The Los Angeles Dodgers’ television network (SportsNet LA) has made another decision which has local fans unhappy. The team announced it was cutting back spring training broadcasts from 31 to 16.
It sounds like a joke, but it’s real. A network that exists solely to telecast Dodgers games will not be telecasting some Dodgers games. A network accessible to only 40% of Southern California homes has decided, what the heck, let’s shut out everyone.
Luckily for local baseball fans, there is always FS West, which will broadcast 31 Angels spring games, including being the sole television provider for the first two Dodgers-Angels Cactus League games March 9 and 11.
This is not about the importance of watching spring exhibitions, which become awfully boring when all the good players hit the golf courses by the fifth inning. SportsNet LA is not alone in taking a spring break, as most teams televise only a smattering of games — and even KLAC radio is broadcasting only 14 games from Arizona. And yes, it makes sense when Time Warner Cable officials say they are cutting back because of lousy midweek afternoon ratings.
But when the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable continue to deny 60% of Southern California households a chance to watch their team because of ego and greed, then each misstep becomes more galling than the previous one, and every stumble becomes emblematic of a legendary fall.
At this point in the three-year debacle, it is worth wondering whether this might be the worst team-TV partnership in modern sports history. If the Dodgers keep Vin Scully from Los Angeles during his final season, that seals it.
To continue reading visit the Los Angeles Times where it was originally published
Earlier this month we released our “2015 Best In Sports Radio” series which highlighted the Top 20 in a number of different categories. If you read my follow up piece, you likely recall how I pointed out that a number of smaller market stations and shows didn’t receive their due when many had a legitimate gripe.
In the case of great brands like 610 Sports in Kansas City, 101 ESPN in St. Louis, and 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, they did everything they were supposed to do from a performance standpoint. Their only crime in receiving credit was not tripling the size of their population and becoming a top 10 market, and that’s unfair.
Well, one brand that didn’t bellyache over any of the results but had as strong of a reason to as anyone, was 104.5 The Zone in Nashville.
To many on the outside, the Nashville market may be best known for the Titans and Country music but to plenty of industry insiders, The Zone has become a well respected brand in the sports talk format. It has been and continues to be one of the highest rated brands in the nation, but even many who work in the sports radio field aren’t aware of just how dominant their performance is.
I was able to do some digging and gather the ratings data for the January book in the Nashville market, and I’m excited to share it with you because I believe this is a story that deserves to be told. In my opinion, it’s flown under the radar for far too long.
Let’s start by focusing on M-SU 6a-Mid with Men 25-54.
104.5 The Zone = 11.2 (1st)
*** The Zone’s closest competitor, 102.5 and 94.9 The Game, finished tied for 16th with a 1.8.
Next up, M-F 6a-7p with Men 25-54.
104.5 The Zone = 12.7 (1st)
When you turn the attention towards the radio station’s weekday programs, it’s the same story. Let’s begin by looking at M-F 6a-10a with Men 25-54.
104.5 The Zone (The Wakeup Zone) = 14.2 (1st)
Shifting gears, we move on to middays M-F 10a-3p with Men 25-54.
104.5 The Zone (Dan Patrick Show and Midday 180) = 11.7 (1st)
To wrap things up we shine the spotlight on M-F 3p-7p with Men 25-54.
104.5 The Zone (3HL and Primetime) = 12.3 (1st)
Even the radio station’s weekends deliver a 9.7 which is also good enough for 1st.
At this point, the real internal story is which show is going to gain bragging rights for being the best on the radio station. The threat of competition is not on the radio station’s radar. For this month, the honor of being recognized as the station’s best belongs to ‘The Wake Up Zone” which features Kevin Ingram, Frank Wycheck and Mark Howard.
What’s scary is that when you look at the money demo (Persons 25-54), the same story exists.
For example, The Zone was tied for 5th M-SU 6a-Mid with a 6.8. They were 4th M-F 6a-7p with a 7.5. In mornings they finished 2nd with an 8.6. Middays came in 5th with a 7.1. And in afternoon drive, they’re 4th with a 6.9.
What this data tells us is that The Zone owns the market with Men 25-54, and the real competitive focus is on beating brands in the Persons 25-54 category. When a sports station is able to do that, it puts a company in position to have huge financial success.
Let me be clear about one thing as it pertains to this story. I don’t work for 104.5 The Zone or Cumulus who owns the radio station. The only thing I gain by sharing this story is some additional web traffic, a few thank you’s from listeners and industry folks who are appreciative of learning the information, and if I play my cards right, maybe a retweet from Mickey Ryan, Brent Dougherty and Blaine Bishop of 3HL.
If The Zone was losing badly, I wouldn’t hesitate to share that story because I believe in being fair, objective, and honest. In this case though there isn’t much to say other than “congrats on a job well done!”
The purpose of this piece is to educate you on what this brand has created in its local market, and acknowledge why they deserve to be in the conversation among elite brands in the sports radio format. Stations such as 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI in Boston, WFAN in New York, 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, and KFAN in Minneapolis all deserve to be at the top of the list, but 104.5 The Zone can make an argument for why they belong in the same discussion.
When you’re delivering double digit ratings and 1st place finishes month after month, that’s impossible to ignore. It’s these types of stories that demonstrate the power sports radio has in local markets, and the more we become familiar with them, the more the mainstream media will have to take notice of the way this format and its personalities connect with local audiences, and deliver results for advertisers.
I know this much, if you’re an advertiser looking to reach Men in the Nashville market, and you’re not investing the majority of your budget on The Zone, your strategy is severely flawed. There’s an old saying in sports radio “you fish where the fish are” and in this case, they’re all swimming in The Zone’s waters.
Highlighting ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine this week, NFL Insiders will originate from Indianapolis from Wednesday, Feb. 24, through Monday, Feb. 29, with one-hour shows at 1:30 p.m. ET (no show Saturday or Sunday). Suzy Kolber will host with Adam Schefter, Bill Polian and Louis Riddick and NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay. NFL Insiders Josina Anderson, Adam Caplan, John Clayton, Mark Dominik, Dan Graziano and Field Yates and national correspondent Sal Paolantonio will also contribute to ESPN’s on-site coverage, appearing on NFL Insiders, NFL Live (one-hour shows follow each NFL Insiders) and SportsCenter throughout the Combine.
Additionally, the following NFL Nation reporters will be on site contributing to ESPN’s multi-platform coverage of the Combine: Todd Archer (Dallas Cowboys), Rob Demovsky (Green Bay Packers), Jeff Dickerson (Chicago Bears), Mike DiRocco (Jacksonville Jaguars), Jeremy Fowler (Pittsburgh Steelers), Tania Ganguli (Houston Texans), Coley Harvey (Cincinnati Bengals), Jamison Hensley (Baltimore Ravens), Paul Kuharsky (Tennessee Titans), Jeff Legwold (Denver Broncos), Vaughn McClure (Atlanta Falcons), Pat McManamon (Cleveland Browns), Mike Rothstein (Detroit Lions), Adam Teicher (Kansas City Chiefs), Nick Wagoner (Los Angeles Rams), Josh Weinfuss (Arizona Cardinals) and Mike Wells (Indianapolis Colts).
The First Draft podcast will also include coverage of the Combine. McShay, fellow NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and ESPN.com senior editor Chris Sprow welcome an NFL prospect to this week’s show.
Credit to ESPN Media Zone who originally published this information
The January ratings are now available for Houston, and this month there were some new developments which are certain to have one brand celebrating, another frustrated, and a third feeling encouraged but far from satisfied.
The ratings report covers December 31st to January 27th, and during that period SportsTalk 790 (KBME-AM) made some noticeable adjustments to their programming. The radio station moved Matt Thomas to mornings opposite Lance Zierlein, and shifted Adam Clanton from mornings to middays where he debuted a new program alongside former NFL player Sean Jones.
Additionally, Sports Radio 610 KILT made a change to their evening programming, giving Paul Gallant an opportunity to host a solo show.
In analyzing the numbers, here is the comparison for M-Su 6a-Mid among Men 25-54.
