I went on 97.9's website this morning and saw they were advertising they are carrying the Yankees beginning Friday which is opening day. I wonder what this means for 1410. Will they carry the Yankees as well? I see nothing about the Yankees at all on their website so it makes me wonder even though I saw a couple of weeks ago online someplace, it might have been wikopedia but I am not sure, that both stations were listed as being on the Yankees radio network. But I have found in the past that wikopedia isn't always 100% accurate with their info.That really makes no sense to me to have both stations on the network since they are in the same broadcasting market. I know Clear Channel owns both and that 97.9 is now ESPN and 1410 is now Fox Sports Radio. But why would both stations carry the Yankees? I could only think of two possible reasons. One would be that 1410 has carried the Yankees for so many years that people are used to finding the games there. And second I wonder if 97.9's signal goes farther than 1410's. I don't know because I haven't checked it out. But I know 1410's signal is not good at all at night. I live in New Britain and have no problem picking up 1410 at night there but last year I was in my car one night in Plainville and I had the Yankees on and the signal was fading so badly I had to switch to 880 to listen to the game. But if the Yankees are on both stations in 2012, my guess is it will be the case for this season only. I think Clear Channel prefers to have their top sports programming on ESPN Radio. But who knows what will happen after 2012? Both the Yankees and Mets radio contracts with WCBS and WFAN respectively are expiring after the 2012 season and who knows where each team will wind up beginning in 2013. Maybe things will stay as is or I could see a scenerio where the Yankees wind up on WFAN and the Mets go elsewhere, maybe to ESPN Radio in New York. I doubt the Yankees go to 1050 because from everything I have read they don't want to go to a station with a poor signal. That is why they chose to stay with WCBS and their 50,000 watt clear channel signal for another season which would put the Yankees and Mets contracts up for bid at the same time.
I don't know what this will all means for Hartford in 2013. But if the Yankees are on both 97.9 and 1410 in 2012, I see no chance of that happening again in 2013. Pending whether or not the Mets remain on WFAN or not, I could see a scenerio in Hartford where the Yankees are on 97.9 and the Mets on 1410. With WFAN as the Met's flagship, they have no great need for a Hartford affliate, partly because WFAN's signal is so strong and partly because I don't think there is that much interest in the Mets in the Hartford area, at least compared to the Yankees and Red Sox. And I wonder for how much longer the Red Sox have a contract with 1080. Do you remember maybe 4 or 5 years ago, 1080 was having tough negotiations with the Red Sox and threatened at one point to switch to the Yankees before finally agreeing to a new long term contract with the Red Sox. I think that contract might be getting close to expiring and if that is the case, then I could see Clear Channel maybe making a bid for the Red Sox in Hartford although I would find it hard to believe they would leave WTIC, considering they have carried the Red Sox for over 50 years and WTIC is the only 50,000 watt AM radio station in CT.
I don't know what this will all means for Hartford in 2013. But if the Yankees are on both 97.9 and 1410 in 2012, I see no chance of that happening again in 2013. Pending whether or not the Mets remain on WFAN or not, I could see a scenerio in Hartford where the Yankees are on 97.9 and the Mets on 1410. With WFAN as the Met's flagship, they have no great need for a Hartford affliate, partly because WFAN's signal is so strong and partly because I don't think there is that much interest in the Mets in the Hartford area, at least compared to the Yankees and Red Sox. And I wonder for how much longer the Red Sox have a contract with 1080. Do you remember maybe 4 or 5 years ago, 1080 was having tough negotiations with the Red Sox and threatened at one point to switch to the Yankees before finally agreeing to a new long term contract with the Red Sox. I think that contract might be getting close to expiring and if that is the case, then I could see Clear Channel maybe making a bid for the Red Sox in Hartford although I would find it hard to believe they would leave WTIC, considering they have carried the Red Sox for over 50 years and WTIC is the only 50,000 watt AM radio station in CT.
