RE: Opportunity missed for Sox

["Paul Hopfgarten" <hopfgapr@sprynet.com>]

Remember that just a couple of years ago (maybe even last year?) that WTSN
(1270) Dover NH carried the NY Yankees, and in the 1980's, WSAR (1480) Fall
River MA carried the NY Yankees....

My understanding of radio is that as long as the station is over 50 miles
from a stadium of a competing MLB team (with the obvious NY, Chi, Bay area
and LA metro execptions)
Now, additionally NYC-Phil, are less than 100 mi apart, and Chi-Milw, also
less than 100 mi apart, I believe Balt-Phil asr just OVER 100 mi apart, my
guess is in these cases, it's 'split the difference'

-Paul Hopfgarten
-Derry NH

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
> [mailto:owner-boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org]On Behalf Of Howard
> Glazer
> Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2002 4:36 PM
> To: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
> Subject: Opportunity missed for Sox
>
>
> Found this curious item on the Wilmington (N.C.) Morning Star website.
> The city just lost its Single-A team, the Waves, to Albany, Ga., so the
> station that carried the games is bringing in the Yankees. But not
> before talking to the Sox:
>
> ====
> STATION GOES WITH YANKS
> After the Wilmington Waves moved to Albany, Ga., WMFD-AM 630 ESPN radio,
> decided to carry a minimum of 140 New York Yankees' broadcasts this
> season.
> Why the Yankees?
> According to station programming director Jim Clark, he made a number of
> inquires to teams, including the Braves, Yankees, Boston Red Sox and New
> York Mets.
> "We thought it was best to go with the Yankees,'' Clark said. "They gave
> us the best deal. We also got a lot of community support to do it and we
> are not going to lose money on this deal.''
> Without going into details, Clark indicated the station would break
> even. The station, he acknowledged, lost money on the Waves' broadcasts
> last year.
> =====
>
> Now, in the same column, the writer, Chuck Carree, mentions that the
> area's Fox Sports Net operation will not be carrying a small package of
> Braves games this year, as baseball has determined eastern North
> Carolina to be Orioles territory, so they'll see 80 O's games.
>
> I'm confused. Baseball has strict territorial regulations for TV, but
> radio stations can cherry-pick deals with teams hundreds of miles away?
> Why wasn't this station forced to carry Orioles games or nothing? What
> if there's already an Orioles' affiliate in the market?  And if a
> station in North Carolina feels it can do no worse than "break even"
> with the Yankees, what's to prevent the Yanks from going out and
> peddling their star-studded product to stations everywhere?
>
> Oh, and why would the station have been interested in Red Sox games? The
> Trot Nixon connection?
>
> Howard
>
>