Sports Radio 610 KILT = 3.4 (tied for 11th)
ESPN 97.5 = 2.6 (tied for 18th)
Sports Talk 790 = 1.5 (25th)
KGOW 1560 = 0.1 (tied for 39th)
*** 610 added a half of a point from month to month, and 97.5 and 790 also added three tenths of a point. KGOW remained flat. Overall the format saw a spike from the Holiday book to January, but if you go back to the same period last year, KILT is down nearly a full point. They delivered a 4.3 last January. During that same time, 97.5 has gained a point, climbing from 1.6 to 2.6, and 790 is down seven tenths going from a 2.2 to 1.5. KGOW also has seen a major decline dropping from 0.6 to 0.1.
Next up is morning drive M-F 6a-10a. Here’s the Men 25-54 breakdown.
ESPN 97.5 = 3.5 (10th)
Sports Radio 610 KILT = 3.2 (12th)
Sports Talk 790 = 2.7 (tied for 16th)
KGOW 1560 = 0.1 (37th)
*** This was the third book in a row where ESPN 97.5 won mornings and they continue to gain share which is very impressive. When you consider that KILT and 790 go with local programming and 97.5 features “Mike and Mike” and 1-hour of the local program “Reality Check” hosted by Dylan Gwynn and Barry Warner, this is a major win for the brand. Making it even more impressive is that one year ago, the station was producing a 1.3 in mornings. This means they’ve gained more than 2 points in morning drive year to year. For KILT the news isn’t bad. They were up month to month and only three tenths away from tying 97.5. They’re also consistent year to year. For 790, they too saw an increase, which is great news given that they recently made a change in mornings. They improved by three tenths of a point from the Holiday book to January. The one concern would be the decline year to year which has seen the brand slip from a 4.1 to 2.7. However, with a new show in place, I’m sure they’re expecting bigger things to come in the future.
When you examine M-F 10a-3p this is what the midday story looks like with Men 25-54:
Sports Radio 610 KILT = 3.0 (13th)
ESPN 97.5 = 2.4 (tied for 18th)
Sports Talk 790 = 1.6 (25th)
KGOW 1560 = 0.1 (tied for 35th)
*** Middays are where KILT regains the lead and holds a comfortable six tenths of a point advantage. However, 790 rew from a 0.9 in December to 1.6 in January which is really strong and indicates that Clanton and Jones may have attracted an extra meter or two. KILT was up a tenth month to month, and 97.5 saw growth as well, picking up four tenths from the Holiday monthly to January. Looking back to the same time last year, KILT has lost 2 points slipping from a 5.0 to 3.0, 790 has dropped eight tenths falling from a 2.4 to 1.6, and 97.5 which has added John Granato to the local mix and also includes Sean Salisbury, has added nine tenths growing from a 1.5 to 2.4. Also, KGOW has fallen hard dropping from 0.9 to 0.1 during the past 12 months.
Rounding out the key prime time matchups is the afternoon drive slot. Here’s how M-F 3p-7p with Men 25-54 stacked up.
ESPN 97.5 = 3.6 (11th)
Sports Radio 610 KILT = 3.2 (15th)
Sports Talk 790 = 1.4 (25th)
KGOW 1560 = 0.0 (tied for 41st)
*** This was a huge win for 97.5 as KILT has consistently led the afternoon battle. Month to month the radio station grew eight tenths of a point, improving from a 2.8 to 3.6, and during the past twelve months that number has risen from 2.3 to 3.6. Congrats are in order for AJ Hoffman, Fred Faour, and Russillo and Kanell who all contributed to the station’s afternoon growth. For KILT, I’m sure they’re not satisfied finishing behind 97.5 but they are only four tenths away, and one ranking position behind. They did experience slight growth month to month going from a 3.0 to a 3.2 but year to year they’ve suffered some bad luck, falling from a 4.9 to 3.2. For 790, they saw slight improvement climbing from a 1.2 to 1.4, but year to year they too are down, dropping from 1.9 in 2015 to 1.4 in 2016. KGOW had no impact for the month and are down 0.6 to 0.0 year to year.
Taking a look at the evenings, where KILT debuted a new program, here’s what the picture looked like M-F 7p-12a among Men 25-54.
