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We have an NHL Team Here, but no interest in Stanley Cup

B

BobinPhoenix

I believe this was the first time I can remember that there was no local radio station carrying the NHL playoffs. I believe KDUS carried them in previous years. Unless I'm mistaken, there was no radio coverage this year.

For that matter, the NBA playoffs have been almost non existent as well. That's because ESPN radio has the NBA, and Arizona Diamondback broadcasts on KTAR have conflicted with the games.
 
The NHL is in a really bad place if they can't radio coverage in one of their own cities. While I'm not a huge hockey fan, I follow my Detroit Red Wings. I've been to several Coyote-Wings games here and while there are a lot of Detroit fans there are more Phoenix fans. Hockey is definately the 4th major sport, as far as coverage goes, in the Valley.

The first test of NBA vs. Diamondbacks is 10 June. Baseball starts at 4:10 and basketball at 6:00. I think KTAR will move Arizona to FM.
 
brian4 said:
The first test of NBA vs. Diamondbacks is 10 June. Baseball starts at 4:10 and basketball at 6:00. I think KTAR will move Arizona to FM.
Click to expand...

And we catch the Master Blogger (where is Russ anyway?) in yet
another lie, and this time it's not a second hometown team causing
the spillover to Snooze/Talk 92/3.

Don't the D-backs have an ironclad for Sports Parking Lot 620?
(Except when it's a conflict with the Suns who apparently have an
even bigger ironclad for airing on SPL 620.) I'd expect the 4:10
beisbol would be on the AM, so you don't lose as much of the
KT'R-FM afternoon drive slot to sports PBP...not that I'm a big fan
of Mac & Cheese or anything. ;)
 
Hockey fans in Phoenix can get their fill of both TV and radio coverage from a multitude of sources like NBC, Versus, Center Ice and several Internet sites.

Why would anyone want to listen to a game when they can see it? And, if so, how many of those people are there? Obviously not enough to encourage a local radio station to pick up the radio broadcast.

Given the number of years since the local team has been in the playoffs, or even had a winning regular season, or retained a recognizable roster from year to year it isn't surprising interest in the local team is down. But there are plenty of residents here from hockey places who do follow their old teams and Detroit is one of the largest.

I suspect, like myself, they'd rather watch than listen.
 
We have a NHL team?

Next thing you will tell me is that we have a professional football team.

I know better, we just have the Cards.
 
If you've seen the ratings that the Coyotes games generate on FSN, Versus, and KAZT, you'd understand why no one thinks it's worth carrying the Stanley Cup on radio...
 
The difference between hockey's regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs is night and day. That all changes when teams get into the playoffs though. The intensity and emotion are unbelievable.

The Coyotes have made being a hockey fan about as difficult as possible despite the tens of thousands of transplanted fans and the thousands of kids (and even ASU) playing hockey. They do very little promotion, build their building as far away from the population of metro Phoenix as possible, change their roster every season and play a boring style of hockey. The only thing they have going for them is their color guy, Darren Pang. Even their coach is a resident of another state.

While there certainly would be more interest in the playoffs had the Coyotes built a bigger fan base, and perhaps made the playoffs every now and then, there really isn't much correlation between radio and TV in this context. After all, how many radio-listening night watchmen hockey fans are there, anyway?
 
It is disapointing, I had op'd a few Roadrunners games back in the early 90's and played ice hockey throughout high school, into college, I even skated with a few players that were on the ASU club team during local leagues. (back when they were not competitive in the NCCHA DIV. 1 level)

Phoenix has a really awesome youth hockey base, and I have seen them go to national tournaments.
If someone can convince me there is no (zero) interest in broadcasting hockey. I have volumes of stats and resources that say different.

Yes, I do believe that the Phoenix Coyotes organization could do alot better job in marketing and promotion.
They have Wayne Gretzky, and a host of talent that is very competitive in the NHL.

The Roadrunners had per capita more interest than The Coyotes do now. I believe that the local stations bean counters think that it will not do much for the ratings.

I have one thing to say to that... "if you build it - they will come."

Broadcasting sports is not a one-way street, sure they would be paid for the airtime, but if the interest was being nursed it eventually would build itself into something mutually beneficial in the long run.

Minor League baseball franchises control the content, purchase the air time and sell the ads. They contract with the station for a medium and a signal, staff to produce the show, and shell out for the audio connection. (ISDN/Satellite)
On the station's end it's almost self maintaining. Too bad that doesn't happen too often in the majors.


There is my dollars worth...the first 2 cents are free.
 
brian4 said:
The first test of NBA vs. Diamondbacks is 10 June. Baseball starts at 4:10 and basketball at 6:00. I think KTAR will move Arizona to FM.
Click to expand...

KTAR-FM dodged a bullet! The game was played on tape delay on Sports KTAR.

landtuna said:
Hockey fans in Phoenix can get their fill of both TV and radio coverage from a multitude of sources like NBC, Versus, Center Ice and several Internet sites.

Why would anyone want to listen to a game when they can see it? And, if so, how many of those people are there? Obviously not enough to encourage a local radio station to pick up the radio broadcast.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, the problem with your thinking is that why broadcast ANY sporting event on the radio? I'm sure when giving the choice, since we are a visual society, most people would rather watch and hear a game rather than just hear. Radio preforms a service that is still viable. An example is a couple years ago I needed to leave the house as just the Superbowl started. I listened to most of the first quarter on my car radio. I'm sure once it doesn't make (enough) money, rights will be sold to XM or Sirius.
 
brian4 said:
In my opinion, the problem with your thinking is that why broadcast ANY sporting event on the radio? I'm sure when giving the choice, since we are a visual society, most people would rather watch and hear a game rather than just hear. Radio preforms a service that is still viable. An example is a couple years ago I needed to leave the house as just the Superbowl started. I listened to most of the first quarter on my car radio. I'm sure once it doesn't make (enough) money, rights will be sold to XM or Sirius.
Click to expand...

We were speaking specifically of NHL games, not NASCAR, MLB, NBA or the NFL.

Because of it's unique characteristics the NHL is perhaps the least watched/listened-to major sport in the Phoenix area (and most of the rest of the Southwest, even those metro's having NHL franchises). Add to that the fact that the NHL has very, very few daytime games and those they do have are usually on Saturdays and Sundays when Joe Sixpack is not working. Therefore, he can usually catch the game on TV. MLB has lots of daytime/weekday games when Joe S. is at work so he usually has no choice but to listen rather than watch. Much larger potential radio audience.

My guess is that the Suns would be in a similar position as the Coyotes except they've been around a lot longer, have a better overall winning percentage and obviously have a much larger fan base.

I didn't say radio didn't have anything to offer the NHL fan but it obviously doesn't have the numbers to make it financially feasible (although radio in both Tucson and Phoenix have carried the Wildcat and Sun Devil hockey games and they can't be making any money on those broadcasts).
 
I think you're mistaken about Sun Devil hockey games being on the radio in Phoenix. I don't believe they've ever been broadcast here. Phoenix Roadrunner
games, yes, but not Sun Devils. It wouldn't surprise me if the Wildcat games are carried in Tucson because I've heard that they have a decent following there.
 
They used to broadcast Roadrunners games on KCKY, Coolidge and later on 960 AM.
Chris Herrick was broadcast engineer for both.
 
JD...I wonder if that's the same Herrick that used to play for Michigan State...I think he actually had some small ownership in the 'runners...Both stations hired him as part of the contract...Heck of a nice guy when I worked with him in Coolidge....really into radio.....fine athelete in his day.
 
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