Brewers Looking for a New Radio Deal after 2008

[dadofandrew]

The low ratings had nothing to do with any deal, it was for parts of '06 & '07.

[pebadger]

I'm still upset about the entire central Wisconsin market mess from a few years ago WSAU somehow forced Point and Rapids AM out of the Brewers network by convincing the Brewers Radio Network that they had the signal strength to cover all of central WI. But for day games, the Brewers aren't even on WSAU, as they continue with their right wing radio (Rush and Hannity) and shunt the Brewers over to WRIG, which has a weaker signal Fortunately there is now an FM alternative, but for towns the size of Rapids and Point to not have a dedicated Brewers station is pretty sad.

[JohnBriggs12]

The two seasons that the Brewers were on WISN were 1981 and 1982. I was living in Wheeling, IL at the time which is roughly 30 miles from the Wisconsin border. After dark, the games could not be heard. It was horrible. I would listen to 4 innings or so, then nothing. Occasionally, for big games I would get in my car and drive 10 miles further north to Libertyville where I would sit in a parking lot listening to Brewer games.

 

I was so upset early in 81 that I called the Brewers and asked to speak to Bud Selig. To my everlasting shock, they put me through to Bud. Imagine a fan calling a team and getting through to the owner. I explained to Bud that I was a Wisconsin native, attended a lot of games (at the time 20-25 games a year) but I was bitterly disappointed I could no longer hear night games of my favorite team.

 

Bud spent a good 15 minutes with me on the phone that day. By the end of the conversation I was convinced he realized the move to WISN was a mistake and that when that 2 year contract ran out, they would be back on WTMJ. Since 1983 they have and I continue to feel my conversation had some effect.

 

Fortunately now, with the internet, Extra Innings package etc, things have changed. But WTMJ is the only big league station in the state. The Brewers belong there.

[Crewin06]

Well at least Wendy Selig-Prieb isn't the president anymore. Otherwise you know the Brewers would be locked into a 20 year deal with Sirius or XM Radio.

[GenoSeligPrieb]

In Chicago, even on a crappy little handheld AM radio, I can still get WTMJ loud and clear. Without the radio broadcasts, I'm having a tough time.

 

That said, I wish WISN or some other station would be able to ramp up their signal, because I wish the Brewers flagship station would devote more time to...ya know, the Brewers.

 

I want to say it was in 2005, and the Brewers won a riveting afternoon game, with some much-heralded rookie named Prince hitting a big late inning home run. Does anyone have specifics on this, or was it my imagination? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

As I recall, the home crowd went nuts, the energy, the excitement, all were through the roof. You could almost feel the franchise's fortunes turn a bit that day.

 

After the post-game, I wanted more Brewer coverage.

 

But what did WTMJ give us? Jonathon Greene's politics, then, only when it was time for the sports segment, Bill Michaels reading the score with NO highlights, followed by commercials and Phil Cianciola bantering with Greene as I switched to Chicago sports talk radio, hoping for some tidbit about the game.

 

If this was a Packer scrimmage, they would have had interviews, fan reactions, a writers round table, you name it.

 

So, while I'm resigned to hoping they keep WTMJ, ONLY for its signal strength, I wish I had affordable options...

[brewcrewnation]

That game was vs Pittsburgh, last game of a homestand in late August and Prince hit a pinch hit 2 run homerun into the 2nd deck in right field and that was first or 2nd curtain call that prince made, also this game was right before school started and a very small crowd of 12000 or 13000 were at the game.

[1992casey]

One thing the Brewers absolutely have to insist on is control over which stations are on the radio network. Over the years, the number of stations has dwindled, and fairly strong FM stations have been replaced with weak AM stations. It's awfully frustrating trying to find games on the car radio when the seek/scan feature doesn't find stations. Overlap certainly beats gaps.

 

The Wausau-Marshfield-Rapids situation is the poster child of WTMJ's stupidity in that regard. (I should actually say 'disregard' because the decision disregards fans in the Marshfield-Rapids area.) Those two stations had carried the Brewers for years, and wanted to continue carrying them, but were cut off by WTMJ.

 

I'm pretty much an 'expert' on Highway 29 west of Wausau and on Highway 13 between Marshfield and Ashland. Wausau (AM), Medford (AM), and Park Falls just don't cut it. North of Park Falls, there's FM coverage out of Hayward and Iron River that helps out if the AM coverage from Ashland wimps out. About a decade ago, things were fine when the Brewers were on FM out of Rhinelander and Medford. Those cities are now AM.

