could alienate Georgia fans. Personally, I think that depends on how it's done. If The Game becomes "Crimson Tide radio," forget it. But if they do it in a low key way, making Alabama fans aware that the games are on but not overly promoting it, it could be a plus.

That "I'll never listen" is just idiot fan bloviating that I wouldn't pay any serious attention to. (I think picking Florida would be the real eye-poke for locals.) The Game as a common staff/station wouldn't be rooting or pimping Alabama football explicitly or exclusively. CBS isn't stupid enough to turn its Atlanta station into WJOX.

This is a business move to mine local advertising dollars through SEC football games in the biggest SEC-friendly market. The company could always be honest and say it hopes to capture one of the local teams rights when they're up, or note the numerous Tide games bound to be seen on The SEC on CBS this season.

For at least two dates (September 14, at Texas A&M and November 9th, vs LSU), WSB is going to wish it had rights to air the Tide instead of Bulldog games vs Open Date State and Appalachian State.

I could see 92.9 picking Georgia Tech up for reasonable money when the 106.7 deal is up--of course, not knowing what kind of coopetition deals might transpire between CBS, Dickey, and Cumulus over Georgia Tech to divvy things up. Dickey/Cumulus may be in the process of locking Georgia Tech down with the recent 680 deal.

If CBS wants to get UGA from Cox, though, they better be prepared to spend some serious coin. Keep in mind Cox doesn't just have UGA on WSB/B, they also have them on WNGC and WXKT, in the northeast part of the state, although I still don't understand why they put UGA on WXKT when WSBB and WNGC cover WXKT's coverage area more than adequately.

One thing not mentioned--picking up Bama (although Auburn would have accomplished this just as well) puts SEC West games on the air in the ATL market. If you don't care for UGA or their opponent, you can (usually) get two other SEC teams on 92.9. I bet 92.9/CBS promotes this as part of a total SEC football package, not Bama per se. I wonder if we will see more 92.9 ads on TV during "SEC on CBS" coverage.

 

[Radiopat1982]

One thing not mentioned--picking up Bama (although Auburn would have accomplished this just as well) puts SEC West games on the air in the ATL market. If you don't care for UGA or their opponent, you can (usually) get two other SEC teams on 92.9. I bet 92.9/CBS promotes this as part of a total SEC football package, not Bama per se. I wonder if we will see more 92.9 ads on TV during "SEC on CBS" coverage.

I agree with you but I mentioned the same thing previously.

“I wonder if 92.9 is committed to having to air the complete pre and post-game shows? If they are not this may allow them time to air additional games on Saturdays along with Alabama through national deals with Compass or Dial Global networks.”

“I still think this could be a good deal for The Game if they put other SEC games around the Alabama broadcasts. They just can’t promote it to death.”

“If you need to hop in the car to go somewhere, 92.9 might have the game you were watching on TV.”

I think Tech would be a good pickup for them when the contract is up. Does All News really want to have sports on? Now that Tech has cut ties with 790, and 680 is a “partner” to UGA athletics having baseball and other content on their sister stations that may make 929. the front runner. 92.9 would cover a much larger area than they have right now.

 

[the golden boy]

In re: carrying Auburn vs. Alabama, while Auburn may be closer & have a higher amount of graduates in Atlanta than the Tide, but Alabama is the bigger brand. They just won back-to-back championships and three of the last four. I'm willing to be that having Alabama on, rather than Auburn, will be in more revenue.

But chew on this: I live in Jackson, MS, and not only do we get Ole Miss & MSU, but also Alabama (football only) and LSU sports. In fact, the Alabama & MSU affiliates are sister stations!

 

[littlejohn]

Back in The Day, if you were an SEC affiliate, 'Pick of Dixie' was available to you. You could clear any SEC game which did not have an affiliate in your market. So normally (remember, every small town had 2 AMs then) you played your game (Alabama or Auburn) and then via PoD up played whomever your team was going to play next Saturday. On Alabama - Auburn weekend, you played records. At the time, I worked for Tuscaloosa Broadcasting, the anchor station for Alabama... this in the heyday of The Bear. Talk about dynasties, there was one.

roll tide!

 

[AMFMRadFan]

Nobody was complaining when 680 and the other Dickey stations were carrying Auburn and Florida PBP in years previous. Didn't 1340 The Fan 3 carry Notre Dame for a while? ND lists the two Weber stations (1160 and 1690) as affiliates, although I wonder if that is still the case with the Ga. State deal.

...and the Dwags fans need to realize that Cox is NOT giving up UGA unless someone gets really silly with their checkbook. Period.

WDUN has Georgia Southern, which they picked up when Cox yanked the UGA rug out from under them.

Has anyone signed on for Kennesaw? Sounds like a good fit for WFOM 1230 The Fan 2, both in coverage and format.

You make some great points about Auburn and Kennesaw State. It was only a few years ago 680 was running Auburn and maybe right after a national championship? Sounds just like the same type of deal to me. Wasn’t the 680/Auburn deal before they had the FM signal though? I don’t think people was as concerned when you can’t hear the station at night anyway. I still think this could be a good deal for The Game if they put other SEC games around the Alabama broadcasts. They just can’t promote it to death.

As for K-State, stations may want to see them play a couple years before signing on. Even then probably a small AM station at best would carry them. GA State is now in the Sunbelt and they are still not that relevant in the media. Probably won’t be until they start winning. The crazy thing about GA State is they have one of the best signals in Atlanta on 88.5 and can’t really do anything with it for football and men’s basketball.

No, no one has signed on for the Kennesaw State Owls' new football team. However, the KSU Owls men's basketball games can still be heard on Talk 920 AM WGKA. With that being said, WGKA may very well pick up the football team. Now, I know WGKA's signal isn't all that good. However, they are relying on their Internet radio audience to keep them afloat. Anyway, that is all.

 

[monkeymanmoi]

Not to mention the obvious fact that Auburn is in a downward spiral and Alabama is the defending National Champions.

Obvious downward spiral? I'm not sure you've been paying attention to the last six months. I'm not saying they are going to be world beaters in the toughest division of all CFB, but the team is clearly trending up, not down, despite last year. This AU grad isn't bothered at all by Bama being on 92. It's a business decision. Big whoop. I would prefer to hear college football talk and game updates instead, but honestly, I'm way more likely to be watching the TV instead of radio. If I want to hear Auburn on the radio I'll just go online.

 

[Radiopat1982]

You may very well be right about Auburn doing much better this upcoming season but the fact remains there has not been a game played this season and they are coming off one of the worst seasons in the school’s history both on and off the field. The coach certainly wasn't fired do to an upward spiral. That makes the decision for 92.9 to cover Alabama over them that much easier. Even with the good recruiting class coming in, those guys are only freshman. It may take more than one season for them to get up to speed. I think finishing over .500 this season and getting to a bowl would be a win for them.

 

[Radio_Alex_1990]

Alabama football on an Atlanta radio station where Auburn University is much more closer and probably has more alumni than Alabama......does not make one bit of sense. Is the Game that desperate? Do they really think they can boost their ratings by covering a Top National Team?!