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Under The Radar in Sports Radio – 7/18/16

Jason Barrett

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The sports radio world has been busy lately and if you don’t keep your eyes open you could miss something. Not to worry though, we’ve got you covered with this week’s installment of ‘Under The Radar’. A reminder, if you have a news tip to share you can send it along to [email protected].

  • The spring book in Philadelphia saw 97.5 The Fanatic defeat WIP yet again. The Fanatic won the Men 25-54 battle M-F 6a-7p, M-SU 6a-Mid, as well as in middays (Harry and Rob), early evenings (DeCamara), and in afternoon drive where Mike Missanelli has taken a commanding lead over the past few months over Josh Innes. WIP did win the head to head matchup in mornings, and in evenings (7p-12a) which is when they feature Phillies baseball.
  • In Dallas, The Ticket is on a major ratings roll with Men 25-54. The radio station saw all of its key weekday shows record double digit 1st place finishes, led by the Musers who were above a 14 share in mornings. The station was also 1st M-F 6a-7p and M-SU 6a-Mid. Jeff Catlin and his crew are knocking it out of the park in the money demo and building a strong case as one of the top sports radio brands of 2016. Meanwhile, 105.3 The Fan also enjoyed a successful month. The station was 3rd overall M-SU 6a-Mid, and 5th in prime M-F 6a-7p. Ben and Skin finished 3rd in afternoon, G-Bag Nation was 5th in midday and Shan & RJ were 7th in mornings. The story is even stronger for The Fan with Men 18-34. They defeat The Ticket head to head in most categories. One thing is for certain right now in Dallas, advertisers can’t go wrong in investing in either one of these brands.
  • After ending a spectacular run with ESPN last September, Colin Cowherd has been working hard to establish his program under the FOX Sports Radio, Premiere Radio Networks umbrella. That hard work is starting to pay dividends as FSR has announced that Cowherd’s program has now grown 100 affiliates strong. Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott says “The reaction to Colin’s show over the past 10 months has been incredible – we’ve surpassed every goal we set for the first year of the program. The rapid success of The Herd is a testament to Colin’s unique voice in the world of sports media and his ability to engage millions of fans across numerous platforms.  We look forward to reaching many more milestones together.”
  • Gow Media is giving its Yahoo Sports Radio network an identity change. The company will rebrand itself as SB Nation Radio, starting August 1st. It’s part of a new partnership with VOX Media. Gow Media had operated as Yahoo Sports Radio since August of 2011. The Yahoo company is currently up for sale. CEO David Gow tells BSM that SB Nation reporters will make appearances on the radio network, and the goal is for the two companies to work together to create more exposure for each of their respective platforms.
  • Last week we reported that Eric Dickerson had talked to the Los Angeles Rams about becoming their radio analyst but the two sides could not reach an agreement. We were told the two parties were divided over compensation, leading the running back to explore an opportunity with AM 570 LA Sports Radio, and the team to take a look at Jim Everett, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Jerome Bettis as potential analyst candidates. Then a story came out on Friday stating that Dickerson would take the position with the Rams after all. One source I spoke to said “The Rams have said one thing and done another over the past few months so nobody is sure at this point. They’ve told talent they were in the team’s plans only to learn through other channels that they weren’t. The communication has not been good, and it has to be extremely frustrating for their new play by play partners and advertisers.” No official deal with Dickerson has been announced but that doesn’t mean one won’t be. For now I’m going to take a few extra Advil and let others have fun sorting out the mess.
  • KNBR 1050 has a brand new Director of Content. Program Director Jeremiah Crowe has added former colleague Daniel Ogden who recently left 95.7 The Game. Ogden will be tasked with helping strengthen the KNBR 1050 brand and producing a new morning show. He starts in his new role on Monday July 18th.
  • Congratulations is in order for Scott Masteller and the folks at Hearst broadcasting in Baltimore. The company’s news talk station WBAL has reached an agreement with the Baltimore Ravens to continue serving as the team’s radio home for six more seasons.
  • ESPN Memphis 92.9FM is doubling up its football presence this NFL season. The station confirmed last week that it will become the Memphis radio home for the Tennessee Titans AND the Dallas Cowboys.
  • Matt & Scot, WJOX in Birmingham’s evening show has been cancelled. The duo were with JOX for the past 3.5 years and made the move to Alabama after showing promise in a PT role with The Ticket in Dallas. Scot plans to stay in town despite the setback. Matt is open to relocating if that’s what it takes to land his next opportunity. Cumulus Birmingham Market Manager David Walls says “Those guys are a class act, and I want to thank them for 3½ good years. We’re just going to take the station in a new direction.”
  • In Minneapolis, Andrew Krammer announced via Twitter that he’s leaving ESPN Twin-Cities (ESPN 1500AM) to join the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as a Vikings reporter.
  • Craig Hoffman has landed on his feet after being let go months ago by ESPN 980 in Washington D.C. Hoffman is joining 980’s rival 106.7 The Fan in a PT role. He’ll also be doing fill-in work for Ryan Maguire at WQAM in Miami and for Steve Moore at KMOX in St. Louis.
  • Ted Sobel has joined Fox Sports Radio in PT update anchor role. He’ll also be contributing as a studio host this football season to Sports Radio USA‘s NFL and College Football broadcasts.

