• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

The Likeliness of Sports on FM...

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

As you may be aware, CBS has been creating FM sports stations in most of their top markets.

As you may also be aware, CBS has a couple of potential flip victims in Smooth Jazz 94.1 and possibly their Spanish outlet on 92.5.

Of course, such FM-sports flips by CBS are buoyed by obtaining/retaining sports simulcast rights to major franchises in the markets involved (e.g. right around the time they turned an FM station in Dallas to sports, they got rights to Cowboys games).

Looking at the Tampa/St. Petersburg market... Clear Channel's got EVERYTHING! CBS once had Bucs rights but they followed Skip Mahaffey out the door to CCU.

And, of course, CBS is already offering a sports format in Tampa on 1010 AM, albeit to weak ratings (and unfortunately, the one time they did experience a rise in ratings, in the end was not to be). Many argue the signal is the reason to blame for their weak ratings.

It's arguable that "Sports Asylum Radio 94.1" could experience a ratings uptick by default (provided the Sportschix aren't on the lineup) as that signal is better than the Seffner stick. But it would make more sense to make such a move with sports rights in hand for at least one of the major teams.

Detroit. Dallas. Boston. Washington. Tampa?

Discuss.
 
Traditionally, Sports hasn't been much of a mass ratings-getter.
Can this market support yet one more Sports station? My guess is no.
 
In a major market it is a MUST for a sports station to carry major league play by play of the market's team or teams to succeed. Why would CBS throw away two exclusive formats, the only Spanish FM and only Smooth Jazz, to become just another sports station?
 
All I can say is this:

There is a rather, um unique - concept being worked on that I have the honor of being a part of that kinda falls in the realm of this discussion. That's really all I can say...

That being said, for them to do sports on an FM frequency, to me, they'd be in need for a radical concept to attract the listening audience, big name guests, excellent promotional give aways, ya know, stuff that cheap people wanna win LoL - No offense to any one, but we know who we are - If I have a chance to win free Bucs tickets, you'd be on the winning side to bet I'd try to go for them LoL

But all in all, if the concept is executed in the right manor, with the right people, I could see an FM sports deal...

-Woj
 
I think 98 Rock should put some sort of syndicated sports talk radio show on in the morning. I'll bet they'll get more listeners than they have in the mornings now and may even take away from the male demographic the Bubba runs away with. Besides, most sports talk radio shows end at 9am, and that's when they kick it over to music anyway.

Talk radio on FM is really hard to accomplish from what I understand. I'm not in the industry, but there was a lot of talk about it on the east coast when an old classic rock station switched over to all talk radio, Real Radio. They had a real good anchor show though in The Love Doctors (oddly, they also went with Lex & Terry before dumping them).

I don't think there's enough strong and already established popular sports talk radio shows out there other than DP that CBS could get to get listeners to tune in to FM for their programing. CC has a better chance to make that happen with their team affiliations than CBS does, I would think.
 
If CBS is gonna dump the current formats on 92 or 94, my advice would be to go with a well programmed and straight forward hit music format. Programmed correctly (which I know is asking a bit much) the new station could take a serious swipe at FLZ and could combo with Wild with cross promotions and sales. I'm in total agreement that CBS does not have the current programming and network rights to make a justified effort at programming a sports station on FM.
 
CBS evaluates sports on FM market by market. They are now attempting it in Washington where WTEM has heritage, but has never become a ratings or revenue giant. WJFK has been doing male oriented non political talk for some time, so the move to sports is not a huge jump and won't cost them much.

In Detroit, WXYT already was battling hard with WDFN on AM and the move to FM put them over the top. That along with the Red Wings cup drive pushed them to number one in the market. It is hockey town after all.

In Dallas, you can never have enough sports formats.

In Tampa, the market is already served by an AM signal that dominates the market and has shown little erosion despite talent that may be pushing its expiration date. To spend money to challenge them and use an FM signal to do it, makes little sense. We have not had two quality sports signals in town since 1998 and since then WDAE has consolidated the market and the audience seems fine with that. Based on CBS' multiple failures at sports on 1010, I can't seem them attempting it one of their FM signals in Tampa.
 
