Wizards Radio Gossip

Interesting.

I would say yes because the amount of people who would listen to a game on radio would have to be extremely minimal. Not enough to justify the ad revenue charged. Notice I used the word, "would".

The reality is yes they screwed up if it was 610 or 810, possibly if it was even another lesser station. 610 will get killed this summer by the addition of the Royals by 810. They need something. Now, the first :20 every day on KK's (810 afternoon) monologue is a commercial for the grandeur of spring and the coming of the glory that is the '04 Royals [sic]. You can't listen to his show, because he doesn't have one anymore. It's just a big commercial for the guys across the street at TSC.

My point is that whatever station lands the Wizards would go a long way to provide a similar marketing effort. If it isn't 810 it's by definition a lesser effort, but still. The backside to this is that eventually hertofore unheard aspects of the team would make it more often into open forum. I know we are all hanging on but fingernails for what Tony's mom is cooking for dinner and other astoundingly important questions asked previously by such luminaries as the aformentioned Kietzman; but it would be nice to hear an insight occasionally instead of having to log on. Occasionally anyway.

Right now, even trying to find out a KCW score on radio is difficult to do. The Royals pulled the best marketing move possible by going to 810. If KCW had any sort of a shot at either 810 or 610, then not getting a deal done was a biblical mistake. If some other station, then I understand.

If the money wasn't right it does create a present value stream of payments that runs extremely negative. That in turn effects everything else on the blackboard like, quality of TV crew, reserve teams coming in 2 years, marketing budget, etc.

That said, MLS is in for losses of whatever already under the theory of investing for the long haul. I fail to understand why that theory wouldn't hold for something that gives not only access but full entree to a range of sports fans that are slowly being pushed out of seeing other sports live due to cost. Many of these same people have a set idea about soccer that isn't backed by something like actually seeing a live game at D1 level or knowing what a D-mid does. How else will people learn?

The only two reasonable explanations outside of money would be: First, that programming alternatives opposite the Royals will be so dismal as to maybe make KCW a more attractive property later. To me, that's a stretch. Second, that KCW didn't think they could do a good enough job of producing a radio call to make it worthwhile. What organization thinks they can't do something?

Like it or not, the climate of our city is that sports radio shows add legitimacy to a sports franchise. Taking about a sport sells tickets. The KCW PR Dept., while doing other things well, has failed miserably to gain access to radio in any meaningful way. That failure looks certain to continue until they give radio a reason to pay attention.

 

I think it would have been great if the Wizards had taken that opportunity, but at the same time does soccer work on the radio?

 

How do the frickin' Comets afford to have their games on the radio?

 

This question has to be taken in context of the audience we have here.

Do you know how many people I would have killed to have been able to hear some of the games I missed while I was in Rolla??? Only way I would have had a chance then would have been if they were also on the internet.
Only the die hards are going to care anyway, and most of us have the games on TV (or go to watch parties). I really don't see a large audience for these games, especially since now almost all the games are on TV in some form. There has to be a large demand, and I just don't see it.

 

comets

yeah that makes sense, but it doesnt address how a team like the comets with even fewer fans can have games on the radio and local tv (pax, or wb, or whatever) and the wizards dont have any of that. the comets have games on FSW as well.

we have 1 game on national cable tv - 0 games on local tv, and some, but not all of our away games on local basic cable.

i dont know how that all works, and would be interested if someone else did know... but it seems like if the comets can do it we should be able to do something similar.

 

Re: comets

I don't know enough about MISL to give a correct answer. I can only speculate. Obviously the Comets are paying for whatever coverage they are getting. The Wizards do have local TV coverage on MetroSports.
Not knowing about the MISL money situation I can't say for sure, but I do know that the salaries are far less than that of MLS. Each team has a set amount of money to operate off (obviously less for the Comets) and spend it however possible. While it probably doesn't cost a whole lot to get radio coverage for the teams, the Wizards probably see that the money can be spent better elsewhere.
I think its pretty obvious that the Wizards advertising funds are limited. It doesn't take an advertising genius to realize that the more you put the name out the more people are gonig to hear about your product. That said, I'd think if the Wizards had a lot of money we'd sure hear more about them then we do now. Any radio deal would essentially be advertising the team trying to get people to attend home games, and therefore would come out of the same small budget.
I just don't really see radio coverage as necessary. It wouldn't hurt, and could provide coverage for the very few games we can't see now, but in the end it wouldnt add a whole lot IMO.

 

Anyone know what the Comets or T-Bones pay by chance? Or does anyone have estimates for other MLS radio deals?

Although not a necessary thing, it would be nice for a radio station to play more ads for Wizards games.

 

Ben touched on my games really wouldn't be a great idea on the radio. 1. The people who would listen are at the game. and 2. if it is an away game the people who would most likely listen would find a way to watch the game rather it be at a bar, or in their home or whatever.

I think the more appropriate approach would be to get more analysis onto the air. Extratime did a good job last year, the coverage area sucks ass, but the format for the show was great. If we do what we did last year and flood the show with phone calls, maybe the price of the radio time for games might go down since there would be a market for soccer on the radio.

 

Re: Re: Re: comets

Do other teams have local non-cable coverage? I know that not everyone has MetroSports, but a lot of people do. As mentioned pertaining to radio, the people that would listen to a soccer game on the radio are big enough fans that they'll find a way to watch it whether they have MS or not.
I think instead of spending money to broadcast games, that money should go to advertisements. Get spots on the two sports stations and some of the bigger stations on the FM dial. Only time and demand for the team will get more "analysis" time, we just have to wait for that.