Sports Radio 610 KILT = 2.5 (18th)
ESPN 97.5 = 1.3 (24th)
Sports Talk 790 = 1.2 (25th)
KGOW 1560 = 0.0 (tied for 39th)
*** It was a good start for KILT’s new evening program, as the show added two tenths month to month. The concern however would be a drop year to year from 3.9 to 2.5. Given though that this is the first month of a new program, we’ll need a longer sample size to see how the changes are received, but so far so good. For 97.5 and 790, this is the area where they’re not as strong. Given that these are the off-peak hours, I’m sure they’re not too concerned about it.
To summarize, it was a big month for ESPN 97.5. Make no mistake about it, when you win mornings and afternoons and unseat the leading brand in the market, it’s going to be a little sweeter entering the workplace. We weren’t privy to the M-F 6a-7p numbers with Men 25-54 but I’m sure the story is a strong one for 97.5, and as this train continues to pick up steam, I’m sure local and national advertisers are taking notice.
For KILT, they’re used to winning so this isn’t familiar territory. That said, they are only a few tenths of a point away from reversing the latest setback. The real test will come next month when the February monthly offers little play-by-play benefit and the market’s best personalities and content stand out. Their decision to run a trade deadline promotion around their personalities was smart, but only time will tell if it made a difference in the numbers.
Last but not least is 790. Where they have to feel really good is when they look month to month and they see their latest changes paying immediate dividends. To grow four tenths in mornings, and seven tenths in middays is excellent. Now the station needs to continue that momentum in order to make up ground from where they were last year and ultimately unseat one of the top two leading brands.
As for KGOW, they’re in a different category and not a factor in the ratings.
Although a few hires have been announced, several key details have been kept secret.
But now there’s another development to add to the mix.
Simmons will partner with publishing platform Medium on his new project. The publisher has funded and hosted some original publications including the tech site Backchannel, which is edited by former Wired reporter Steven Levy.
In addition to the brand new website, Simmons is developing a show for HBO, and produces a podcast, in addition to making media appearances to promote his brand.
Throughout his career he’s been revered as an online pioneer. He began producing a blog in the late 1990’s before anyone else knew what the term blogging even meant. He moved to ESPN.com shortly afterward and became the website’s most popular writer. He also helped ESPN develop the “30 for 30” series, and other programs for ESPN Television, and was a member of its NBA pregame show.
His brand value is even stronger when you consider his social media following. Simmons has 538,000 followers on Facebook, and 4.8 million followers on Twitter. After announcing his new site, more than 100,000 people started following The Ringer on Twitter. Responding to a fan on social media who asked “What are the lessons Bill Simmons learned from running Grantland from a business perspective?” Simmons replied “Don’t do it with ESPN.”
Credit to Business Insider who was first to provide this information
The bane of the NFL’s existence, the NFL Draft Combine, begins in mind-numbing boredom this week. As recently as a few years ago, the combine was nothing but a figment of fans’ imaginations — times, reps and distances printed in a paper or quoted during the draft. Now, it’s part of the NFL’s attempt to be relevant for 366 days of the year. (Don’t forget it’s leap year!)
The combine is reminiscent of the draft in that for years no one figured it would make for entertaining television. Unlike with the draft, however, they were right. While the draft has the built-in drama of a schoolyard pick and hopeful fans believing this is going to be the guy who changes the direction of their franchise, the combine is about as interesting as watching injured football players go through rehab.
How awful is the combine? Let us count the ways:
1. Entertainment: I’d rather be forced to watch college football signing day, the Pro Bowl, a regular-season NBA game not involving the Warriors, a continuous scroll of Kanye tweets and a recording of a Coldplay concert, all showing on one screen while I’m locked down Clockwork Orange style, rather than sit and watch the combine.
2. Value: We don’t even know how much teams value it. It seems to me that if you had 42 games of tape on a player (the amount you’d have for a healthy junior, with 28 for a redshirt junior and 56 for a senior, give or take), that would take infinite precedence over a standing broad jump. I mean, can you imagine this discussion going on in NFL war rooms?