 

pebadger is absolutely right that Wausau's day game alternative station stinks. If WSAU won't carry daytime games, they should be dropped in favor of that alternative station, with gaps being filled with stations from neighboring towns.

 

pe, is the FM Stevens Point station still night games only?

 

Also, pe, you'd have been on safer ground with the site rules by calling WSAU's programming something like 'syndicated talk' rather than 'right-wing'. This isn't being recorded as a warning or anything, just consider it a 'heads up'.

[hawing]

That game was vs Pittsburgh, last game of a homestand in late August and Prince hit a pinch hit 2 run homerun into the 2nd deck in right field and that was first or 2nd curtain call that prince made, also this game was right before school started and a very small crowd of 12000 or 13000 were at the game.

 

Wednesday, August 31, 2005. It was our hiring week at the library (so no time off for me) and one of my employees and I watched on Gameday as the hallowed phrase "In play, run-scoring play" appeared on the screen. I did a brief happy dance at the front counter.

 

Getting back on topic, I agree that there's no really valid alternative to WTMJ. I do hope overall coverage improves, including but not limited to coverage on Packer game days. Missing Saturday's game irritated me enough; I can't imagine how fans from farther "outstate" manage, given that their coverage problems are much more routine than mine was last weekend.

[pebadger]

casey,

 

As far as I know, all the games are carried on 99.9FM in the Point/Rapids/Marshfield area. I don't usually listen at night, but I know the day games are on, because that's where I listen.

 

My father-in-law in Rapids was really upset back when WFHR got dumped from the network a few years ago. Insult to injury was that WFHR actually carried Cubs games for one season, as the Cubs radio folks, as I understand it, gave the games away for virtually nothing to see if they could expand their reach into Wisconsin. Thankfully the Cubs are no longer on WFHR, but I spent my youth listenting to Ueck and Pat Hughes calling Brewer games on that station. Pretty sad.

[BillScottCanRake]

I don't know how accurate TV ratings are, but I heard on the radio today that twice as many Milwaukee TVs were tuned into the Packer game Saturday night as were watching the Brewer game. Yes, the Brewer game wasn't on FSN (WMLW carried the game in Milwaukee, FSN picked it up here in La Crosse). If those numbers are accurate, I think that speaks a lot as to how many people are watching the Packers even when they aren't very good.

[Invader3K]

Packers will always be #1 in this state. We don't need to carry around an inferiority complex about it, though. The Brewers are getting a lot more attention this year than in previous years, and at least that is a positive sign. If the Brewers manage to get a better radio deal after next year, that's only a good thing for us.

[davego]

"I'm pretty much an 'expert' on Highway 29 west of Wausau and on Highway 13 between Marshfield and Ashland. Wausau (AM), Medford (AM), and Park Falls just don't cut it. North of Park Falls, there's FM coverage out of Hayward and Iron River that helps out if the AM coverage from Ashland wimps out. About a decade ago, things were fine when the Brewers were on FM out of Rhinelander and Medford. Those cities are now AM."

I worked @ the AM in Mfld off an on for about 17 years. It was a stunner when TMJ cut them and Rapids out. There is a serious hole now in Central Wis. WSAU has bumbed up their night power and while it is 'ok' there are pockets NW of Mfld that you just can't get the game at night unless you are close enought to Black River and can grab it off their FM. I guess I can understand if these stations could only carry the night games, but WSAU is not serving the market as well as could be done with these other stations also having the games. From what I understand both Rapids and Marshfield were iced out of any of this process until the deal was done and they were told then no longer had rights.

 

 

(made quote stand out a little more --1992)

[1992casey]

I drove north out of Marshfield about 9 PM the other night. WSAU (Wausau) did come in with lots of static for a while, then petered out completely somewhere between Spencer and Colby. 99 FM out of Point was much less acceptable.

 

You need to be north of Abbotsford to hear WIGM (Medford) at night. During the day, that station reaches to the edge of Wausau. From my experience, WFHR (Rapids) covers a lot of territory; in the past, I'd frequently tune it in. If my memory serves me right, like the other AM stations, it dies at night, too.

 

Also, it's important to remember that what we get in the car isn't the same as what people get in buildings. Some of these AM stations are only good for 15-20 miles if you're trying to listen to them in indoors.

 

Bottom line is that Rapids, Marshfield, and Point should all be on the network.