..compound that with the dismal sports scene here featuring:

1) The Rays, despite winning the American League, and even being praised by the traditionally Tampa Bay hating ESPN as the best value in baseball, have virtually no local following compared to the bigger market and more established teams

2) The Bucs actually have season tickets you can now walk up and buy

3) The Lightning have gone from a Stanley Cup winning organization down to a group that is worse off now than when the fictitious Japanese conglomerate first owned the team.

4) USF's College football team insists on playing two 1-AA teams every year, and getting whacked in the big games, and --

5) Even when the economy was good here, you had room for one decent, well organized sports station in the market.
Personalities for CBS SportsRadio Tampa on FM? You might bring over one or two of the current "hosts" to exclusively be reporters. Otherwise you are importing talent..or hiring Al Keck who is opting to leave 28...


6) or , God forbid, load up on Newspaper columnists, if they get away from preening in front of the cameras on Bright House Sports Network....theyre on tv, whats left of the newspapers and on the web..hell, put em on the radio.
 
Snafu13 said:
I think 98 Rock should put some sort of syndicated sports talk radio show on in the morning. I'll bet they'll get more listeners than they have in the mornings now and may even take away from the male demographic the Bubba runs away with. Besides, most sports talk radio shows end at 9am, and that's when they kick it over to music anyway.

Talk radio on FM is really hard to accomplish from what I understand. I'm not in the industry, but there was a lot of talk about it on the east coast when an old classic rock station switched over to all talk radio, Real Radio. They had a real good anchor show though in The Love Doctors (oddly, they also went with Lex & Terry before dumping them).

I don't think there's enough strong and already established popular sports talk radio shows out there other than DP that CBS could get to get listeners to tune in to FM for their programing. CC has a better chance to make that happen with their team affiliations than CBS does, I would think.
Click to expand...

I didn't get all the way through the responses, and this has probably already been addressed, but there isn't any room for a sports show on FM, especially on 98rock... That's why they have 620. Mike Killabrew, the PD over at 98rock is one of the big to-dos over at 98rock behind Doubledown, the PD over at 98rock.

Aside from that, why go with syndication? If the show is good enough, get some local guys in there to do the show. I can't tell ya how sick and tired I am of morning shows that talk about stuff that have nothing to do with my area here in the Tampa Market. Case and point, Lex and Terry are in Texas and that's all they talk about... that area... Wtf do I care about the weather in Austin for ya know?

-Woj
 
Sports Talk on FM can work, IF IT'S DONE RIGHT! If it were me, I would have AM and FM drive, as well as evenings, strictly local, probably hiring at least some of the former sports anchor/reporters that have been released since the TV stations have almost eliminated sports coverage during their newscasts...people who actually KNOW the market and teams. There's nothing wrong with quality syndicated programming, but it is important to remember that you're in business to SERVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET, and that simply can't be done with simply feeding the masses with round the clock national programming.

My belief for radio in general now is IF YOU AREN'T WILLING OR ABLE TO SERVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET WITH QUALITY LOCALLY ORIGINATED PROGRAMMING, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE BUSINESS AND LET SOMEONE WHO IS ABLE DO IT!
 
Interstate4Jammer said:
Sports Talk on FM can work, IF IT'S DONE RIGHT! If it were me, I would have AM and FM drive, as well as evenings, strictly local, probably hiring at least some of the former sports anchor/reporters that have been released since the TV stations have almost eliminated sports coverage during their newscasts...people who actually KNOW the market and teams. There's nothing wrong with quality syndicated programming, but it is important to remember that you're in business to SERVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET, and that simply can't be done with simply feeding the masses with round the clock national programming.

My belief for radio in general now is IF YOU AREN'T WILLING OR ABLE TO SERVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET WITH QUALITY LOCALLY ORIGINATED PROGRAMMING, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE BUSINESS AND LET SOMEONE WHO IS ABLE DO IT!
Click to expand...

A-f***ing-men... Someone gets what I've been saying...

-Woj
 
Sports is now on FM in Tampa, well sorta. 1010 is now simulcasting on WQYK 99.5 HD-3.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom