Well, it’s August 2024. Ten months ago, it was reported that Good Karma Brands had made the decision to no longer lease 98.7 FM for ESPN New York when their current agreement with Emmis Communications runs out, which happens August 31. So, soon, it will be a reality that the big station in the big city, will save big money by dropping the big signal and focusing on 1050 AM, the station app, video and other means of distribution.
This is, well, in a word: big. Really big.
As an eternal optimist, I keep thinking of the ramifications of this being really successful. This could be an absolute game-changer in the industry. It could be historic.
When the news broke, Andrew Marchand was still at the New York Post and he had a quote in his story from GKB CEO and founder Craig Karmazin which had a part in it that said, “…investing in an FM signal was not relevant in the way it was a decade ago.”
While I realize we are talking about $12.5 million per year for a lease or $50 million to buy an FM signal in New York, the question could be asked, if this works for GKB, why would anyone need to invest in a big FM signal, or any signal at all for that matter? And what does that mean for the value of radio stations like the other ones that Good Karma owns?
The story Marchand wrote went on to say that Good Karma had data which showed that “60 percent of ESPN New York’s listenership is outside of radio and, of the 40 percent who rely on the radio, eight out of 10 are expected to find the station on AM.”
The math here seems a little fuzzy, but I realize they have to position it how they have to position it. They have some great content on the station and have built up a loyal audience and if something like this is going to work, this seems to me like it could be the perfect storm coming together. They wouldn’t do this unless a situation like this which forced their hand, but they also wouldn’t do it if they didn’t think it would work. If that happens and the No. 1 market in the country has a mostly digital sports property that kills it, how long will it be before that gets done in other big markets? It’s already working in Minneapolis, but is that just a fluke with a really good operator?
Where I live in St. Louis, the AM ‘competitor’ to monster FM sports talk station 101 ESPN, just went to all FOX Sports Radio and plans to sell. I have fielded several calls asking my thoughts on if an AM sports station is viable or not in the market still. To those who have asked, I have said my belief is that it could only work as a companion to a complete digital content strategy. And I’m not really certain the signal is necessary if that’s done correctly.
Now, in New York, we are talking about big name talent. Michael Kay, Bart Scott, Rick DiPietro and many others who have had loyal followings for years. A lot of their talent have big social media followings. This is by no means starting something new from scratch. I think it is very reasonable for the station to expect a majority of their listeners to continue to find the programming. If the digital side of the strategy is executed well, that should lead to new audience consuming the content and perhaps even a younger audience.
Additionally, the station has done some really unique things to promote what will be happening to their listeners. The have run an entire campaign around ‘Reset Your Preset,’ to get people to download the station app. Listeners have been asked to submit photos of a device playing the ESPN New York app. When they do, the listeners have been registered for prizes, but the prizes are experiences with station talent. Things you can’t buy. Great idea.
Listeners have had a chance to win the opportunity to visit Michael Kay in the broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium, a pair of WWE SmackDown ringside tickets next to Peter Rosenberg, dinner with Don La Greca and Dave Rothenberg (ok, you might be able to buy that one) and a visit to the ESPN New York studios to hang out with the Bart & Hahn show.
They have also done special ‘crosstalk’ shows. This is something I think stations should do more often anyway, mix it up a bit and have different personalities work together. ESPN New York has had various host combinations do a couple of hours together and the special shows have only aired on 1050 AM and the station app. So, if you wanted to hear Peter Rosenberg and Bart Scott or Rick DiPietro with Michael Kay, which were a couple of the combinations, you had to use one of the two ways which will be how you will listen to the station moving forward. Change the habits. That’s smart.
If the execution moving forward matches the preparation prior to the move happening, things should work out just fine. But make no mistake, this is something to keep your eye on.
This could be a turning point in our industry. A big one.
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The Best Thing I’ve Heard/Watched Recently
I’m not a big Olympics person. I will say I’ve enjoyed the Gold Zone a few times and my wife and three daughters are super into the Games and have it on constantly, so it has been on a lot in the background for me. The men’s basketball, however, I’ll make an appointment to watch. In all honesty, the first game I just wanted to see if the hype that this team could be a Dream Team-esque team was real. It was not.
With that said, the best thing I’ve heard /watched recently is Noah Eagle calling that first basketball game for the US men’s team against Serbia. I don’t want to overstate things, but Noah Eagle is on a path to be one of the great sports announcers in history. He is 27 years old and is not just really good for his age, he’s just really good. He appears to have it all – the dulcet tones, the humor, the knowledge. I know this is not going out on a limb to say he is going to be great, but I thought it was very noticeable just how good he was on the call of that game.
You can watch some highlights from the game with Eagle’s calls by clicking here.
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In Case You Missed It
Earlier this week my colleague Demetri Ravanos mentioned me in his column that took Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav out to the woodshed over the loss of NBA media rights for TNT Sports. I recently confronted Ravanos outside his house, slapped him in the face and said, “Keep my name out of your…” Just kidding.
However, I actually have a different take on this. By no means do I think it was smart for Zaslav to say they didn’t need the NBA, but after seeing what the networks paid for the rights, I’m not sure they won’t be the ‘winners’ in the end. As I wrote last week, I think it was always going to end this way, and I am of the belief Zaslav and those around him have known as well and prefer not to swim in these ridiculously expensive waters. We talk about the four-decade history, but in most of those decades the Amazon’s of the world didn’t exist. I don’t know what TNT’s plan is, but I think you can make a strong case for a company in the position WBD is in, to want to get away from a deal that reached ‘GTFOH’ levels.
If you didn’t have a chance to read Demetri’s column, check it out by clicking here.
Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
