tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post1780590476010000827..comments2023-10-16T03:27:54.609-07:00Comments on new A's ballpark: Is there room for another sports talk station?Marine Layerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515986023439927575noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-81884313157943538172007-03-23T10:26:00.000-07:002007-03-23T10:26:00.000-07:00TV's a whole other thing. Radio is better geared ...TV's a whole other thing. Radio is better geared to a multi-tasking society as you can tune into while doing other things (work, driving, web surfing, etc) It's also a much more personal medium and is particularly effective with sports.<BR/><BR/>TV, even sports programs; you have to focus on with little distractions, even if it's for a few minutes. That's not to say that an "A's TV" station wouldn't help, but the Giants dominate the Bay Area market in large part to radio and that's where the battle has to be fought.Georobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16213186069766951534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-82978766013117401612007-03-22T23:46:00.000-07:002007-03-22T23:46:00.000-07:00I agree, one of the problems is that most sports t...I agree, one of the problems is that most sports talk stations are ridiculously dumb. If the A's get a new station, and cover the entire Bay Area sports sphere, emphesising the A's, I think they will get some listens.<BR/><BR/>And if they go the next step and get the right personel, do good interviews and have good quality sports discussion rather than the dribble that most sports stations go with, which seems almost intentionally dumbed down, I believe they will overtake KNBR in ratings when Giants games are not on. <BR/><BR/>I think that is a good reason why sports radio is not a huge ratings draw, especially in the Bay Area. Many people, especially A's fans, don't ignore KNBR because of its low quality and snubbing of their team. I have tried listening to KNBR before, and I am always very dissapointed.<BR/><BR/>But I have another question-if Radio is too hard to get, what about a TV Station? (I am assuming we'd have to wait until the FSN deal expires.) Would it be worth it? To have a station that would play A's and EarthqQuake games, as well as possibly Sharks and CAL Basketball games as well?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-40621100970366119462007-03-22T20:51:00.000-07:002007-03-22T20:51:00.000-07:00I guess there might be a ratings point out there a...I guess there might be a ratings point out there amongst all the niche sports markets. <BR/><BR/>It's tough to tell because sports talk in general is crappy radio as far as I am concerened. I'd think if the station just played ESPN stuff with the exception of a few A's related local programs it would do better than dirt bikes, tae kwan do and thumb wrestling shows.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086938574207856042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-22034546091223536262007-03-22T18:32:00.000-07:002007-03-22T18:32:00.000-07:00Lew Wolff buying a station probably would be, to q...Lew Wolff buying a station probably would be, to quote my favorite sub-prime mortgage vendor; "The Biggest No-Brainer In The History Of Mankind".:)Georobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16213186069766951534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-10555346883416635962007-03-22T15:15:00.000-07:002007-03-22T15:15:00.000-07:00The A's aren't in a good bargaining position. Rati...The A's aren't in a good bargaining position. Ratings are bottom-of-the-barrel, so it's not a matter of having a KCBS or KGO doing just games since those two routinely beat the A's head-to-head by, as the late Bill King would called it, "a country mile."<BR/><BR/>If the experiment with KIFR doesn't work out, the A's may have no choice but to get aggressive in buying a station. For reasons discussed previously, this is no small task.<BR/><BR/>KNBR-680 gets a 1 share boost when the Giants are in season, so the games actually matter more than the support. No doubt there's a complementary relationship there, but there is a cost in heavily promoting the team, and it's clear that stations have balked at doing that for the A's in the last 10 years.<BR/><BR/>As for sponsors, radio is a tough business. Ever wonder why radio station ad time is littered with dubious male enhancement products, unrealistic weight loss systems, and subprime mortgage vendors? Maybe having other sports can bring up the audience IQ, but I'm not counting on it.Marine Layerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13515986023439927575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-11936878769554922832007-03-21T21:35:00.000-07:002007-03-21T21:35:00.000-07:00Marine Layer, what about WEEI in Boston??? Isn't t...Marine Layer, what about WEEI in Boston??? Isn't that station near the top? or "the ticket" in san antonio?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-31991505586363927402007-03-21T10:14:00.000-07:002007-03-21T10:14:00.000-07:00I would really love to see the A's on a station th...I would really love to see the A's on a station that gave them exposure and support like KNBR does for the (hated) Giants. The fact that no one on KNBR mentioned the name Barry Zito until after he signed with the (hated) Giants, but soon after appeared to be giving daily interviews really exemplifies the point that the station is all about the Giants.<BR/>One angle for additional programming that I think would be of interest to a lot of people in the bay area, specifically due to it's demographics, would be coverage of more "international sports". I am not saying that the station would have to provide live coverage of every sporting event around the globe, but a place to discuss these events with on air personalities who actually know wha they are talking about, I believe would bring in a lot of listeners. The Bay Area has some of the best rugby teams in the country, CAL is a perenial NCAA national championship contender, and in the Mens Leaugues, there are several Division 1 and Division 3 teams that compete at the national level and win championships. A rugby show, I believe would get a lot of listeners. There is a huge South Asian (India, Pakistan, etc.) community in the bay area, and cricket is huge there. I think you could attract listeners who might otherwise not listen to sports talk with cricket oriented shows which might also be able to attract some new baseball fans (the games are different, but not completely dissimilar). The bay area also has a huge number of cyclist (Amgen Tour of California) and motorcyclist (Moto GP Red Bull Gran Prix Laguna Seca). These are untapped market from a sports talk perspective. All of which could attract more listeners to a station, which if it promoted the A's well, could also result is more people listening to at attending A's games. More diverse sports programming would also result in more options for sponsors like Cantebury, bike shops, motorcycle shops, etc. Focused programming you could actually sell to these sponsors. We wouldn't be relying on Lasik and Sleep Train to support every program.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432525.post-74008551328129671492007-03-21T08:28:00.000-07:002007-03-21T08:28:00.000-07:00I don’t think it’s a question of needing another s...I don’t think it’s a question of needing another sports station, though one could argue that there are enough teams not serviced by KNBR that could benefit.<BR/><BR/>What the A’s need is a station that will promote them heavily and make them a focal point of their programming. That’s what KNBR has been for the Giants for over 25 years. The fact that they’re a sports station is almost secondary, as for many years they were billed as “The GIANT 68” Even back in the day when they had Frank and Mike and music in the daytime, they were all over the Giants at all hours, and this was when the team was really bad….playing in Candlestick, no less! Even with the Niners, Warriors, and everything else; KNBR’s focus has and always will be the Giants.<BR/><BR/>Overlapping schedules is a problem for two or more teams that share a station. That’s primarily why KNBR has 1050 as a backup. If you were to squeeze the Sharks, Earthquakes, and even the Raiders onto an “anti-KNBR” along with the A’s, for much of the season you’d have little time for Marty Lurie, Robert Buan, and all the “A’s talk” before and after games. KNBR has shown that it’s TALKING about the games that matters as much as the games themselves. <BR/><BR/>Given the choice of a KCBS or KGO airing just games and a lower powered station devoting at least 6-7 hours of A’s programming per day, I’ll take the latter. If someone can put together an alternative sports station that will give the A’s those seven hours plus promos the rest of the day, I’ll take it. Otherwise the A’s are better off on a talk or even music station with some sports. That’s what KSFO and KNBR used to be, that’s what KFRC could have been, and that's what I think is still doable even in today’s segemented market.<BR/><BR/>And BTW, thank you for welcoming me back.Georobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16213186069766951534noreply@blogger.com