thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Was mentioned elsewhere but this seems worthy of its own thread. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/daniel-snyder-sells-wtem-am-taking-redskins-out-of-radio-business/2018/05/21/1d931404-5d18-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4ccd2e89421f Quote WTEM, which was recently rebranded The Team 980, will continue to broadcast Redskins games and the pregame and postgame shows after the sale to Urban One is complete, according to Terry Bateman, chairman of Snyder-owned Red Zebra Broadcasting. “They’ve done very well with sports talk in Richmond and are interested in doing sports talk in Washington,” Bateman said in a telephone interview. Urban One, which is based in Silver Spring, is the country’s largest African American-owned broadcast media company. Jeffrey Wilson, senior regional vice president for Urban One, said the company wasn’t prepared to discuss plans for specific personalities or shows. But Wilson affirmed a commitment to sports programming. “We love the idea of a sport radio format, where the fans are so passionately engaged — much more than with other formats,” Wilson said in a telephone interview. “This marriage is made in heaven. It brings premium value. It brings the perfect synergy. We see sports and urban [radio] as a natural marriage.” Dan the Man had a Stalin-esque purge of his radio portfolio last year and I guess this is the final stage. This bit was especially interesting to me: Quote The station was the final holding in Snyder’s Red Zebra company, which will be liquidated after the sale is finalized. With it, Snyder’s brief and apparently costly foray into radio broadcasting will come to an end. According to one person with knowledge of Snyder’s thinking, two factors drove his decision to dismantle his radio network: One, a desire to focus more attention on the Redskins, who have posted just six winning seasons in his 19 years as owner — particularly as Snyder seeks to drum up fan and civic support for construction of a new stadium after the lease on FedEx Field expires in 2027. Two, an inability to turn the stations into a profit center, despite aggressive changes in WTEM’s format in recent years. Found an article from the City Paper that said last year's purge resulted in a pretty significant ($10s of millions), overall loss for Red Zebra. The company didn't even last 15 years. Geez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Quote One, a desire to focus more attention on the Redskins, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Yeah, that's never good - plus you'd think he'd want a media mouthpiece to sell the locals on forking over the dough for the new stadium they won't be able to afford going to. Maybe he's betting on Gov. Northam and the Virginia General Assembly to make it happen on their own? Regardless, this looks like another unsuccessful endeavor for our Napoleon on the Potomac. As I said before, Red Zebra didn't even last 15 years and it's going to be dissolved after this deal goes through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I haven't listened lately via the app (still mad they killed their FM channel), because now its full of ads and it crashes a lot, forcing you to listen to the same ad over and over again about air traffic controllers or BMitch's weight loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Are they going to air the games on 106.7 again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Here's the Wikipedia Page for the new station owners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_One Looks like they're a local outfit but they've been around for awhile and have been successful. They currently operate the Rick Smiley and Tom Joyner's programs and they own the ESPN Radio affiliate in Richmond (which used to be part of Red Zebra's portfolio). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purbeast Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I've found myself listening to 980 less and less the past couple of years and a lot more to 1067. I think it mainly started to go downhill for me when CZabe's show became just him and didn't focus on local stuff. It also has to do with my work schedule changing too as I am not even in the car when Czabe's on now a days. I primarily listen to the Junkies on the way in and CDVTW on the way home. I couldn't stand Chad and Lavar though, but when he's by himself I like him a lot more. Lavar is flat out annoying to listen to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 4 minutes ago, Springfield said: Are they going to air the games on 106.7 again? Considering Urban One owns the Redskins Radio Network affiliate in Richmond (WXGI) and they're already on the FM dial through WMAL, I don't see why they would. Not sure when that partnership with WMAL ends, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 3 minutes ago, thebluefood said: Considering Urban One owns the Redskins Radio Network affiliate in Richmond (WXGI) and they're already on the FM dial through WMAL, I don't see why they would. Not sure when that partnership with WMAL ends, though. Isn’t WMAL the conservative radio station? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Just now, Springfield said: Isn’t WMAL the conservative radio station? They sure are. Last year, Bruce announced they'd be "coming home" to WMAL since the that was the team's radio spot for 50 years (last game as the flagship Redskins Radio Network station was Super Bowl XXVI). Definitely a nostalgia play by the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tshile Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 everything snyder touches turns to **** except for a telemarketing center. which is ironic. the only thing he's done well is something that everyone ****ing hates he's ****ed up a major NFL franchise. something most would consider impossible. everyone else is printing money, he's ripping seats out of his stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Which businesses, other than of the redskins, does Snyder own that are doing well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 The word lease was interesting to me. I thought that was already bought and paid for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 I just have to wonder how Red Zebra could crash and burn like that. I know over-the-air radio isn't as popular as it was 10-20 years ago but you'd think owning a 50kW sports radio station in a top 10 market four-team town would be easy sailing - especially for someone who has a background in the communications industry. On top of that, they're the flagship radio station for the most popular team (for now) in the region. And yet: https://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb015 WTEM's nowhere to be found. Of course, Neilsen's not an exact metric but all things considered you would think they could at least break the top 20 like WFJK did. How did Red Zebra screw this up so badly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 You should have saved them blue. Not a big deal to me. I never listened to it anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 1 minute ago, Kosher Ham said: You should have saved them blue. Not a big deal to me. I never listened to it anyway. Naw, my heart's in public radio and WAMU is doing just fine in the ratings, thankfully. I'm just flabbergasted by the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 6 minutes ago, thebluefood said: On top of that, they're the flagship radio station for the most popular team (for now) in the region. For now ? Even if the Caps, Nats, , O's or Wiz win a title before the Redskins. The Redskins will still be the top dog. In the region. That is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 1 minute ago, Kosher Ham said: For now ? Even if the Caps, Nats, , O's or Wiz win a title before the Redskins. The Redskins will still be the top dog. In the region. That is the key. please if the Nats win the title, they are going to be the top dog in the city. The only reason why the Redskins have any backing is because of the 80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Yeah, I dunno about that, either. I only visit the area a few times a year but even with a slight glance, you can tell it has changed dramatically over the past few decades. It's not all necessarily for the best but it is changing. The 'Skins aren't the only show in town anymore - hell, they're not technically even in town anymore and are the only local team that can say that. With the changing population, you have fewer people who remember or care about the "glory years." The only reason why the 'Skins were able to get a foothold as the most popular team in the region was because of a whole mixture circumstances: 1.) They won immediately after arriving from Boston 2.) Their only competition for 30+ years was a miserable failure of a baseball team (which made the team look better by comparison, even in their worst years) 3.) The Capitals were wretched for almost a full decade after expansion 4.) Even when the Bullets were at their best, the NBA was at its lowest (like broadcasting games on tape delay) 5.) The team's former owners, for better or worse, were masters of publicity and could boast some modicum of sustained success during their respective tenures None of those are factors anymore. The 'Skins cannot take their number one status for granted, especially after the litany of PR snafus they've committed over the last 20 years (including the Cooke family losing the team to begin with). I don't know how Snyder losing WTEM is going to impact the team but unless he's (uncharacteristically) got a card up his sleeve, I can't imagine this is going to be good, especially if he sold it at a loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Yet the Nats have been closer many times more than the Redskins since the 80's. So have the Caps. The only cities that have both NFL and MLB that the MLB could be the favorite. Boston and Cincy. Not to mention NY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 The primary reason that I don't listen to local sports talk radio is that is focuses far too much on our miserable football franchise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 980 was still better than The Fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tshile Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I quit listening when they went off the radio. Might be why they’re not in ratings anymore? when it was just a button on my dash I’d tune in from time to time. As the cousins situation got worse and was all anyone talked about I tuned in less. When I had to pull my phone out? No thanks. Got a ton of more interesting things to listen to than the dumb **** they were talking about the last 2 years. “Our ratings go terrible when we talk about the caps or nats or wizards” yeah? Well talking about and manufacturing dumb **** about the skins drove you out of business. Good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Sports talk radio is boring. 99% of the time their just trying to fill air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted May 23, 2018 Author Share Posted May 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Springfield said: Sports talk radio is boring. 99% of the time their just trying to fill air. Agreed which is why I've never really understood the appeal, especially since those shows can run for 3-4 hours at a time. I'm a chatty guy and can talk about damn near anything (especially if I have someone with me) but I'm hard pressed to go on for 3-4 hours even if it's something I feel passionate about. It's one of the reasons why I prefer public radio stations: there's variety. News, music, pop culture, panel shows, audio essays, even the occasional radio drama. Most stations, even on satellite radio, are too narrow in their scope. I love sports but can only take so much of it at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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