Dirk Diggler Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Pretty critical piece. This might be my favorite line: "Snyder is tightening the noose around the people whose job it is to give fair, balanced, disinterested daily analysis about the biggest football team on the Eastern seaboard." Oh the irony. Had the Post and Times actually been fair and balanced I doubt the noose ever would have come out of the box. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/NFC/NFC+East/Washington/Features/2006/edholm071906.htm Redskins listeners should be wary of Snyder's new Red Zebra venture By Eric Edholm (eedholm@pfwmedia.com) July 20, 2006 Upon hearing about Redskins owner Daniel Snyder’s new radio venture, which launched its maiden-ship broadcast on Tuesday, I dispatched one of my D.C.-area moles — a very sports-savvy lady and longtime resident — to give me a firsthand account. Here was her report: “I did try to tune in around noon, and all I could make out through the static sounded like a cross of Hispanic and Korean pop music. Definitely not football — or at least the kind of football we play here.” Uh, were you in a bad area? “I was at 17th and M — right downtown.” Oops. File that under the “inauspicious beginnings” column. In case you’re wondering, that’s about a hop, skip and a jump from the Washington Post, the newspaper with which Snyder has been embroiled for years. I’ll go ahead and assume the poor reception is a complete and utter coincidence. Snyder acquired three new, formerly Spanish-language stations — each of them outside the city, with weak signals — that, combined, will be the radio voice of his Redskins team. Depending on where you are in the region, you will tune in (Snyder’s mandate, of course) to WWXT (in Warrenton, Va.), WWXX (in Prince Frederick, Md.) or WXTR (in Alexandria, Va.). Never mind if you’re driving south on I-95 and might pass through all three areas at some point. Each station only covers part of the region, and a quick Google Maps search reveals that the three cities are each between 40 and 90 miles apart. By law, the AM station (WXTR) — the one closest to downtown D.C. by a good 40 miles — must turn down its signal at night. Guess that means listening to Monday- and Sunday-night games in that area requires taking the kids for a ride to get ice cream. Thirty-five miles southwest of Dulles, that is. The stations’ new name sounds like a play Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders dreamed up for new WRs Brandon Lloyd and Antwan Randle El: “Triple X ESPN Radio.” Its corporate name, Red Zebra, was an audible I once heard Boomer Esiason shout at the line of scrimmage in one of those “Bengals Yearbook, 1988: Dreams Were Meant to Die” shows on NFL Network at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday. And the slogan that follows — “Radio of a Different Stripe” — is just too creepy and carnal for my Midwestern taste. Besides the odd names and the poor reception, there’s the programming. Here’s the deal: four hours of local, headlined by John Riggins and Bram Weinstein, sandwiched by 20 hours of ESPN. In my fraternity in college, I determined that the best way to haze a pledge during Hell Week was to make him carry around a boom box for seven days, blasting a single song on repeat, over and over, ad nauseum — either the Eagles’ “New Kid In Town” or Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl,” take your pick. Had we but had the babel known as ESPN Radio when I was in school, I no doubt would have weaponized that and turned it onto the unsuspecting freshmen instead. Clearly, Bram and Riggo, two engaging and informed men, both popular among the Redskins’ contingent, will make that segment eminently listenable. The rest of the day? It could get ugly fast. As Washington Examiner columnist Rick Snider wisely pointed out, sports talk thrives on having a local flavor. And will Riggins, who has been at odds with Snyder in the past but more recently — and coincidentally, of course — has taken a softer stance on the owner, be able to criticize the team? What about beloved Joe Gibbs, his former coach? You have to question the validity of a station whose main anchor won’t call it like he sees it. We can only hope Riggins, who’s at his best when he’s unshackled, will have free rein. Adding fan fave Brian Mitchell to balance out the mix with longtime slack Redskins announcer (and apologist) Larry Michael is smart, but which one of these guys is going to call out a player or a coach or, God forbid, the owner? Sources tell me Snyder is eyeing an even bigger prize — Tony Kornheiser. Without a local morning show, Triple X, Red Devil, or whatever is going to run second — Redskins or no Redskins. And Snyder knows this. He wants Kornheiser, who remains loyal to the Post. Kornheiser has moved on to "Monday Night Football," but local fans still pine for his former (and very popular) radio gig. Getting him would be a coup — but it would cost Snyder more than money. And there’s the rub: How does he bring in Kornheiser, who no doubt will keep his allegiance to the paper, and maintain face with him or the media outlet he has worked so hard to snub over the years? By shutting out beat writers and columnists from stories and “breaking news” on the team’s Web site, the same process he no doubt will extend to his radio stations, Snyder is tightening the noose around the people whose job it is to give fair, balanced, disinterested daily analysis about the biggest football team on the Eastern seaboard. What recourse do the media outlets have? The Redskins are privately owned and do not have to grant access to the Post, the Times, the Examiner or any other media agency. Except, of course, his three new babies, which will get front-row access. Technically, the Post and Snyder now are rivals; the newspaper has an exclusive contract with another D.C. station, only on which its reporters can appear, so the two sides appear even more at odds now. Locals tell me that Washington can support only one sports-talk radio station — WTEM is the monolithic beast — because most talk radio here is devoted to one thing: politics. Of course, as the old saying goes, the only thing that can knock Capitol Hill off the front page above the fold is Redskins football. Snyder, of course, is hoping that he can knock the Post out of all meaningful coverage of his team, and that would appear to be a separate issue … but, really, is it? It’s clear that this venture, unlike Snyder’s other summer purchase of Six Flags Inc., was not made as a revenue generator. The stations are too small and not powerful enough for that. But rather, it’s another form of spin control. The team already has a TV studio set up at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., to produce team-controlled shows that are shown on three area channels. The radio element just adds one more major brick to Snyder’s burgeoning media empire. Though Snyder’s Red Zebra is a new beast of sorts — a radio station operated by the guy who owns the team that station is covering — there is a trend of this cross-pollination around sports. New York Knicks owner James Dolan also owns the MSG cable network, which shows Knicks games. Dolan used the station to give his own on-air take on the botched Larry Brown firing. Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox have taken measures to break news on “their” radio stations. The Cardinals dropped longtime power KMOX, going to the weak-signaled KTRS with the promise of offering exclusive baseball coverage — that which can only be received elsewhere on the team Web site — day and night. The Red Sox have the option to buy WRKO, their flagship, in 2007 and have similar control. Will fans care where their information is coming from? Let’s hope so. If there’s a man in America who has the reputation of being more controlling than Snyder, I’d like to hear about him. Obviously, he does something right — Snyder is worth a gazillion dollars, give or take. And he has helped build the Redskins into the biggest sports cash cow in North America, possibly in the world. But buying a $50 hoodie from the team Web site and trusting the owner on who is going to win the weak-side LB spot are like, as my dad likes to say, comparing apples and kumquats. With every written word, sound bite or television wave that is Snyder-borne, we can assume that the message comes with an agenda, and a subversive one at that. Every dissemination that is not followed properly by an alternate take should be challenged. Each point deserves a counterpoint. People should be allowed to make up their own minds based on the information they gather from the sources they trust. This, my friends, reeks of a fly-by-night operation. And given that you might need to charter a Cessna just to get in range of one of the three Red Devils, you might be best-served sticking to Korean pop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 "we can assume that the message comes with an agenda" And this piece is USDA-certified agenda free? It is to laugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachingWinsChampionships Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 What a joke! I really find it kind of funny that this guy is talking about "spin control" and subversive agendas for a football team. This sounds as ridiculous as the people on this board who write stirring posts about freedom of speech and claim that the mods are violating their rights. Get over it. This guys not good enough to get the opportunity to write these words: With every written word, sound bite or television wave that is Snyder-borne, we can assume that the message comes with an agenda, and a subversive one at that. Every dissemination that is not followed properly by an alternate take should be challenged. Each point deserves a counterpoint. People should be allowed to make up their own minds based on the information they gather from the sources they trust. and get them published in a context that makes them mean anything significant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard saunders Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Message is bull****, but I actually enjoyed his writing style... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gutlead74 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Uhhh this isn't politics, who gives a damn if it unbiased if skins fans are listening thats what they want.......geeze people never get it, i would like to hear good things about the skins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilbur58z Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Uhhhh, last time I checked, Brian Mitchell is on 980, not on Snyder's station. You know, from noon to 3 PM every weekday. Sort of hard to miss that one if you know a damn thing about this whole DC sports radio deal. What kind of a moron wrote this? If you make a mistake that big in a column like this, you are a total turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty Gut Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 how much news is there really to spin? the team either wins or loses, all the answers are right there on the field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Diggler Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 I emailed him: Eric, "Snyder is tightening the noose around the people whose job it is to give fair, balanced, disinterested daily analysis about the biggest football team on the Eastern seaboard." Oh the irony. Had the Post and Times actually been fair and balanced I doubt the noose ever would have come out of the box. Redskins fans were growing very tired of 2 things: YEARS of Snyder bashing in the papers and "inside scoop" that was almost always off the mark. You want to talk about an agenda? Read Sally Jenkins bitter work. "With every written word, sound bite or television wave that is Snyder-borne, we can assume that the message comes with an agenda, and a subversive one at that." Snyder owns a 50,000 member Redskins message board. There are plenty of threads that criticize him. The mods (who predate the takeover) have complete autonomy and have never censored criticism of the team. Where's the subversion smart guy? And BTW - the show is being streamed over the internet which you conveniently leave out. The reception is perfect. Thanks for reinforcing that what Snyder is doing is the right thing: providing unfiltered, unbiased content to football fans. Something you and other writers seem to have problems offering. