So, Cumulus; in its best illustration of dubious business action, has allowed for its SF radio properties, (all of them, AM and FM), to broadcast the 49ers--NY Giants NFC Championship game on Sunday.
“This is the biggest 49ers game in 10 years, and to ensure that the broadcast will be heard by as many fans as possible, the Cumulus program directors got together and decided to air the game on all of our Bay Area stations,” KNBR’s operations director Lee Hammer said in a statement.
Sounds great in theory until you examine the idea that the notion of broadcasting the big game on all its outlets, in essence, marginalizes the event, (at least if you're listening on radio), and thus, reduces the exclusivity factor that KNBR central, (the 680 AM property), previously enjoyed.
Sure, it's only one game. And a huge PR mega-event at that that is sure to be front and center on the entire Bay Area media/social radar. Nothing else matters come 3: 30 PM PST Sunday.
But the irony is there: KNBR 680 has spent a ton of coin --in newspaper print, on-line, and billboards as the "Official Radio Home of the SF 49ers." Yeah, Cumulus, we get that, even though they really aren't. Certainly not on Sunday, merely just head of the family having the kids over for a big nighttime feast.
That's when owning multiple stations, (KNBR, KNBR 1050, KGO, KSFO, KFOG, 107.7THE BONE) can bite you in the ass. Unless, of course, your the 49ers PR dept.
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Its also cheap broadcasting. One feed 6 station, 6 times the commercial revenue
ReplyDeleteIt actually is not cheaper - it costs more. Air talent still gets paid and you have to bring in board operators and engineers to handle stations that are normally automated
ReplyDeleteI have no clue why this is supposedly a "dubious business action" considering that the vast majority of the radio audience will be listening to the game.
ReplyDeleteKGO will still be doing live news, traffic and weather updates during the game.
I guarantee you that the Cumulus "program directors" did not get together and decide that this was best. This had to be a call outta the corner office with the best view as well as some handshake between Niners' marketing and Cumulus sales. Would be curious to see how many more tickets the Cumulitus stations received over 95.7 for this game. Or how many of the Cumulitus suits are sitting in a team suite at Candlestick day of game.
ReplyDelete@anonymous 10:19pm - it's the same or even cheaper when you throw in how cheap a board operator would be vs some wkd on air-part-timer. no need for extra engineering when it's all in the same building.
What's with the color changes on this site? Black background with white lettering and everything else grayed out. Or is it just my computer? DON'T LIKE IT!!
ReplyDeleteWho cares
ReplyDeleteRich-- The grey contrast color is difficult to read. I do like the black and white however.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about the people who don't really give a shit about football. They have a few less options........not that Cumulus has great options!
ReplyDeleteAnother person here who doesn't care about football. Guess I'll have to listen to the Saturday Special podcast from KSCO!
ReplyDeleteAgree. This is an over saturation of a product.
DeleteDoesn't this water down KNBR 680's ratings for the game considerably? Of course most people will be watching on TV. But what radio audience there is will be split 6 ways. Wonder what 95.7 The Game will carry?
ReplyDeleteIf you want to listen to the game, is it really that hard to find 680 on the dial? Is it possible some people might actually miss the broadcast if it's ONLY ON ONE STATION??!
ReplyDeleteIts going to ruin KNBR's ratings since anybody watching on TV knows that a FM stations signal is delayed much like cable TV's. The radio call on the FM side wont be three seconds ahead of game action like KNBR...where the play is called long before you see it on "live" TV.
ReplyDeleteOn another level-this could be a message from big business to the critics of "we do what we want".."we own all".
KNBR 680 has such a strong signal that it can be heard almost throughout the entire state. So putting it on all the channels in the same market still just reaches the same audience. Seems kind of stupid to me. I thought KGO was trying to build up their audience for their we*a*k-end talk format. Why not leave that alone for those who want to hear Karel and others???? If you're interested in football, you know where to find it on the radio, especially a big game like this is supposed to be. And if you don't like football, it's unlikely you'll listen just because it's on a station you usually listen to for other programming. It's not hard to turn a radio dial.
ReplyDeleteAs a Raider fan i will not be watching or listening anyway!