Scout: “He comes off the edge like a freight train. When he played [an All-American tackle] last year, he just man-handled him. Man-amongst-boys type of thing. He’s healthy. He’s energetic. And his coaches say he just soaks up everything you tell him. Dude just loves to put on the pads.”
Scout 2: “I don’t know. His vertical and shuttle were weak.”
3.Boredom: Do you know what’s more boring than watching a guy do reps of 225 on the bench press? Guys doing a standing broad jump. Do you know what’s more boring than watching a guy do a standing broad jump? A guy doing the vertical jump. And do you know what’s more boring than a guy doing the vertical jump? NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL.
4. The Marquee Event Sucks. Just like at the Olympics, the sprints are the “best in show” at the combine. Unlike the Olympics, that’s solely because everything else is awful at the combine, so the slightly-less-awful 40 wins by default. That doesn’t mean it’s not terrible, though. The easiest way to tell the combine isn’t a made-for-TV event is that the 40 consists of guys just running 40 yards without competition.
Imagine watching the Kentucky Derby but with only one horse running at a time. Who’d watch that, right? Yet in that case, there’d at least be mile splits to compare and lengths to monitor. The 40 is a gunshot race. It’s over before you know it and if you didn’t have an onscreen clock or announcers you’d have no idea what the difference between a 4.3 and a 4.5 was. There’s a reason Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps race people. It’s because it’s enjoyable.
And anyway, why the 40? It clearly benefits the handful of players with a track background (it’s all in the start) and has no practical usage beyond combine comparisons. Make the guys run with the ball. Make them run crossfield. Make them do anything but run in a straight line. Granted, we all know the correlation between speed and receiving abilities, which is why all those 1980s and 1990s Raiders receivers are in the Hall of Fame.
5. Can It Be Fixed? Yeah, end it. Complete fix.
But that’s not going to happen. So if the NFL is content with the ratings it’s getting for the combine, then Princess Elsa it and let it go. (Sorry, I’ve had a sick baby for a week. LOTS of Frozen which, incidentally, I’d rather watch for the 75th time than watch the combine.) If the league wants to bring in new viewers, however, here are some possibilities:
To continue reading visit Fox Sports where this article was originally published
Inspiration can sometimes be found in the strangest places. It happened to me last month during a three-day getaway to Burlington, Vermont.
The purpose of the trip was to provide an opportunity for my girlfriend Stephanie to see her old high school classmates and show me the neighborhood where she spent her teenage years. I had never been to Vermont and I enjoy exploring new places so I figured I’d take advantage of an opportunity to experience something new.
But while the personal mini-vacation was nice, and the peace and quiet provided a much needed mental timeout, there was one stop along the way that got my wheels spinning.
During our trek to Burlington, we made a stop at the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. Stephanie wanted me to see one of Vermont’s most famous operations and I’m never one to pass up an excuse to enjoy a cup of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream so it seemed like a perfect match. But what I didn’t expect was that a trip to an ice cream factory would offer a lesson that could be helpful to the sports radio business.
When we began our tour, the folks at Ben and Jerry’s started things off by playing a video that gave everyone in attendance a peak into what the company stood for. We were shown how Ben and Jerry’s started in 1978 with a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed) to open up their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington. After one year of business, the duo celebrated by holding their first annual Free Cone Day, a tradition that continues nearly forty years later.
With each passing year the Ben and Jerry’s brand grew more popular in Vermont, eventually leading to a bigger location in Burlington, a Vermont-only public stock option which would be utilized to build a larger manufacturing plant, and by 1986 Ben and Jerry introduced the Cowmobile, a modified mobile home used to distribute free scoops of ice cream. The two men would take the vehicle on a unique, cross-country marketing drive to further expose the Ben and Jerry’s brand but unfortunately during the return trip, the Cowmobile burned to the ground outside of Cleveland, Ohio.
From there, Ben and Jerry’s began creating new flavors (Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, etc.) which drew mainstream media attention, rallying around numerous local and national social causes, and with their increased popularity, franchises started to pop up all across the nation. Once the internet came into existence, the Ben and Jerry’s brand started to reach people all over the world, and today it has become the world’s most famous ice cream brand.
