Sports Radio News
Derrick Hall: ‘Diamondbacks Evaluating Media Future Amid Bally Sports Fallout’
“The most important part here was to make sure that there was no interruption in television [and] our fans could always get the games,”
Published
3 months agoon
By
BSM Staff
Major League Baseball has officially assumed control of local broadcasts for the Arizona Diamondbacks after a bankruptcy judge granted Diamond Sports Group the right to terminate its rights agreement. Beginning with tonight’s matchup against the Atlanta Braves, Diamondbacks fans will need to find the new home of these league-produced game broadcasts. Earlier this year, the league took over local broadcasts for the San Diego Padres after Diamond Sports Group neglected to pay the team its rights payment after a 30-day grace period.
Anticipating the turmoil with the company in advance, Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. created a local media department, headed by Billy Chambers, to prepare for these scenarios and ensure fans do not miss a beat. Moreover, the league will be compensating afflicted teams 80% of media rights remuneration, although its future implications are not yet known.
In an interview on Arizona Sports 98.7, Diamondbacks team president and CEO Derrick Hall seemed optimistic about the sudden transition the team is making. Since the Diamondbacks have accumulated eight losses over their last 10 games played, Hall decided to start the conversation with Ron Wolfey and Luke Lapinski in a lighthearted manner.
“Well just another day at the ballpark here,” Hall said. “You know what, Wolf? This was by design. I figured the way we’ve played the last 10 to 18 games, we don’t want [our fans] to be able to find us on TV until we get straight again.”
The Diamondbacks were previously televised on Bally Sports Arizona under a 20-year, $1.5 billion contract, agreed to while it was a Fox-branded regional sports network. Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March in order to reorganize itself, granting it the ability to selectively reject contracts. Bally Sports Arizona also lost the Phoenix Suns and Mercury since the two teams inked a deal to appear on broadcast television free of charge. The loss of the Diamondbacks leaves the Arizona Coyotes as the only local professional sports team televised on the regional sports network, which some cable providers hope to drop entirely.
The Diamondbacks initially thought they would be dropped by the regional sports network on July 1, the day the rights payment was due. Yet there was a sense of optimism in the negotiations, which reportedly included a lower rights fee and coveted direct-to-consumer broadcast rights; therefore, the bankruptcy court granted an extension. Manfred, however, was reportedly prepared to block the deal should it go through, which would have been a five-year deal valued at 20% less annually. During the moratorium period, the team was paid on a per-game basis.
“The most important part here was to make sure that there was no interruption in television [and] our fans could always get the games,” Hall said. “Now because the ruling came down today – this morning just now – it doesn’t give us a lot of time to notify and educate the fans on where the stations will change. Those fans that have always had access to the games, be it through cable or be it through satellite, [are] still going to get the game.”
The new television deal will increase the amount of households Diamondbacks games reach by nearly five-fold, and it will also open an opportunity for fans to stream the games in-market without blackouts or other restrictions. For the first seven days, fans will be granted a free trial of MLB.TV and can also stream the games on the Diamondbacks’ official team website. Then, they can sign up for the individual team plan for $19.99 a month or $54.99 for the rest of the season.
“We’re going to be able to see how it goes this year now that we’re with MLB, which by the way has done a phenomenal job in producing the games for the Padres,” Hall said. “I think they look as good, if not better, than they ever have. It feels like [in] talking to their fans; talking to their P.R. staff [and] talking to their executives [that] they didn’t miss a beat.”
Although Hall wishes the team had a few more days’ notice to inform the fans of the change, he is confident that people will discover how to watch the games and take a liking to the new format. The remainder of the 2023 season will guide what the team wants to do with the media rights going forward, which has already received considerable amounts of interest.
“We’re talking about MLB about what it looks like next year – if it’s just a specific partner of theirs exclusively or if we can bring in other partners to help distribution,” Hall said. “What’s important to me is to make sure we can have more viewership than ever before [and] cover more territory than ever before, and not only state-wide but outside because we have so many fans when you look at New Mexico and Utah and Nevada.”
More information about the Diamondbacks’ broadcast changes can be found on dbacks.com/watch and on the team’s official social media pages.
Sports Radio News
92.9 The Game Enjoys Ratings Growth in Atlanta Summer Book
In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p), the station finished 2nd overall with a 6.8 share.
Published
4 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
The summer ratings book is out in Atlanta, and 92.9 The Game once again turned in a strong quarterly performance with Men 25-54.
In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p), the station finished 2nd overall with a 6.8 share for the book. For the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid), the station remained 2nd with a 5.6 share.
Looking at the weekday shows, in mornings, the summer book represented the second ratings period for the station’s show helmed by Tiffany Blackmon, Mike Johnson, and Beau Morgan. The Morning Shift saw a slight drop from its first book, finishing with a 7.1 share for the quarter. That figure was an 8.4 share in the spring book. Nonetheless, the program remained in a strong position, 2nd overall in the market.
In middays, the station had a pair of shows finish 2nd, with The Steakhouse — featuring Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden –enjoying an uptick from a 6.9 in the spring to an 8.1 in the summer. Shapiro and Golden are heard weekdays on the station from 9a-11a.
