WTIC AM 1080 New Home of the New York Giants

[newbritainradio]

I heard a promo during WTIC Sports Talk with Kevin Nathan tonight really plugging WTIC as the new home of the New York Football Giants. WTIC previously carried the Giants throughout the 60's (probably earlier) and into the 70's. They will also be carrying the Westwood One football package again this season. The promo made it clear that WTIC is Connecticut's sports leader listing all the sports they carry.

Which brings up the possibility that WTIC believes that the new 97.9 will be a sports station since they seem to be placing an emphasis on increasing their sports presense.

 

[nd2023]

Aren't there more Patriots fans in WTIC's daytime coverage area?

 

[newbritainradio]

Aren't there more Patriots fans in WTIC's daytime coverage area?

In the early 70's, I was the only Patriot fan in my Bristol school! Dad and I would watch the pathetic Pats on Springfield's NBC affiliate WWLP channel 22 before cable through our roof top antenna. (Radio was WBZ 1030) Everyone was a Giant fan in those days with the games on channel 3. By the late 70's, the Cowboys and Steelers were getting many young fans. Today, I would say the Pats hold a slight edge over the Giants in popularity in the Hartford area. The older you are, the more likely you're a Giant fan here.

 

[CTListener]

Where will the Giants broadcasts go when they're in conflict with the Red Sox, whom I assume have first priority? WTIC-FM? WRCH? WZMX? HD only?

 

[KML0224]

With WTIC-AM's announcement and the possibility of WPKX-FM becoming an FM sports station, where does this leave WPOP-AM? What will they carry besides the Yankees?

 

[MarcB]

I'm very happy about this. No more listening through static on 660 AM. I tried get 1150 WMRD out of Middletown to pick up the games a few years ago, but it didn't work out.

An Kevin, I believe WPOP carries the Jets.

 

[newbritainradio]

Where will the Giants broadcasts go when they're in conflict with the Red Sox, whom I assume have first priority? WTIC-FM? WRCH? WZMX? HD only?

I would think the Giants would have first priority with no airing of the Sox during the Red Sox regular season. If there is a conflict with a Red Sox post season game, WTIC would air the Sox with WZMX airing the Giants.

With WTIC-AM's announcement and the possibility of WPKX-FM becoming an FM sports station, where does this leave WPOP-AM? What will they carry besides the Yankees?

The Yankees would be on the new 97.9 with local sports talk. As far as WPOP, maybe they would be ESPN Desportes or remain ESPN would local sports play-by-play.

 

[MarcB]

I would think the Giants would have first priority with no airing of the Sox during the Red Sox regular season. If there is a conflict with a Red Sox post season game, WTIC would air the Sox with WZMX airing the Giants.

I disagree. I think the Giants would go on 96.5 TIC-FM. They already carry UCONN when there are 2 UCONN games scheduled at the same time. Why would you think they would put sports on a Hip-Hop station?

 

[CTListener]

Where will the Giants broadcasts go when they're in conflict with the Red Sox, whom I assume have first priority? WTIC-FM? WRCH? WZMX? HD only?

I would think the Giants would have first priority with no airing of the Sox during the Red Sox regular season. If there is a conflict with a Red Sox post season game, WTIC would air the Sox with WZMX airing the Giants.

But WTIC now carries all Red Sox weekend games. The only games not carried are the rare weekday afternoon games that would cut into cash-cow Limbaugh's airtime. Wouldn't WTIC and the Sox have to rewrite their contract (In mid-season??? 'TIC had better have a damn good lawyer!) in order for Giants regular season games to take precedence over Sox regular season games? And what makes you think the Sox would agree to such a major gap in their radio coverage? I'd think the Giants would be the ones kicked to FM -- I think the NFL prefers its clubs to be on FM anyway, for the younger demographic that FM can sell to advertisers.

 

[RogerAnthony]

Will the Giants still be on WPLR 99.1 as well? That always drives me nuts when I turn to the station for music on a Sunday and football is playing.

 

[MarcB]

WPLR hasn't carried the Giants in years. I think they only time they were on WPLR was when their flagship station in New York was 102.7 WNEW rather than WFAN.

 

[CTListener]

WPLR hasn't carried the Giants in years. I think they only time they were on WPLR was when their flagship station in New York was 102.7 WNEW rather than WFAN.

Maybe he's confusing Giants on WPLR with Patriots on WAQY, another classic rock station. The Pats on both WCCC and WAQY is redundant in much of Connecticut -- WAQY makes it all the way down to New Haven with no problem and WCCC comes in fine in Springfield -- but I guess the Pats need a big signal in Western Mass north and west of Springfield.

 

[radiolives]

Red Sox baseball and Giants football on the same station, ok. Would have figured the Patroits be a better fit because WTIC already has the Red Sox.

