You can take it to the bank: KIRO has won back the Mariners' play-by-play broadcast contract they lost to KOMO in 2002.
And they picked it up for less than half the $10 million that KOMO paid.
The poorly kept secret has batting around radio-town, but Bonneville International is expected to make the official announcement in a few weeks.
The contract will begin with the '09 season.
It's a major shift in Seattle radio and its tremors will reverberate down the dial. Speculations are rife; here are the most circumspectatious:
710
KIRO-AM will go all sports according to the predominate wisdom. The
news and talk shows will move to the FM frequency currently occupied by
oldies KBSG (B97.3). (The company has done this in several other
markets, notably Phoenix where news talk on KTAR-AM moved to KTAR-FM;
and the AM went to sports).
Word is we'll see changes in KOMOAM sooner than later.
They'll have to add talk shows to try
to increase the time spent listening, says our guy. "This is not a far-fetched idea.
They originally put The Commentators on KOMO to fix this very
problem.
"They're in more of a desperate situation now," he says. "I think you'll see KOMO wither away."
The Mariners -- when they're playing well -- bring a fair number of unique listeners (cume) so once the Mariners go, so will a good portion of their cume. (Entercom, after they lost baseball claimed their cume loss was about more than just the Mariners. Six years of ratings show otherwise).
A source says: "KOMO will have to compete on its news product alone, which doesn't exactly deliver great numbers. If you want a traffic report, you know exactly when to tune in. You don't have to wait through the sports ticker or a boring health feature. KOMO's news product has an okay cume, but people don't listen for very long -- the station is programmed so they don't have to. Once the Mariners cume goes away, that becomes a bigger problem."
Most agree that the new sports format won't benefit directly from baseball because it's essentially a brand new radio station. However, the new FM talker (B97.3) is likely to win a younger audience and will undoubtedly win some of KOMO's audience by default.
The new 710KIRO will probably come close to equalling KOMO's ratings and could potentially do a little better if ever the Mariners get out of the basement.
We haven't heard anything about low-power conservative talker, KTTH.
Stay tuned for more inside baseball and crazy speculations as this develops.
Sometimes team spirit takes over common sense. A few rah-rahs and our sense of priorities go down the drain.
Posted by: joanie | July 03, 2008 at 01:54 PM
What I'd like to know, just as a point of curiosity -- when X says Seattle keeps the Sonics name, does Seattle keep it or does Bennett just not take it?
Say I wanted to manufacture a paper fan or soup branded with the logo of the former Sonics. Would I pay a licensing fee to the City of Seattle, to the NBA, to Clay Bennett or could I just use the former Sonics logo for free?
Can someone please answer me on this blog-forum?
Posted by: Gay Gary | July 03, 2008 at 02:36 PM
Kind of sad about this. The KOMO signal is much stronger than the KIRO signal everywhere I go. I like Lisa Brooks and Eric Slocum as the best afternoon hosts in Seattle, and they were always a good lead-in to the pregame show.
Posted by: naviomelo | July 03, 2008 at 04:55 PM
I don't know how this will all play out. But 97.3 going to a sports format will mean one of two scenarios: 1) It will KILL every AM sports station from KJR-AM to KRKO (and with KRKO going 50,000 watts, Skotdal and company are probably thinking "Uh-oh...") or 2) 97.3 will sink faster than you can spit out the letters "K-I-R-O-F-M"
FM Talk (of any kind) is a nice concept, but a waste of precious bandwith that is better spent spinning the latest from Sara Barielles ad nauseum. Or not. These days, I just don't know.
But if the scenario of KIRO moving all their programming to FM comes to pass, I can sum it up in one word: DISASTER. Do these people even know what Seattle FM stations sound like in, say, BELLINGHAM?
At least 710 kHz is rock solid up there.
If this is the plan, then I think Bonneville Seattle's BOD needs to take a deep breath, count to ten, regroup and seriously think that over. I don't think Bonneville wants to make the same ham handed errors Entercom made with KIRO. Otherwise, they're going to end up with another KQBZ (and only BJ Shea truly survived THAT somewhat intact. His style can work with younger FM audiences that can't afford Sirius, Dave Ross and company may not.)
Posted by: The Devil You Know | July 03, 2008 at 05:05 PM
...and finally:
"You can take it to the bank: KIRO has won back the Mariners' play-by-play broadcast contract they lost to KOMO in 2002.