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 wow - this sounds very defensive and childish. - All I've heard about in the last week from outside media sources are these bitter hate pieces. - They sound like they're scared quite frankly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Nice job DD! :applause: but you know it won't make a bit of difference, you'd do better putting notes in bottles and throwing them out to sea than emailing mediots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary@Redskins.com Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 When did Brian Mitchell jump to Red Zebra? He's on WTEM. Also, if he knew that Triple X was to launch on Tuesday, why did he tell his sports savvy lady friend to listen in on Monday morning or early afternoon? That's when the stations were still broadcasting Hispanic music. It switched to the loop of Redskins Radio game calls with promos for Riggins and the "Radio Red-volution," on Monday at about 4 p.m. ET. That loop ran until Riggins' show started on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 I emailed him:Eric, "Snyder is tightening the noose around the people whose job it is to give fair, balanced, disinterested daily analysis about the biggest football team on the Eastern seaboard." Oh the irony. Had the Post and Times actually been fair and balanced I doubt the noose ever would have come out of the box. Redskins fans were growing very tired of 2 things: YEARS of Snyder bashing in the papers and "inside scoop" that was almost always off the mark. You want to talk about an agenda? Read Sally Jenkins bitter work. "With every written word, sound bite or television wave that is Snyder-borne, we can assume that the message comes with an agenda, and a subversive one at that." Snyder owns a 50,000 member Redskins message board. There are plenty of threads that criticize him. The mods (who predate the takeover) have complete autonomy and have never censored criticism of the team. Where's the subversion smart guy? And BTW - the show is being streamed over the internet which you conveniently leave out. The reception is perfect. Thanks for reinforcing that what Snyder is doing is the right thing: providing unfiltered, unbiased content to football fans. Something you and other writers seem to have problems offering. Jeff excellent work. I also rememebr the praise Jerry Jones and Arthur Blank got a few years ago for starting their own cable networks - until that it is, it was discovered they violated NFL policy. - But we won't mention that.:shhh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gowen Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Uhhhh, last time I checked, Brian Mitchell is on 980, not on Snyder's station.You know, from noon to 3 PM every weekday. Sort of hard to miss that one if you know a damn thing about this whole DC sports radio deal. What kind of a moron wrote this? If you make a mistake that big in a column like this, you are a total turd. i was thiking the same thing as soon as i saw that, this person dosen't know anything. matter of fact i live in southern maryland and live 45 miles away from dc and have clear listening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Did he just give our receiving core a nickname? Triple X ESPN Receivers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spm Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 I dunno, but if I were a betting man I would not bet against Snyder making a business venture succeed. He knows what he is doing. As far as the "subversive agenda" every media outlet has one. Of course he's got an agenda, and only an idiot would think he didn't. Everyone has an agenda. 50 years ago, that was a bad thing because there were a limited amount of media outlets available, but today it's unlimited. Anyone who cares to get another opinion can do so by going to another source, like the Post or Times--or blogs and message boards for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Taylor Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 I'm surprised a "hater" would refer to us as "the biggest team on the Eastern seaboard". I'm flattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalex41 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 11. Please do not use the “Quote” feature to quote huge blocks of text or pictures. If you would like to respond to the contents of a particular post, simply quote the sentence or idea that you're commenting upon, not necessarily the entire post. It wastes space on the database and unnecessarily extends and clutters threads. A business venture pure and simple, I'm sure Jerry Jones is monotoring it's success !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Danny! Keep feeding me my KoolAid! :koolaid: I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Taylor Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Redskins listeners should be wary of Snyder's new Red Zebra venture I'm more wary of the ticket upgrade system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Anyone who cares to get another opinion can do so by going to another source, like the Post or Times--or blogs and message boards for that matter. yeah, it's not like someone's holding a gun to your head making you listen to the station. Doesn't every team have a web site? - Isn't THAT biased? Can't we assume that every word will come with an agenda when we go the the Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks web site? this is is sports...relax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HailSkinz1 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 I hope with all my heart that Snyder does not hire Tony K for his station. If The Danny knows how Tony K feels about Art Monk, he'll never hire him. Tony K, even without a vote, has been instrumental in keeping Monk out of the HOF, in my opinion (an opinion formed based on comments by Tony K - i.e. that he would not vote for Monk nor champion his cause for induction as the price Monk has to pay for not talking to the media during his playing days). Please Danny, so no to Tony K. MNF will be painful enough. Hail, H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncsuapex Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 If Snyders "agenda" is to give Skins fans what they want, ie more interviews, more "real" information coming from people who know the team and know the team from the inside... Then I'm all for some "agenda". Sounds like the other news outlets are scared.. HTTR and GOD BLESS DANNY BOY. Oh and I live in NC so the stations broadcast area doesn't affect me, unless I'm in DC which is only a few times a year anyways.. Im down for the webcast though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 If each point deserves a counterpoint, isn't that why we have the Washington Post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 *sniff**sniff* you can smell the fear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 *sniff**sniff*you can smell the fear Smells like................Victory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.