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The Price to Pay for an NHL Team
May. 25th, 2012 08:10 amThe radio ratings were released recently for the Winnipeg market, and they tell a story. Thanks to Jets hockey broadcasts, TSN 1290's ratings are up, CJOB's ratings are down. I suppose this should come as no real surprise, the Jets are major league material, and whichever station got their broadcasts was going to win out big-time.
It still saddens me, though. Had CJOB gotten the Jets broadcasts, there would have been an infinitely more professional, major-league, world-class product in the radio world. CJOB treated the minor league Manitoba Moose with major league treatment, imagine what they would have done with the Jets?
But almighty television prevailed: sight is more important than sound, and so TSN was able to hold the Jets over a barrel and give the radio broadcasts to their very minor-league station.
CJOB's response? They pulled out the stops to provide everything by way of coverage except the actual broadcasts. You had to know, though, that this wasn't going to compensate for not having the games. Who wants to listen to pre- and post-game analysis from the pizzeria across the street when the official broadcasts provide you not only with the games themselves, but with live interviews from the players, something CJOB is not allowed to do? Who cares if that analysis is superior, people are still going to turn to the official broadcast. Me? I made it a point, when listening to Jets games, to find the opposition team's stations and listen on those. CJOB's Jets coverage, in terms of time spent, was probably at least equal to TSN 1290's, but in the long run, TSN carried the broadcasts, and that carries the listeners.
What would TSN need to do to get me to stop harping on them like this? Well, here's my list:
1. Audio quality. Stop using mikes and equipment that make you sound like you're broadcasting from the arena toilet. Use the best mikes, the best transmission facilities, and the best on-air techniques out there. I know you're only radio and not almighty television, but radio still matters to a lot of us. I don't have access to television in my apartment and don't want it. I want radio. Give me the best. Give the major league team you represent the best.
2. For Pete's sake, set up a province-wide radio network of stations. You have a puky 10,000-watt signal, and you expect Farmer Brown in Souris to have high-speed Internet access in his tractor if he wants to listen to Jets games. Don't worry about being exclusive. Worry about making the best of the privilege you have, that of broadcasting professional sports.
3. Add more fan participation. Get a toll-free number, at least! More than one line. Look as though you're actually interested in the local sports scene, not just as if you're trying to scoop talent away from other stations.
4. Hire talent that's been doing these things for a lot of years. You hired Brian Munz to be play-by-play voice. That was smart, I'll give you that, he deserves the job. But you need a supporting cast who, unlike some, can complete a sentence without "erm, um, or uh. Develop new talent, sure, but have veterans doing the heavy lifting until that talent is developed.
5. Work with the CRTC to find a frequency that will give you more power. There is life in this province beyond the perimeter of Winnipeg. Explore it, reach it. Maybe try to get 580 and go 50K-watts. Do something to show you care about listeners outside of the city.
As for CJOB, I don't know what to suggest at this point. You were robbed, frankly, brutally robbed. I don't know if it's worth the expendatures to keep providing the kind of Jets coverage you did last year, not when you don't have the games. The reality is that we're stuck with TSN 1290 for Jets games for years, and there's nothing you, by far the superior station, can do about it. All I can say is, I'm glad you've sewn up the rights to the Bombers for another seven years. Can you imagine Gerald Fast calling Bomber games?
It still saddens me, though. Had CJOB gotten the Jets broadcasts, there would have been an infinitely more professional, major-league, world-class product in the radio world. CJOB treated the minor league Manitoba Moose with major league treatment, imagine what they would have done with the Jets?
But almighty television prevailed: sight is more important than sound, and so TSN was able to hold the Jets over a barrel and give the radio broadcasts to their very minor-league station.
CJOB's response? They pulled out the stops to provide everything by way of coverage except the actual broadcasts. You had to know, though, that this wasn't going to compensate for not having the games. Who wants to listen to pre- and post-game analysis from the pizzeria across the street when the official broadcasts provide you not only with the games themselves, but with live interviews from the players, something CJOB is not allowed to do? Who cares if that analysis is superior, people are still going to turn to the official broadcast. Me? I made it a point, when listening to Jets games, to find the opposition team's stations and listen on those. CJOB's Jets coverage, in terms of time spent, was probably at least equal to TSN 1290's, but in the long run, TSN carried the broadcasts, and that carries the listeners.
What would TSN need to do to get me to stop harping on them like this? Well, here's my list:
1. Audio quality. Stop using mikes and equipment that make you sound like you're broadcasting from the arena toilet. Use the best mikes, the best transmission facilities, and the best on-air techniques out there. I know you're only radio and not almighty television, but radio still matters to a lot of us. I don't have access to television in my apartment and don't want it. I want radio. Give me the best. Give the major league team you represent the best.
2. For Pete's sake, set up a province-wide radio network of stations. You have a puky 10,000-watt signal, and you expect Farmer Brown in Souris to have high-speed Internet access in his tractor if he wants to listen to Jets games. Don't worry about being exclusive. Worry about making the best of the privilege you have, that of broadcasting professional sports.
3. Add more fan participation. Get a toll-free number, at least! More than one line. Look as though you're actually interested in the local sports scene, not just as if you're trying to scoop talent away from other stations.
4. Hire talent that's been doing these things for a lot of years. You hired Brian Munz to be play-by-play voice. That was smart, I'll give you that, he deserves the job. But you need a supporting cast who, unlike some, can complete a sentence without "erm, um, or uh. Develop new talent, sure, but have veterans doing the heavy lifting until that talent is developed.
5. Work with the CRTC to find a frequency that will give you more power. There is life in this province beyond the perimeter of Winnipeg. Explore it, reach it. Maybe try to get 580 and go 50K-watts. Do something to show you care about listeners outside of the city.
As for CJOB, I don't know what to suggest at this point. You were robbed, frankly, brutally robbed. I don't know if it's worth the expendatures to keep providing the kind of Jets coverage you did last year, not when you don't have the games. The reality is that we're stuck with TSN 1290 for Jets games for years, and there's nothing you, by far the superior station, can do about it. All I can say is, I'm glad you've sewn up the rights to the Bombers for another seven years. Can you imagine Gerald Fast calling Bomber games?