To the consumer at a local supermarket, they simply know the flavor of the ice cream they’re purchasing and the way it makes them feel when they eat it. But when you go beyond the surface, you find out that there’s a strategy to Ben and Jerry’s success and a deeper meaning to what they stand for.
For starters, Ben and Jerry’s have a three part Mission which guides their decision making. Those three parts include their Product, Economic, and Social Missions. The company’s aim is to create linked prosperity for everyone that’s connected to their business: suppliers, employees, farmers, franchisees, customers, and neighbors alike.
The Product Mission is to make, distribute and sell the finest quality all natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment.
The Economic Mission is to operate the Company on a sustainable financial basis of profitable growth, increasing value for our stakeholders and expanding opportunities for development and career growth for our employees.
And the Social Mission is to operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally and internationally.
Everything Ben and Jerry’s does comes back to meeting the objectives of all three of those categories. They know what their brand represents and they expect their people to satisfy those expectations and be unwilling to compromise the core values of their business. Check out this video to get a better understanding of what I’m talking about.
After you move past the three part mission, you find that Ben and Jerry’s also throw their support behind a number of different causes. Although some people may prefer that the company focus on making ice cream and keeping their opinions of social issues private, this is how they believe in operating and they’ve consistently done so throughout their history.
When you step back and think about how their business model relates to sports radio, it starts with the mission, a clear identity of who they are as a brand, and what they want to be known for. When you watch the video above, browse their website, or read over the descriptions of each of their missions, you can fully understand what they represent as a company.
Now compare that to your local sports radio station.
If I walked inside the halls of your radio station today, could I tell what your brand values are? What your product focus is? How you connect and give back to your community? Could I see how you celebrate success and which goals you’re presently chasing?
You may think that’s not important in the grand scheme of what you do on a daily basis, but just as imaging is vital to pounding a message in the audience’s brains so they remember your key messages, so is reinforcing the identity of your brand to your own staff and audience, and creating a vision that everyone can follow.
If you want your talent to present content in a specific way or your company to make a larger impact inside your community, it starts with beating the drum consistently inside your own office. Then it comes down to execution and holding people accountable to bring the vision to life.
If you say you’re going to be your market’s undisputed leader in football discussion, then your talent have to understand that approach and make sure it’s delivered on the air, online, and on social on a daily basis. If you say your brand is going to get behind social causes and show how radio can make a difference in the local community, then you need to be present for important events and identify key causes that you’re comfortable attaching your brand’s reputation to.
Regardless of what you consider most important, it’s imperative to create an identity, set expectations, and be true to what you say you are. The listener and your advertisers will take notice and appreciate it but they will also expect you to deliver on your brand promises.
If I can make one suggestion, when deciding what your brand focus is going to be, brainstorm with your key people to develop a strong mission statement, and then put it on paper. Keep it short, sweet, and straight to the point, and then step away from it for a few days.
When you pick it back up, make sure you still feel great about it before presenting it to the rest of the group. If you don’t feel good enough to place it on the window of your studio or see it appear in your local newspaper, then go back to the drawing board. The way you define your brand and sell it to people inside and outside of your radio station is important so make sure it captures exactly what you want.
After you’ve created your mission statement and have delivered and communicated what it means to your staff, it will make a lot of things easier. You’ll be able to identify which clients do or don’t fit the brand. Which content does and doesn’t belong on the radio station. Which community events you should and shouldn’t appear at. And more important than all of it, you’ll share a collective vision inside the walls of your company, and that type of togetherness is what produces a winning atmosphere, one which many on the outside will want to be a part of.
When you stop to think about it, Ben and Jerry’s are ice cream makers. But other companies make ice cream too. So why does their brand stand head and shoulders above the competition?
It starts with their three part mission and the way they inspire their employees. Because their vision is understood internally and communicated externally, consumers recognize Ben and Jerry’s for being much more than an ice cream company. Its that type of brand understanding that breeds long-term loyalty, which in turn catapults you to the top of your business.
Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan (KKFN-FM) in Denver announced today the signing of free agent Brandon Stokley who will join Sandy Clough to host “Sandy and Stokley”, weekdays from 12-3pm beginning Monday, February 29th, 2016.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Stokley said. “Working in radio has always been an interest and now I get to work with the best, at the Fan.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Brandon as part of our championship team at 104.3 The Fan,” said Program Director Armen Williams. “His passion and over-the-top knowledge of the Broncos and the NFL game will carry over daily during the show. Teaming Brandon with Sandy, who has had over 35 years of Denver sports radio experience, will create a major impact in the middle of the day.”
A 15-year NFL veteran and two-time Super Bowl Champion, Stokley was originally drafted in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 1999. His career extended over five different teams, including two different occasions with the Broncos, Colts and Ravens. Stokley was paired up with Peyton Manning as his quarterback in both Indianapolis and Denver.
The Dallas sports radio ratings for January are in and we’re going to present these numbers by being fair to all parties. Earlier today, the Dallas News produced an article which covered the market’s monthly performances, except they included The Ticket’s streaming numbers in the report. That created a narrative that showed the brands further apart than they actually are.
I don’t have The Fan or ESPN 103.3’s streaming numbers, so to add The Ticket’s numbers to the radio ratings totals is unfair and it creates an impression that there’s a preference in who performs better in the marketplace. As you’ll see from the actual ratings, The Ticket didn’t need to have their performance inflated, it was already pretty impressive.
To be clear to those who work in Dallas, own or operate these companies, or listen to these radio stations, my objective is to present each side’s information accurately. I do this minus any affiliation to either group, and without a rooting interest. I know people inside both companies, and I like many of the shows offered on The Ticket and The Fan.
My only concern is to make sure that the right story is being told for sports radio stations. If we’re going to add streaming numbers into the conversation (which is something that should happen in the future) then it has to be presented from all brands not just one. Otherwise you have a very lopsided story which doesn’t accurately reflect each station’s performance.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here is how things stacked up M-Su 6a-Mid among Men 25-54.
The Ticket = 5.3 (3rd)
The Fan = 4.7 (5th)
ESPN 103.3 = 2.8 (14th)
When you analyze M-F 6a-7p which is when both stations feature their best talent and content, the story looks like this:
The Ticket = 6.7 (2nd)
The Fan = 4.0 (6th)
ESPN 103.3 = 2.7 (15th)
As you can see, The Ticket had a great month overall. Now let’s take a look at how each brand did in their respective dayparts.
6a-10a
The Ticket (Musers) = 9.2 (1st)
ESPN 103.3 (Mike and Mike and 1-hour of Dan LeBatard) = 4.1 (5th)
The Fan (Shan and RJ) = 3.9 (6th)
*** The Musers delivered a dominant performance. They had the highest performance of any show in the market and have paved the way for The Ticket to have massive success. For ESPN 103.3 they’ve got to be ecstatic about finishing 5th and ahead of The Fan. I’m sure the folks at CBS Dallas weren’t thrilled coming in 6th and seeing their morning show behind the other two stations.
10a-3p
The Ticket (Norm/Donovan and BaD Radio) = 5.4 (4th)
The Fan (G-Bag Nation) = 3.9 (7th)
ESPN 103.3 (ESPN Radio and Dennis & Friedo) = 1.9 (19th)
*** Overall The Ticket has to be pleased. They’ve bounced back in middays to take a nice lead on G-Bag Nation. Is the addition of Donovan Lewis making a difference? For The Fan, they’ve won this battle before so it shows that they have the talent to do so. The question going forward is will it be a one-month slide or a continuous trend? The one positive on their end is that they didn’t lose audience going from mornings to middays whereas the other two stations did.
3p-7p
The Ticket (Hardline) = 6.1 (1st)
The Fan (Ben & Skin) = 4.4 (5th)
ESPN 103.3 (Cowlishaw and Mosley and ESPN Radio) = 2.5 (17th)
*** A strong month for The Hardline, who came in #1 and gained 7 tenths of a point from middays to afternoons. Great job by The Ticket’s afternoon crew. At The Fan, they too have to be satisfied as Ben and Skin produced a Top 5 finish and added a half a point from middays to afternoons. For ESPN 103.3 they regained some momentum that disappeared during the middays but they’re also a point and a half lower in afternoons with a local program than they are in mornings when they provide a national show. Given though that Cumulus operates The Ticket and ESPN 103.3 and have the #1 rated show in the timeslot, I’m sure that’s not bothering them in the least.
