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Could the Atlanta Braves get on a better affiliate in the Tri-Cities in 2022?

P

Pratte4Life

A few years ago, WXSM decided they couldn't sell the Atlanta Braves despite the fact WXSM and WJCW had been affiliates since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966.

They were picked up in 2016-17 by WEMB, who decided they couldn't sell them, either.

This season the Braves were on WETB AM 790. I didn't listen to every game but I can tell you what I heard at the start of the season featured very little advertising.

Still, with the Braves World Champs, do you think one of the sports stations will pick them up in the Tri-Cities? Or are the radio salesmen in the Tri-Cities so stuck in their ways that they can't add to their old accounts and sell the local World Championship baseball team?
 
A lot of it has to do with the cost for the rights to have the Braves broadcast. Years ago when they weren't that good it was on barter. Now they are charging, quite a bit from what I have heard, and most smaller owned station can't afford to air the games especially if they are unable to sell ads for it.
 
I just can't imagine the Braves would be on WETB- AM 790- if there is a hefty cost for the rights.

I think that station was sold for $95,000. I didn't listen that much but when I did I don't remember hearing a tremendous amount of local ads.

To their credit- the station did broadcast the World Series. And it's not a sports radio station.
 
Wasn't somebody in the Tri-Cities still carrying the Cincinnati Reds a few years back? I don't know all that much about the Tri-Cities' sports loyalties but here in Knoxville it seems to be a hodge-podge. I know people who went to one of the World Series games and sometimes go during the season, but this market has struggled to keep a Braves radio affiliate. We have a AA Cubs affiliate which is very popular and will be moving from Sevier County to a new downtown Knoxville stadium in a couple of years, and that can tilt loyalties toward the Cubs.
 
Less than you think about tilting loyalties. If people are rooting for the Cubs in Kodak, it's either because they watched them on WGN for a long time or they're from Chicago. Knoxville wasn't a Toronto Blue Jays town when the K-Jays were here.

Actually, it was WPWT that carried the Reds, which is in the same Appalachian Radio Group that carried the Braves this year.

The Tri-Cities are probably a bit more Braves than Reds- though both have strong followings.
 
Pratte4Life said:
Still, with the Braves World Champs, do you think one of the sports stations will pick them up in the Tri-Cities? Or are the radio salesmen in the Tri-Cities so stuck in their ways that they can't add to their old accounts and sell the local World Championship baseball team?
Click to expand...
The Braves winning the commissioner's trophy has very little impact on the broadcasters. There is very little reason to expend effort selling baseball, or any other sport, because the revenue potential is low.

Imagine the local station gets 6 minutes of ad time per hour. Essentially all sports are played in off-prime hours, when a most stations have a much lower rate. One station I worked with tried to sell plans that were $200 a month for 3x 30 second spots every game. If you work out the math, that's about $2 per spot.

If the sales staff can focus on selling spots during the day, or on a stronger station in the cluster, for a much higher rate, that's an easy choice for the sales manager every day.
 
730 WLIL in Lenoir City dropped the Braves this season.... They had been carrying them for as long as I can remember.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
The Braves winning the commissioner's trophy has very little impact on the broadcasters. There is very little reason to expend effort selling baseball, or any other sport, because the revenue potential is low.

Imagine the local station gets 6 minutes of ad time per hour. Essentially all sports are played in off-prime hours, when a most stations have a much lower rate. One station I worked with tried to sell plans that were $200 a month for 3x 30 second spots every game. If you work out the math, that's about $2 per spot.

If the sales staff can focus on selling spots during the day, or on a stronger station in the cluster, for a much higher rate, that's an easy choice for the sales manager every day.
Click to expand...
Forgive me taking so long to reply, but what I'm getting is you are suggesting that a sports radio station sell personality (hosts) instead of play-by-play.

More power to the talent. I like that!
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
How are 3 lpfm's in the same city with different licensee names and a commercial AM all related? Because they clearly are.
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My thoughts exactly. The LPFM's are under different entities but run by the same person. According to FCC rules you can't have commercial radio ties and operate LPFM's. Also running commercials on LPFM's is suppose to be illegal.

I guess anything is legal if you don't get caught.
 
knoxbob said:
My thoughts exactly. The LPFM's are under different entities but run by the same person. According to FCC rules you can't have commercial radio ties and operate LPFM's. Also running commercials on LPFM's is suppose to be illegal.

I guess anything is legal if you don't get caught.
Click to expand...

I THINK....One of the guys who works/worked at WJSQ 101.7/WLAR 1450 was the guy behind one of these LPFM.. i think the original is WLNT, i just dont remember the guys name.

I dont think WLOD is owned by that LPFM guy who al;so worked at WJSQ/WLAR

It looks like the guy who is actually the head of WLNT also did some paperwork/engineering for an LPFM in Athens owned by a chruch.

And looking on radio locator i cant actualyl find the 104.1 and 97.1 listed on the website
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
I THINK....One of the guys who works/worked at WJSQ 101.7/WLAR 1450 was the guy behind one of these LPFM.. i think the original is WLNT, i just dont remember the guys name.

I dont think WLOD is owned by that LPFM guy who al;so worked at WJSQ/WLAR

It looks like the guy who is actually the head of WLNT also did some paperwork/engineering for an LPFM in Athens owned by a chruch.

And looking on radio locator i cant actualyl find the 104.1 and 97.1 listed on the website
Click to expand...


Hmm another good one:

** Game on 5/3 with Midway is on election day. WLNT/WLOD will broadcast election coverage, 97.1-FM will broadcast Redskins.
 
WLOD switching to oldies doesn’t make much sense considering they are right in the primary coverage area of the Horne oldies stations, WMTY and WFIV.
 
knoxbob said:
My thoughts exactly. The LPFM's are under different entities but run by the same person. According to FCC rules you can't have commercial radio ties and operate LPFM's. Also running commercials on LPFM's is suppose to be illegal.

I guess anything is legal if you don't get caught.
Click to expand...

Turns out the guy is still working at WJSQ/WLAR is Richard Chip Lynn., hes the head of WKNT. His dad owns WLOD .. and people he knows most hold the licenses to the other LPFMS through their non profits
 
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