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Charley Steiner Injured; Tim Neverett to Handle Dodgers Radio Play-by-Play

“This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes.”

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photo of Charley Steiner
Courtesy: Los Angeles Dodgers

As the Los Angeles Dodgers get set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in their first home game on Thursday, team play-by-play voice Charley Steiner has revealed he will not be doing games at the beginning of the season due to a severe back injury.

Through the Dodgers, Steiner posted a statement which said, “Over the winter, I landed on the Injured List with three compound fractures in my back. (I don’t recommend it.) With the start of the baseball season upon us, the Dodgers are ready to go – but I’m not. This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes. I look forward to returning to the mic later this season. In the meantime, go Dodgers!”

TrueBlueLA.com reports Tim Neverett will handle play-by-play duties while Steiner recovers. Neverett called the first two regular season games with Rick Monday as the Dodgers started the season in South Korea. Neverett and Monday did not travel with the team, however, they called those games in a studio back home.

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Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi Put a Bow on The Ronnie & TKras Show After Nearly 10 Years

“Finally, Tampa Bay can sleep easy knowing this hideous show is finally over.”

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Photo of Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi
Courtesy: iHeartMedia

After nearly 10 years, The Ronnie & TKras Show with Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi came to an end today as the duo broadcast their final show on remote with many listeners, friends and co-workers on hand. Earlier this month, WDAE announced changes to its programming lineup which will take place starting tomorrow. Ronnie Lane will take on a new role as host of the Tampa Bay Rays pre-game show The Inside Pitch. Tom Krasniqi will continue on in afternoon drive with producer Chris Mathis for The Drive.

Their final show kicked off with station voice Jim Cutler saying, “…Finally, Tampa Bay can sleep easy knowing this hideous show is finally over.”

And with that went three very fast hours of looking back on a nearly decade-long run for Lane and Krasniqi. “It seems kind of surreal, doesn’t it?” said Lane.

Mathis had several special guests lined up for the final show and many others left voice messages which were played coming out of breaks. Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht and Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford took part in the final show. Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks also called in and, at first, identified himself as “Pete from St. Louis” before asking what the hosts thought of the Rays bullpen.

“I’m telling you man, when I hear all of these tributes it really brings a tear to my eye, Ronnie,” said Krasniqi. “It’s a surreal moment…It makes me feel so fortunate and blessed to be in this position sitting next to you all these years. This is one of those moments where I am almost speechless and just so incredibly overwhelmed by the support and the love that everyone has shown here today.”

Lane responded, “…Our time together is really coming to an end. I might get a little emotional before this show is over, but we have had a great time and been through many ups and downs…This business is crazy and for us to be able to do what we are doing and doing it on our terms…And for a company that believes in both of us to give us this opportunity to go in different directions with the same company is truly amazing…It doesn’t happen like this always in this business, usually it’s an ugly goodbye.”

As the show came to an end, Lane reminded everyone, “It has been a blast, but we’re not freakin’ leaving!”

“We’re not leaving folks,” ‘TKras’ said. “Thanks very much for being a part of our lives and thanks for having us as part of yours. Onward and upward. You are dismissed.”

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Tyler Murray Added to WEEI Red Sox Radio Bench

“Coming up on 13 seasons in [minor league baseball], it’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have this opportunity.”

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Photo of Tyler Murray and logos for WEEI and the Boston Red Sox
Photo Credit: Ashley Green

The voice of the Worcester Red Sox, Tyler Murray, has been added to the Red Sox Radio play-by-play bench. WEEI made the announcement on their X account, saying, “On the heels of calling the Hockey East Tourney this weekend [and] adding to his excellent work [with the Worcester Red Sox], happy to announce that Tyler Murray will be helping to build our [Red Sox Network] bench this year! Tyler’s 1st series in the big leagues will be April 5-7 [with Will Flemming].

Murray, who has also called college hockey games on NESN plus college football and basketball games, said on X, “Coming up on 13 seasons in [minor league baseball], it’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have this opportunity. Thank you to [WEEI brand manager Ken Laird] and [Audacy Boston Senior Vice President/Market Manager Mike Thomas], and to everyone who has reached out. Your support has honestly been overwhelming, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Murray’s first series will be the Red Sox taking on the Los Angeles Angels on the road, April 5-7.

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