If there are two areas where The Fan should feel good, it’s when you look at their Men 18-34 and Persons 25-54 stories. Many advertisers care more about Persons 25-54 than they do Men 25-54. While the hosts and listeners will focus on the Men 25-54 performance since that’s the demographic that we measure the success of most sports station’s, advertisers have a different focus.
In the current January book, The Fan won the Persons 25-54 battle against The Ticket, finishing with a 3.7 (10th) to 3.4 (13th). They have also grown from a 2.8 to 3.7 over the past twelve months so that’s another positive story to share with clients.
When you examine Men 18-34, The Fan has a distinct edge. If you look strictly at the head to head matchups between shows, The Fan registers a 4.5 (8th), while The Ticket does a 3.2 (12th) and ESPN 103.3 produces a 1.2 (26th). Those numbers are based on M-F 6a-7p.
To summarize, The Ticket had a big month and should feel great about their overall performance. To finish 1st in both drive times and in the Top 4 in middays and win each timeslot against The Fan, when they had lost a few battles in previous months, has to feel invigorating for the members of their staff. Congratulations to the crew at The Ticket on a job well done.
For The Fan, they’ll be in great shape with advertisers due to their Persons 25-54 story, and they’ve got to feel encouraged by the way the younger part of the demo is responding. However, they’ve got to get a bigger lift in mornings, have their midday show rebound, and keep the momentum strong in afternoons where they’re in the Top 5 and have a great program that’s capable of ascending even higher.
For ESPN 103.3, they’ve got a real story brewing in mornings, where Mike and Mike have been well received by the market. If you’re inside Cumulus Dallas, you have two sports radio morning shows in the Top 5 to work with and that’s an outstanding story. The challenges for the brand are when you look at middays, where the numbers are pretty low. Afternoons does a nice job regaining some of that lost momentum but they’re still a distant third behind the other two stations.
So now we move onward to February, which is often a dead period for many brands. The play-by-play benefits will be lower, and great content will be critical for engaging the local audience. Those who do it well, will be sitting in a comfortable spot when the February book is released.
Doc Emrick has called exactly one baseball game in his broadcasting career. As a graduate student at Miami (Ohio), he filled in at the last minute for a game against Kent State.
Emrick, the national hockey play-by-play man for NBC who has spent more than 40 years calling hockey games, will get another chance at baseball this spring by calling some Pirates spring training games.
“I didn’t know anything,” said Emrick, who visited Pirate City Thursday, of that college baseball game in the 1960s. “All we had was a lineup, no media guide, nothing.”
Emrick called the game with Stan Savran, at the time a senior at Miami and now a radio host in Pittsburgh. Future rookie of the year and MVP Thurman Munson played in the game, and Cy Young award winner Steve Stone was available to pitch but never did.
“I don’t remember who won,” Emrick said. “I do remember that you can only mention the flag blowing a certain way in center field so many times without driving people nuts, but there was a lot of time to fill between pitches. I was awful. Stan got through it OK.”
Emrick, who was honored with the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2008, began broadcasting hockey games in 1973. He spent 21 years calling New Jersey Devils games before working for NBC exclusively starting in 2011. He taught at Geneva College in Beaver Falls from 1969-71, and, during that time, covered the Penguins, on a volunteer basis, for the Beaver County Times. Over the years, he became a huge Pirates fan.
“I was raised on Bob Prince,” he said.
Emrick and Pirates play-by-play man Greg Brown have known each other for years, and Emrick will work with Brown in the booth.
“I thought, gee, if there was ever a case when I could be on with Brownie, that would be fun for me,” Emrick said. “I don’t know if it would be for the audience, but if it was a harmless spring training game, maybe people would be sympathetic, saying, that’s just Doc, let him go for a little bit.”
To read the rest of this story visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where it was originally published