 

There is NO way that any even half-decent radio signal in KC would go for $130 per hour. NO WAY!

 

The T-bones recently lost their deal with 810 when the Royals moved there.

Soccer on the radio is a tough sell, simply because of the lack of advertising time.

Umm... I say good move on the part of the Wizards. Though if they had taken the deal, I would have gladly volunteered my services for play-by-play.

 

Many of us who have cable do NOT get Metrosports.

Some of us soccer fans don't have the time to go to a bar or the money to pay for the shoot-out package to make sure we see a game.

Hey, I have a family. Sometimes all I can get to is a radio or the computer for streaming audio. And listening lets me get other things done while I follow my team.

And are you kidding me -- does soccer work on the radio! Check out the EPL. Probably every team has radio coverage and it's streamed over the internet. I'm a big Charlton Athletic fan and I have listened to many of their games over the internet. Sure I would rather be there. But since I can't, why miss out on the excitement. You can even hear some the chants, etc. in the background.

And I'm a KCW fan who has had to listen to the opponent's webcast in order to catch my home team. Think about it. How fun is it to listen to L.A.'s radio broadcast team talk about our Wizards. Or Colorado's.

Radio coverage of at least home games would be a great asset.

 

And that sucks for you. But as I said, demand is what matters. There obviously aren't enough people in your situation to warrent putting the games on radio or local TV. If there were, then it would happen don't you think. It may suck for you, but thats the situation we're in right now.

Its England for gods sake. Of course their games are going to be on radio, thats all they care about. You just can't compare any other nation when it comes to sports with the US. We are saturated with different sports while most other countries have one or two that they truley care about.

Home or away? I'd think away games would be more important because most of the fans that would care about the Wizards enough to want radio coverage would be at the home games and wouldnt listen.
I'm not saying I don't like the idea of radio coverage. I just understand why we don't have it. If we were like the Royals and Chiefs and had stations fighting over our rights it would be a different story, but when you have to pay for the coverage things change. It may suck for a handful of the passionate fans (like yourself) but sometimes life sucks that way. As I've read before, US soccer fans are a resourceful bunch, make due.

 

Radio coverage would be a big plus. We all know that 1340 covers the Comets and that the Comets are more than likely footing the bill for that coverage. The Freak on 810 morning show is a socceer fan. He was at the Comets Mascot game with the 810 crew, and even talked about it before and after the game. He has also talked about the Wizards before.
If 61 sports is interested in covering the Wizards, I say more power to them. I think that radio coverage of the games would have a snowball effect that could only help the Wizards.
The Extra-time radio show on 1340 was a huge succcess last year. It was a battle to get on the air to talk about the Wizards. I think that is a indicator of what could happen with more air time for the Wizards.

GO WIZARDS
GET WELL SOON PREKI

 

BenC,

My point about England was really that soccer on radio works. It can be done well. A listener can understand what's going on in the match.

My point about home games is that that would be a place to start. And even season ticket holders don't make every game. Things happen.

Yeah, demand is important. But as we have learned so many times in America, supply something and the demand appears. Build it and they will come.

 

I know your point, and agree that soccer on radio works from an entertainment standpoint and being able to follow whats going on. The difference I was pointing out is that any EPL team and some D1 teams in England have WAY more demand than the Kansas City Wizards.
Do you really honestly think that there is enough interest in the Kansas City area to justify the Wizards spending money to be on radio? I say no because all the people that are interested enough to seek out and listen to a game on the radio will probably be watching the game anyway. Yes, as you pointed out, things happen and sometimes fans can't make a game or catch it on TV. I'd also argue that if those people can't catch it with their eyes they are probably doing something that would keep them from listening as well. But its my opinion that that number of people is not great enough to justify having to pay to air the games. If its free or the Wizards get paid, then obviously you take it, but with the small (thats an assumption) budgets MLS teams have for things of this nature, I'd say the money is better spent elsewhere.

 

Well it is not 61 sports, it is another new Sports Radio station which has a bigger signal than 1340. The soccer call in show on Weds. night from last year will now be two hours instead of just one. Which is unheard here in KC. FWIW is doesn't matter who is doing the show, what matters is that you call in and make the show a success. Make the other stations open their eyes that there is a demand for soccer talk. That will not happen with the same 6 people calling in every week. So Dave there is a show that talks about soccer and not Tony's mom cooking so pick up your phone and call in.

The comets do foot the bill to have their game on the radio and tv. The Comets spend more money to increase their exposure. Is it working? I do not know really but atleast people know that the Comets are and indoor team and when there next home game is becuase of all the ads.


In the end I agrre that the Wizards are not ready to be on the radio just yet. Why drop the cash for radio time if you coud be spending it in other places. *cough* marketing *cough*

The thing that erks me is that the Wizards act like they are a cash strapped D3 side in England. Which we all know that they are not.

 

so with the increase in ticket sales/revenue the last few years, are they saving up to make some new horrible tv commercials?

 

Internet

I usually have to be out of town for a few games each year and it looks like it will be more than usual this year. Asheville, NC does not have bars that get KCW games. I would be delighted if I could get even audio games on internet. Last year daughter called from a game to let me know what was happening. Frustrating
Deanna