Additionally, middays with Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael generated a 7.1 share, which was one tenth of a point off from its spring book. Similar to The Morning Shift and The Steakhouse, Bunker and McMichael secured 2nd place in their time slow.
The venerable 92.9 The Game afternoon duo of Carl Dukes and Mike Bell, which airs from 2p-7p, saw a slight dip this quarter to finish with a 6.6 share, good for 3rd in the market. In the spring book, Dukes & Bell were 2nd with a 6.9 share.
Ratings information for 680 The Fan was not made available for the summer book.
Sports Radio News
Jon Ritchie: Joe DeCamara Deserves Credit from ESPN For Idea That Turned Phillies Season Around
Published
4 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
Earlier this year, 94 WIP producer Jack Fritz received acclaim for sharing an idea that Philadelphia fans should give struggling shortstop Trea Turner a standing ovation. Morning host Jon Ritchie believes his partner, Joe DeCamara isn’t getting the credit he deserves.
During DeCamara and Ritchie Wednesday morning, the former NFL star argued that ESPN’s Karl Ravech got the story wrong in its retelling during the Phillies National League Wild Card Game Tuesday.
“This is good stuff. Last night during the during the broadcast, I started getting texts and tweets about this, but didn’t hear it live because I was at the game,” DeCamara said. “But during the broadcast, Karl Ravech and David Cone talked about what Fritz did and the Trea Turner thing.”
The show then played the clip of Ravech and Cone talking about Fritz’s idea of giving the standing ovation and how it helped turn Turner’s season around. Ritchie jokingly took issue with the fact that it was actually DeCamara’s idea.
“I guess (Fritz) did do the organizing, that is true, but the idea was hatched by Joe DeCamara on our show,” said Ritchie. “This was Joe’s idea. He hatched it. Let’s give him some credit here, and if Jack Fritz is gonna get a ring, why doesn’t Joe DeCamara?”
DeCarama joked Jon Ritchie just “wants to cause trouble”, before his co-host pushed him to say it was his idea.
“If I say yes, I seem like a bad guy. If I say no, I’m lying. So I will say no,” DeCamara said slyly.
Last week, during an appearance on the station, Turner thanked afternoon hosts Jon Marks and Ike Reese for helping turn around his year.
“Obviously, the whole thing happened and the rest is kind of history. Started playing a lot better and it was thanks to you guys and the crowd,” the Phillies star said.
Sports Radio News
98.5 The Sports Hub Delivers Strong Summer Ratings But WEEI’s ‘Greg Hill Show’ Closes The Gap in Mornings
“98.5 The Sports Hub remained the top overall station in the summer book but WEEI’s Greg Hill Show made up significant ground in morning drive.”
Published
5 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
Boston has long been one of the hottest sports radio markets in America. With the latest summer ratings period now closed, we know it is also one of the most competitive between 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI.
In morning drive, Toucher & Rich still topped the market with an impressive 15.1 share. That rating is one that most shows would gladly take but after producing a massive 24.3 share last Summer, maintaining that performance was going to be a tall order. Though the show was 1st with a strong number, a decline of more than 9 shares year over year has to get the attention of the morning show and the management team. If anyone can rebound though and regain that past performance, T&R have shown they can.
Scott Zolak and Marc “Beetle” Bertrand continued to earn the number one spot in middays, garnering a 14.6 share for The Hub. That number was also down year-over-year but not as much as mornings. Zo and Bertrand turned in an 18.1 share in the 2022 Summer book.
Felger & Mazz — hosted by Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti — remains the best-performing show in Boston. The afternoon show held a 17.2 share to finish 1st in their time slot. The show did drop from a 19.7 share last summer but remains comfortably ahead of any market competition.
In weekday prime ratings, 98.5 The Sports Hub remained the top overall station with a 15.3 share. That number was down 25% year-over-year when it held a 20.4 share.
Meanwhile, WEEI rose more than 34% in weekday prime to a 7.4 share, up from a 5.5 in the same book a year ago. That placed them 3rd for the book.
WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show was the station’s biggest winner, more than doubling its share year over year. Hill’s program ranked 2nd with an 11.6 share this summer compared to a 5.2, 7th place finish last year. Only 3.5 shares now separate Hill from Toucher & Rich.
The midday pairing of Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria saw a slight increase for WEEI this quarter, moving to a 7.0 share. That figure was up from 6.3 last year. They were ranked 4th overall this quarter.
The afternoon pairing of Adam Jones, Meghan Ottolini, and Christian Arcand saw a noticeable drop, garnering a 3.9 share during the summer book. That put them in an 8th place tie during the summer book. Last year, WEEI’s afternoon show of Lou Merloni, Fauria, and Ottolini saw a 6.0 share in afternoon drive.
All numbers reported above are for sports radio’s target demographic of Men 25-54. The Hub did also have strong stories with Men 18-34 (1st for the full week, 2nd in prime), Persons 25-54 (1st for the full week, 3rd in prime), and Men 18-49 (1st for the full week, 1st in prime).
