Redlegs (07-06-2013)
There is a difference between WLW and the Reds official team broadcasters. The guys on the radio are paid by the Reds, not WLW. The media is a completely different thing. If you are employed by the Reds, you shouldn't be ripping the product.
The media in NYC/Philly means nothing. How do the official team paid announcers talk about the players for the Yankees, Mets and Phillies?
I would guess it is not even close. They never release the contract details but I would assume the Reds make a substantial amount that dwarfs any marketing dings they take from having WLW as the flagship station. In the grand scheme of things, what negativity WLW brings towards the Reds a blip on the radar.
I would also assume the same is the situation in regards to Marty. The rate and volume that the Reds are able to charge and sell with Marty as the voice of the team outweighs his negativity for now. They would likely do close to as well without Marty when the team is winning, but even during the Lost Decade the Reds on Radio sold most (if not all) of the ads available before Spring Training started. Is that all because of Marty? I couldn't give an educated guess on that but I doubt the team would take the risk to find out. It would be foolish, really. Like anything else, if management thinks that has changed, then they'll address the problem. Realistically, the number of Reds fans that view Marty as a problem is pretty small compared to those who still view him as a legend.
I wasn't talking about team employees. I was talking about WLW employees and other media, which is why I specifically said "WLW" and "media." The thread title includes "media."
1. The original link you posted mentioned Paul Daugherty by name. He would be considered a Reds cheerleader if compared to the real sharks in places where media really is hateful and confrontational.
2. There has been much complaining about the way the host of WLW's postgame show handled the broadcast the night of the no-hitter and promos that ran on the station the next day. Bill Cunningham, Eddie and Tracy, etc., have received much more criticism on here the last few days than Marty himself. In fact, I haven't seen many kind words at all about WLW, which is why I posted the NYC/Philly comment.
3. If you want to steer the conversation toward team broadcasters, fine. Marty (and to a lesser extent, Joe and Cowboy and Creeper and Thom and most of the other cast of thousands not named George Grande) have been "ripping the product" for all of the 41 years I've been listening.
EDITED to add: I'd much rather listen to occasional criticism of the team, even if it is misguided and unwarranted, than to hear Jim Day and Jeff Piecoro slurp the players 24/7. (And I have actually known Pic since he was in college at UK and like him. And guess what? He is often very critical of Kentucky football on-air in his role as radio analyst for the team's official broadcasts.)
Last edited by Norm Chortleton; 07-05-2013 at 08:17 PM.
RiverRat13 (07-05-2013)
The Reds should just hire one of their own lackeys like the Bengals.
I wonder how much longer that will be. I think eventually the government and the FCC will do to radio what they did with TV and force a transition to digital signals. The AM/FM sprectrum has a lot of wasted bandwidth because you can't give radio stationsin the same area frequencies to close to each other without causing interference. Not only can you pack more info in less bandwidth with a digital signal, but the signals can be sent out using repeaters on existing cell towers, which, I believe, is what satellite radio does to provide reception in areas where a clear line of site between satellite and radio is difficult to impossible. The days of needing a 50, 000 watt transmitter to reach the masses are coming to a close. There could be a day in the not too distant future where you can get Pandora and MLB Audio directly over your car radio, without the need for a WLW to carry the signal.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
The air waves are getting crowded. I'm 2 hours away and WLW used to come in as clear as if it was in the next room. Now I really can't listen to it due to all the static and interference. I went to XM and the internet so that I could listen to the Reds. If the big selling point is the nationwide coverage, I've got news for them. I can hardly get it 100 miles away.
When I do get it, I kind of wish I'd passed on it.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
I wonder what % of non television watching Reds fans listen to games on radio compared to other sources, i.e. smart phons, internet, etc.
I'm guessing 90% are listening to the flagship or an affiliate station. Maybe higher.
In Greater Cincy, it's probably 99.9%.
Last edited by Redlegs; 07-06-2013 at 06:10 PM.
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
See, I think the 50000 watt thing works against them. Places close to cincy just don't carry the game because traditionally, everybody within 150 miles could just listen on WLW. Now with all the intereference in the air, places like Southern Central Indiana can't get a clear signal anymore. With no local alternatives, it's the internet or nothing. Those borderline cities end up broadcasting Cubs, Cards, Braves instead because they figure Reds fans will just listen to WLW. I'm sure the Reds have it figured out how to maximize the revenue from local broadcasts, but I don't think going to a lower power station would be the death sentance everyone assumes. I'd guess there would be more affiliates entering the network to fill the void. Not sure how that would translate dollarwise, but IMO, the Reds could probably insist on a little more class from the flagship station without it being suicide IMO.
Last edited by mth123; 07-06-2013 at 06:26 PM.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
Barry On Baseball Also blogging at Banished to the Pen.
Even if it's 99.9% in Greater Cincinnati, I think the actual number of listeners is getting smaller. Most people I know now have multiple tvs in their house with cable/satellite available on all tvs. They no longer have the radio on in the garage because they have a tv there now. Radio is becoming more of a thing you listen to while driving and that's it. The younger generations are flocking to internet and wifi and those are the people advertisers want. I suspect most of the regular WLW listeners are getting older and older.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
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