I was in Alabama last week for a football game. While there, I made time to go to Huntsville and visit my pal Arky Shea at UMP Sports Radio.
He gave me a cool gift. The station is an affiliate of Alabama’s radio network. On Saturday, Bama beat Tennessee for the thirteenth year in a row. The two teams technically have a rivalry, in that the fanbases don’t seem to like each other, but it’s a rivalry that is pretty lopsided in favor of the Crimson Tide right now.
Arky and his station produced special t-shirts for the occasion and have been handing them out at remotes leading up to the game. It is a testament to the importance of living in the moment in everything you do on your airwaves.
This is a format driven by current events. There is no classic rock or oldies version of sports talk. It might be easy to think that just by doing a show every weekday you are living in the moment and staying current. That’s not wrong, but really should only be part of the equation. Stations need to use promotions, giveaways and imaging to tap into the pulse of their listeners too.
The voice of ESPN Radio, really one of the predominant voices in all of sports radio, Jim Cutler talked about using your imaging to tell the stories that are happening in sports right now at this year’s Barrett Sports Media Summit in Los Angeles. He talked about the effect it has on your listeners. If they are constantly hearing you talking about the local teams and biggest stories, it positions your station as an unimpeachable authority. You’re always teasing a story your listeners not only want, but need to hear.
WFNZ in Charlotte is a master of this. Every promo they run right now mentions Kyle Allen’s success as a starting quarterback and Cam Newton’s injury. The same is true of SportsTalk 790 in Houston. There isn’t a stop set lately that doesn’t begin with a reminder of what the Astros have done so far in the playoffs and that the team’s games air on that station.
Two weeks ago it was Tyler Ivens making headlines in Knoxville. The WNML morning man channeled the rage and frustration of the Tennessee fanbase by vowing to live on the roof of Toyota Knoxville until the Vols won a game. Fortunately, his stay on top of the dealership lasted less than a week.
Whether it is the Ump in a market outside the top 100 or a top ten market like Houston, stations benefit by using every moment and every element to tell their market’s sports story.
You need to keep your imaging fresh anyway. You’re going to run promotions and giveaways. Why not make sure these elements are working in conjunction with your programming and constantly reinforcing the message that no one in the market is as connected to the pulse of sports fans as your station?
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