And they picked it up for less than half the $10 million that KOMO paid...."
Where the hell is this bank and how can I cash it? With these damn gas prices these days, I can use a little help here...
Cheers!
Posted by: The Devil You Know | July 03, 2008 at 05:20 PM
Actually, KIRO is not rock solid in Bellingham. At night, it is very hard to get. KOMO is much stronger.
Oddly, KPTK comes in pretty good in the evening if my radio is in the right place.
Posted by: joanie | July 03, 2008 at 10:20 PM
Joanie, does this look familiar. Thirteen and perky.
chucks: She is still a bitch.
chucks: I have been arround strong women my entire life. Crap, my mother was a math professor and my wife is an actuary with an iq over 160.
chucks: Pelosi is too far to the right for me,
Do you have a clue, chucks?
No wonder you hate women. For you, the right woman is thirteen and "perky."
You are so forgettable chucks.
tj . . . over at hoursesass, pope was telling everybody to drop by and vote for Goldstein. Just like a republican to try to muck up the works.
Obama can handle it Sparky and Rick. I've changed my mind . . . anybody who has beat the odds the way Obama has shouldn't be sold short . . . My money is on him right now.
Posted by: joanie | January 26, 2007 at 09:37 PM
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Just because he wants his women to look like children doesn't mean he is a child molester.
You made that connection, not me.
Shame on you.
Posted by: joanie | July 03, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Uh-oh, Steven. You forgot to turn off the italics. Must have been your zeal in getting to the child molester thing.
BTW, how old was Jerry Lee Lewis' wife when he married her? You consider her a child?
Just curious.
Posted by: joanie | July 03, 2008 at 11:06 PM
Even with the fact of what you said is in front of you, you still can't acknowlegde it and appologize for it. Now quit making excuses.
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Jerry lee lewis has nothing to do with this. How do you turn it off.
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Sorry
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Is it better
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:13 PM
Again sorry
Maybe this is better
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Now
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:26 PM
How about this
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:32 PM
Either Jerry Lee is a child molester or he is a husband and a thirteen year old may not be a child.
You are the one who made the association of child molesting. Live with it, Steven. Maybe you owe chucks the apology.
BTW, did you hear of the twelve-year-old whose uncle inducted her into a sex ring and apparently killed her?
I don't know how to turn off italics. Back up on your computer and see if you can get back to typepad. Sometimes I can. Then turn off the italics. Could try it. I'll try it from my end.
Did it work?
Posted by: joanie | July 03, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Nope.Sorry.
Posted by: joanie | July 03, 2008 at 11:47 PM
Maybe
Maybe
yes
APOD
Posted by: nevets | July 03, 2008 at 11:49 PM
I read through all the comments and not one that I saw (unless I'm blind from reading all the crap on this site lol), how do all of you think KIRO is going to broadcast the Mariners? When KIRO had both Seahawks/Mariners before, they had to put Seahawks on KISW 99.9 when the parent company owned both KIRO/KISW.
NO WAY is Seahawk ownership going to be moved or preempted by the Mariners and vice versa.
So I think KBSG will get the Mariners contract and Seahawks will continue on KIRO.
Too bad though, I just love the idea of TBTL being pre-empted by Mariners starting at 7:10 each nite when they play on the West Coast!
I read recently that Portland Oldies station changed to all sports format.
And the latest ratings for the Seattle Market showed that KJR has lost market share in the last 9 months...so why change another station to all sports?
Might be good though. Then perhaps we could get ESPN on KBSG when Mariners are not playing; and get ALL the MLB playoff games in the fall, vs KJR only carrying a few when they have the Fuskies Football (is that what they play?) on the air. Of course I would assume KRKO would fight that move for ESPN to KBSG. I think KBSG would go that route, since that would be cheaper than hiring more on-air staff.
Posted by: Oosik | July 07, 2008 at 02:56 AM
Who knows? Maybe we'll see more of Frank Shire on KBSG! Doing a show like Dori does on KIRO on Game day!
I hope Shannon Drayer is ready to move... KOMO staff is gonnna be cut cut cut. And I hope Tom Glascow stays right where he is...NY Vinnie? hmmmmmm he's doing ads for BBC Dodge on Seattle stations and he's doing Alfy's ads on KRKO...so he's not starving yet!
Posted by: Oosik | July 07, 2008 at 02:59 AM