Im wondering how this is going to work during the fall with UCONN football and basketball. Will be interesting. WTIC 1080 is now CT's News/Talk/Sports Leader

 

[CTListener]

Red Sox baseball and Giants football on the same station, ok. Would have figured the Patroits be a better fit because WTIC already has the Red Sox.

Im wondering how this is going to work during the fall with UCONN football and basketball. Will be interesting. WTIC 1080 is now CT's News/Talk/Sports Leader

Strange that WTIC is stockpiling all these play-by-play deals when it doesn't do very much sports talk. Any chance CBS could be thinking of blowing up one of its FMs -- underpeforming TIC-FM, maybe -- and taking it all-sports?

 

[reelyreal]

Red Sox baseball and Giants football on the same station, ok. Would have figured the Patroits be a better fit because WTIC already has the Red Sox.

Im wondering how this is going to work during the fall with UCONN football and basketball. Will be interesting. WTIC 1080 is now CT's News/Talk/Sports Leader

Strange that WTIC is stockpiling all these play-by-play deals when it doesn't do very much sports talk. Any chance CBS could be thinking of blowing up one of its FMs -- underpeforming TIC-FM, maybe -- and taking it all-sports?

Uhhh... underperforming TIC-FM? I hope you're joking. June PPM stats for TIC-FM:

Women 18-49 - #1
Persons 18-49 - #1
Women 25-54 - #1
Persons 25-54 - #1

Beyond numbers, WTIC-FM is a solid, well performing station. It's consistent, it's current, and they have incredible promotions. They make a fortune.

The entire CBS Radio Hartford cluster is so valuable, that when CBS was selling off their smaller markets, they kept Hartford. WTIC AM/FM, WRCH, and WZMX? Nothing will change there. WZMX owns hip hop, WRCH owns AC, and WTIC-FM has become adult top 40 once again, and is doing incredibly well with it. CBS isn't shy to spend money on these stations either... WTIC AM and FM are both staffed live 24/7, WZMX is only automated 2am-6am, and WRCH just has Delilah that isn't live. Great promotions, great talent.

I think it appears that WTIC is evolving, if anything. It may also be a pre-emptive move with the threat of possible FM Sports Talk on WPKX. The Boston ratings for WBZ-FM showed the value of Play by Play sports to PPM numbers... Red Sox/UConn/Giants is a strong lineup, and doesn't leave much in terms of Play by Play for WPKX outside of the yankees.

 

[Adam Rivers]

Red Sox baseball and Giants football on the same station, ok. Would have figured the Patroits be a better fit because WTIC already has the Red Sox.

Im wondering how this is going to work during the fall with UCONN football and basketball. Will be interesting. WTIC 1080 is now CT's News/Talk/Sports Leader

Strange that WTIC is stockpiling all these play-by-play deals when it doesn't do very much sports talk. Any chance CBS could be thinking of blowing up one of its FMs -- underpeforming TIC-FM, maybe -- and taking it all-sports?

The "underperforming" TIC-FM, eh? A lot of stations in this market would love to have their revenue stream.

 

[CTListener]

I guess I've been stuck in an early-'00s time warp when it comes to 'TIC-FM and had no idea it was doing so well these days in those prime demos. Good for them, and I guess my question is answered: None of the FMs are going to go all-sports or all-talk. Still, that's an awfully big play-by-play load that 1080 is taking on and I wonder about the listener pushback when conflicts are resolved by putting play-by-play on one of those FMs that are knocking 'em dead with music.

 

[reelyreal]

I guess I've been stuck in an early-'00s time warp when it comes to 'TIC-FM and had no idea it was doing so well these days in those prime demos. Good for them, and I guess my question is answered: None of the FMs are going to go all-sports or all-talk. Still, that's an awfully big play-by-play load that 1080 is taking on and I wonder about the listener pushback when conflicts are resolved by putting play-by-play on one of those FMs that are knocking 'em dead with music.

I think that's a great point... they're going to run into scheduling conflicts, and it's going to be interesting to see how you resolve them with in-house stations without causing harm. Is it a possibility that some teams could get relegated to WTIC-FM's HD2 subchannel during conflicts? I know it's not ideal, but if that were a provision they asked for from their teams, I wouldn't be shocked.

 

[KML0224]

Please no HD-2! Some of the Rock Cats baseball games are stuck there if WMRD-AM 1150 of Middletown isn't airing the given games. It was bad enough last season with the Hartford Wolfpack/Connecticut Whale AHL hockey games. I have a small Insignia FM HD radio thingy, but it's a pain to use and doesn't hold a charge for that long.

 

[nd2023]

What if there's a UConn football game and a Red Sox postseason game at the same time? That'll be the same thing if there's a Giants game at the same time.