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WLS Lose the Sox and Bulls

D

Dr Wayne

Leading Participant
Due to financial reasons, The parent company of WLS 890 has dropped both the White Sox and Bulls broadcasts.

Any thoughts to which station will pick up the teams broadcast?
 
Dr Wayne said:
Due to financial reasons, The parent company of WLS 890 has dropped both the White Sox and Bulls broadcasts.

Any thoughts to which station will pick up the teams broadcast?
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WBBM, although would Entercom want another team? They already have the Cubs and Bears. WGN is another possibility, but aren't they looking at new ownership soon? Plus, they have Blackhawks conflicts. Back to ESPN 1000? WIND? Not many secular, English-language Ancient Modulation stations left that cover the entire metro.
 
When you look at the ratings those two teams got at WLS, the question one needs to ask is who wants to lose money?

I think we're beginning to see the end of broadcasters paying crazy fees for sports teams that don't deliver.
 
So if the contracts are being dropped, does this mean that the Bulls currently have no radio outlet during the season?
 
The Bulls have till the end of the month to find a new radio home. That is provided the judge grants Cumulus the contract nullification, and the team doesn't put up a fight :)
 
TheBigA said:
When you look at the ratings those two teams got at WLS, the question one needs to ask is who wants to lose money?

I think we're beginning to see the end of broadcasters paying crazy fees for sports teams that don't deliver.
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Not long ago, the New York Islanders had to settle for having their games on a college station. No takers on commercial AM or FM for an afterthought team in a sports-saturated market. Might this happen to the Bulls or White Sox -- especially the Bulls, who will have to find a radio partner at very short notice in the middle of the season? I know of minor league teams forced to go to an HD2 or internet only, but I don't suppose that could happen on the big league level, even if the unfortunate club has to buy its way onto some leased-time AM signal. (Come to think of it, all major pro teams' streaming rights belong to the leagues, not the individual clubs, so scratch that option.)
 
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CTListener said:
Might this happen to the Bulls or White Sox -- especially the Bulls, who will have to find a radio partner at very short notice in the middle of the season?
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Or might The Bulls renegotiate the contract in a way that's more acceptable to Cumulus and the judge?

Just because Cumulus canceled an existing contract (because they can) doesn't necessarily mean they wouldn't reconsider under better conditions. Although it might have to be approved by the judge.
 
TheBigA said:
Or might The Bulls renegotiate the contract in a way that's more acceptable to Cumulus and the judge?

Just because Cumulus canceled an existing contract (because they can) doesn't necessarily mean they wouldn't reconsider under better conditions. Although it might have to be approved by the judge.
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I thought dropping a contract would require the judge's approval, although I doubt that it'd be a problem in this case.
 
I was so happy when my Cardinals went back on KMOX after spending a few seasons on 550, just didn’t seem right not being on 1120.

In a perfect world, the Cubs would always be on WGN and the Sox would always be on 670.
 
I recall listening to WGN when they ended their last Cubs broadcast and how negative they were about the team and how happy they all were not to be associated with the Cubs. That is when I lost all respect for WGN. The once power house of AM radio is now just like a car running out of gas; Soon AM will be gone and shortly there after FM radio. When I think of Cubs I still thing WGN radio and TV because that's what we grew up watching and listening to. It will be interesting as to who will pick up the Sox and Bulls. I never felt WLS was a good fit. Just my opinion
 
Cubs deal got Ziimerman canned, Same with Bears and Pohlman.

A clear sign major league sports bubble is bursting can be looked no further than then CBS and Rod Zimmerman. He nearly gave away the store going after the Cubs and was bounced not long thereafter. WGN under Decastro wisely bowed out of the bidding despite being on the brink of history. WCSR barely broke even the past couple years looking at broken out Cubs revenue.

The same can be said for Pohlman who was shown the door after doing a Bear's extension and opening up the airwaves across the group for more team programming and getting less in return. Never mind the game broadcasts are one drop-in read after another outside the typical 20 or so 90 second breaks each game. Now that Jimmy is in charge at Entercom-Chicago, expect much tougher terms when the Cubs and Bears deals come up for renewal.

And I don't think the Bulls or Sox will air on a tier 1 station this season. Maybe WCPT, WIND, or WYLL can pick up the Bulls on short notice. But that's way outside their collective formats and operational swing zones. And neither has staff to sell the games either.

The bubble is bursting..mark my words...

RR
 
Rex Radio said:
And I don't think the Bulls or Sox will air on a tier 1 station this season.
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You may be right. Which might motivate the teams (especially the Bulls) to work out an interim deal to keep them on WLS. As reported in the Tribune, Randy Michaels has come up with an agreement that will keep WKQX and WLUP in the Cumulus building, using their resources, until he can find a buyer for the stations. I suspect the teams could do the same if they can't find a willing bidder that's acceptable.
 
The way Cumulus's earnings conference calls with Mary Berner and Friends have sounded, they had non-profitable sports agreements in markets across the company, and also at Westwood One. I wonder if this is just the first to be raised with the bankruptcy judge and perhaps more will come.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
I wonder if this is just the first to be raised with the bankruptcy judge and perhaps more will come.
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The way this works, they have to put all of the contracts they want canceled out at the same time. That's what they did here. They want to get through this thing quickly, maybe in six months. So they can't bring up more contracts every few weeks. Clearly the Bulls and Sox were BIG losers, as was the deal they had with the Buffalo Bills.
 
AM 1000 makes the most sense, IMO. As an all-sports station, seems logical.
I somewhat agree with the earlier poster who said in a perfect world, the Cubs would be on WGN and the Sox would be on 670. As a Cubs fan, I love 670 carrying the games. They do a great job. For the year they were on WBBM, it seemed like the station was constantly apologizing during games for not carrying the news and then telling listeners where they could find the news instead.
 
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