ReplyDeleteWho's brainiac idea was this? The FCC needs to change the laws (yeah, like that's going to happen) regarding multiple station ownership in a market. This is insane. Certainly advertisers are getting bonused for having their spots on other stations. Can't imagine KNBR asking them to pay more... And to paraphrase 9:09 a.m. from Jan. 21, yet another example of people/big business flexing their muscles in a "we do what we want" and "we own all" attitude.
ReplyDeletefor a supposed "media" blog there's isn't much media knowledge being shown here.
ReplyDeletethis was a dick whipping showing by cumulus. look how big our dick is.
it's a shot heard by EVERY sports franchise in the market. its says, team with us, do well, and we can put YOUR team on 6 stations too.
if the niners make the super bowl it will happen again.
if the giants make post season again this will happen again.
the raiders are now looking at cumulus with a bit more seriousness now. ksfo is raider nation.
the As are wishing they weren't tied to the game for 4 years. kgo is perfect, korach is in his 80s, isn't he?
lew dickey is on record as saying he wants ALL market sports play by play on HIS stations.
this was a hype and buzz event to start conversations BEHIND closed doors.
don't be surprised if cumulus corners the play by play market because it can and WILL pull off these kinds of stunts.
Good idea. As long as we do not hear another peep from
ReplyDeleteGary (call me Mr Soul) Radnich or
Ronn (the hippest middle-aged talk show host in America)Owens. or
Jared (don't you cross me) "The Producer".
What happens to all their listener's if the niner's fall on their rear ends and fall way behind and it's a total blow out for New York? I can see it now the niner's losing on 6 radio group stations in the same market (not to mention the TV audience) at the same time. Where do all the radio listener's go when that happens? Ouch! Don't think it can't happen!
ReplyDeleteSeriously,I really hope this team loses. Enough already. It looks like tv anchors are jerkin it under the desk when they talk about the 49ers, especially Ibanez.
ReplyDeleteto me, this is pretty much evidence that the conglomerates dont give shit one about the ratings and media conglomerates owning multiple stations removes the need for competition and innovation
ReplyDeletedone and done
and yet, despite this fact...congress has done nothing to repeal the 96 act that allowed it to happen...but they are falling over themselves to give more power to corporations to control that last vestige of freedom...the internets
a pox on both houses
Couldn't agree with you more. I've been saying all along that we're going through a second 'Gilded Age,' much like the one of the second half of the 19th century when the Vanderbilts, JP Morgans, and Jay Goulds ran this country.
ReplyDeleteThis latest mess started in 1980 when Americans rejected Jimmy Carter's call to use fewer resources, lower our thermostats to save energy, and not take covet greed and avarice because that kind of thinking makes for an unsustainable way of life.
But Americans didn't want to hear that message. They elected instead, Ronald Reagan, who's secretary of Interior (James Watt) did everything he could to try and gut the environmental laws that had been brokered by both parties to keep this country out of trouble.
Reagan's attitude of "Buy as much crap as you want," soon spread from venal Wall Street to naive Main street, and soon we were awash in a bubble of false prosperity.
Now the bill has finally come and Americans are aghast at the mistakes they were foolish enough to embrace: Trusting corporations who took jobs and their money offshore, and supporting big box companies who put local stores out of business by selling old cheap quality materials made in countries.
And then we have the gall to complain about illegal immigrants!? How quickly we forget that the same hue and cry in this country followed when the Chinese and poor people from other countries flooded into the US from the 1870s through the 1920s to gain economic opportunities.
Why don't Americans blame the companies that hire cheap labor, and not employ Americans, instead of demonizing some poor slobs who are only doing what any of us would do; trying to feed their poor families who live under the yokes of oligarchs that we support, in third world countries?
And this mess in the middle east and all of our 'enemies of freedom.?' Who's responsible for that? The CIA helped to usurp a democratically elected government in Iran in the mid 1950s, leading the the suppressions of the Shah, leading to the religious fanatics who kicked him out and turned against us. And in Iraq? As bad as Saddam was, at least hundreds of people weren't being killed every other day in suicide attacks and gang reprisals.
We certainly know how to make a mess out of things...but that's the way I guess, or all 'Great Empires,' such as the US of A!