Re: The Celtics play the Zone(Re: Sox games bump Celts to 'RKO)

[Sptseditor@aol.com]

In a message dated Thu, 5 Apr 2001  5:55:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Mark Shneyder <bostonradio@yahoo.com> writes:

<< It was made official just a couple hours ago. Chris Brennan's(Sporting
News Radio's CEO) press release states that the C's will be on AM 1510
starting next season. It's a 5-year deal. No terms are mentioned. >>

I think this is a bad move for the Celtics, given that 1510 has a hard time reaching the North Shore and parts of MetroWest, both areas with large Celtic followings. Given the geographics involved (the Garden/Fleet was/is easily accessible to the Tobin and the tunnels), many Celtics' fans come from the North Shore to catch games. (At least those who aren't the men in suits.) The Celtics do not have a large fan base from the inner city or the South Shore. And, from memory, isn't 1510's MetroWest signal somewhat undesirable as well? 

The network is going to need an affiliate to serve Lynn, Swampscott, and Marblehead (WESX would be perfect, but would they sign on?). Many "money" people live in Swampscott and Lynn, and to have the games on a network which can't reach this demo is silly. A MetroWest affiliate would be good, too; in the past, when 590 had the C's, WKOX was the affiliate of choice. (In recent years, WSRO had picked up Sox games don't know if they still do.) I would think this is the perfect opportunity for 1510 and 96.9 to join forces; let WTKK simulcast night games so people in other parts of the market who can't hear 1510 can hear the Celtics. 

About 10 years ago, Harvey Araton and Filip Bondy authored "Selling of the Green," a critical book about the Celtics' management at the time. If they thought things were bad when Auerbach was running the show, they should just take a look at things now. It seems like the current franchise management is content with doing things minor-league at the moment after getting burned by the Pitino fiasco. Putting yourself on a station with bad signal problems is dumb from a marketing standpoint and from the perspective of building your fan base. I think everyone has heard the stories of how the Sox regretted being put on WMEX/WITS years ago and how WWEL-FM ended up simulcasting the games when John Harrington couldn't receive 1510 at his home in Westwood.

Aside from the New York Islanders on 620 in Newark (who are pretty much a minor-league franchise themselves nowadays with the way they have been run), this is the only major-league sports property on a Sporting News-owned station. Hopefully they'll be willing to keep Howard David as the play-by-play voice.

Sorry for the long rant...