RE: Patriots 10 year contract extension with WBCN

["Aaron [Bishop] Read" <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 06:05 PM 12/9/2002, Sean Smyth wrote:
>elipolo@earthlink.net said:
> > Over the past few years I've been at WBUR, they've been known to farm
> > BU  sports broadcasts out over a number of AM stations in a small
> > "network"  of sorts.
> >
> > This has included, among others, WROL, WRCA, WCRN (Worcester), WPLM-AM
> > (Plymouth), and if I remember correctly, there may have been BU games
> > on WJIB, WSRO, and other small AM's in outlying areas of metro Boston.
>
>Until the last year or two of the football program, WBUR-FM was indeed the
>flagship station for BU football, with Doug Brown (now at ESPN Radio) and
>Bernie Corbett doing the games. The Terriers were on 1510 for a spell
>before the plug was pulled.

You sure about that?  They weren't on WBUR when I came to BU in 1994, and I 
was told they hadn't been on WBUR for some time prior to that.  The 
football team was killed off after the 1996-97 season (my junior 
year).   When I started at WBUR in 1996 all BU sports coverage had been 
moved to other stations.

>I would think WBUR would have endorsed sports coverage, particularly
>football (least disruptive formatically) as a way of raking in $$$ from
>your normally-doesn't-listen-to-WBUR listener.

BU football's following...especially after the 1994 season (last time they 
made it to the playoffs) was pretty weak.  They were lucky to get 1000 
people in the stands at Nickerson Field.   HOCKEY, on the other hand, is 
usually well attended and quite popular.  But to answer your question, I 
believe it's a combination of factors:

1: WBUR and BU aren't exactly friendly with each other.  More like they 
tolerate each other because they have to.  BU holds the license, WBUR has 
the prestige.

2: Jane has been running WBUR like a regional/national programming 
source...i.e a "mini NPR"...for many years now.  Local sports coverage does 
not fit into that broadcast model.  Besides, ever since 1992 (or was it 
94?) they've had "Only a Game" for all the sports they want.

3a: BU sports has a limited appeal to a great deal of potential listeners 
in WBUR's broadcast range.  For example, I wouldn't think there's a huge 
demand for BU sports coverage in, say, Methuen.  :-)

3b: BU itself is not exactly popular with their surrounding communities.  I 
know most communities have a love/hate (at best) relationship with their 
local colleges...but BU seems to excel at really pissing off the 
surrounding towns (Boston, Brookline, Cambridge).   WBUR is well aware of 
this and has worked hard to strategically minimize the association between 
"WBUR" and "BU"...so that only the public-radio-listener-friendly 
activities at BU, notably their arts programs (Huntington Theatre, etc) are 
really noticed by WBUR.

4: WBUR is exclusively focused on catering to their target 
demographic.  Every single minute of programming is devoted to that 
goal.  Sports coverage does not target their demographic.   In addition, 
their standard underwriters would probably not want to underwrite sports 
coverage, and WBUR goes to great lengths to cultivate long-term 
relationships with their underwriters (notice that WBUR has a large, core 
group of underwriters that never go away?).



>College sports has had a hard time finding consistent homes in the
>marketplace...the longest-running partnership has to be WEEI/BC hoops and
>football, as well as WJIB/Northeastern football and basketball/hockey. The
>fact that Harvard football (a program with a bunch of tradition and alumni
>support) can't even find its way onto a commercial AM around here (save
>830) for any length of time should speak for itself.

IIRC, Harvard has been trying to get WHRB to do more sports coverage for 
years and has been stymied by the fact that Harvard does not hold the 
actual FCC license.  But I have noticed the station recently acquired an 
ISDN line and is using it for sports coverage (I think in recent years they 
have increase sports coverage at least somewhat).  If WHRB is covering 
it...why would they need an AM outlet?  WHRB probably has better reach!  :-)

I believe another one of the longest-running partnership is WTBU and BU 
hockey....WTBU is technically a commercial station, even if they are part 
15 AM.  WTBU has been covering BU sports since its inception in 1960-61.


____________________________________________
Aaron "Bishop" Read     aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Technical Consulting / Boston, MA
www.friedbagels.com   AOL-IM: ReadAaron